Osiris, Isis and Set
Magic, Betrayal and the Battle for Egypt
The story of Osiris, Isis and Set is one of ancient Egypt’s most important myths. Osiris is a just king, Isis is his clever and devoted wife, and Set is the powerful brother who kills him. Their struggle explains why Osiris rules the dead and why Isis protects kingship and family. It also leads to the birth of Horus, who fights Set for Egypt’s throne. There is no single ancient scroll containing every familiar scene, so modern retellings combine evidence from different periods. I find the heart of the story easy to recognise: love and persistence answer a terrible act of betrayal.
The earliest substantial clues appear in the Pyramid Texts, carved inside royal pyramids from the late Old Kingdom. They refer to Osiris being killed and restored, Isis and her sister Nephthys mourning him, and Horus claiming his inheritance. Later Coffin Texts, temple inscriptions and funerary papyri add details. Greek writer Plutarch recorded a long version many centuries afterwards. His account is valuable, but it should not be treated as the only or earliest Egyptian version.Set attacks Osiris and causes his death. Popular retellings say he tricks Osiris into lying inside a beautiful chest, seals it and throws it into the Nile. That particular scene comes from Plutarch. Egyptian sources describe the death less continuously, sometimes saying Osiris was struck down, drowned or cut apart. Isis searches for her husband’s body, helped by Nephthys and sometimes Anubis. In later tradition she gathers his scattered pieces after Set has dismembered him.
Isis is a master of magic. With mourning, spells and the help of other gods, she restores Osiris enough to conceive their son Horus. Osiris does not return to his old earthly throne. Instead, he becomes ruler and judge in the Duat, the realm of the dead. His renewed life offered hope that death could be followed by transformation. Egyptian funerary religion linked dead kings and, eventually, many other deceased people with Osiris.Isis hides the young Horus in the marshes of the Nile Delta. She protects him from snakes, illness and Set’s discovery. Magical healing texts describe dangers faced by the divine child, then use his recovery as a pattern for curing human patients. When Horus grows up, he demands the kingship that belonged to his father. The gods must decide whether the rightful heir or the stronger uncle should rule.
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The curious mind behind Mythfits Society
Hi! I’m Jocelyn, and I created Mythfits Society to make discovering ancient myths easier, more interesting and much more fun.
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