Isis

Goddess of Magic and Healing

Isis was one of ancient Egypt's most important goddesses. She was connected with magic, motherhood, protection, healing and royal power. Her Egyptian name was Aset, and she was often shown as a woman wearing a throne-shaped symbol on her head. Later she could wear cow horns surrounding a sun disc. Isis was the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. When Set murdered Osiris, Isis searched across Egypt for her husband. Her sister Nephthys helped her gather what remained, and Isis used magic to restore him long enough for Horus to be conceived.

Isis then had to protect Horus while he was still a child. She hid with him in the marshes because Set remained dangerous. Stories describe Horus being bitten or stung by poisonous creatures, and Isis using spells to heal him. Egyptians copied these magical stories onto objects used when children were ill. Isis was also extremely clever. In one story she wanted to learn the secret name that gave Ra enormous power. She created a snake, arranged for it to bite him and then offered to cure him if he told her the name. Eventually, even the mighty Sun god had to agree.

When Horus grew older and challenged Set for the throne, Isis continued helping him with disguises, clever arguments and magic. Her protection was not limited to gods and kings. Ordinary people asked her for help with illness, childbirth and dangerous journeys. Her worship eventually spread far beyond Egypt. During Greek and Roman times, temples to Isis appeared around the Mediterranean, including at Pompeii and Rome. Sailors saw her as a protector during dangerous voyages. Images of Isis holding the child Horus also became extremely popular. Her stories changed over thousands of years, but her determination remained easy to recognise. I think that is why she became so loved. Isis faces terrible problems, but she rarely solves them by simply being stronger than everybody else. She searches, thinks, learns and keeps going. In a mythology full of giant animals and powerful kings, being clever can be just as useful as being mighty.

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