If you missed my article on Ishtar, it can be found here.
Osiris, or Usir to the Egyptians, is the Egyptian god of the Underworld and judge of the dead. Osiris is the Latin or Greek form of his name. He was also called Wennefer (the beautiful one), and as the judge of the dead, he was known as Khentiamenti. He was once the ruler of all of Egypt and was known to be a virtuous and loving ruler. He rules the Underworld in much the same way.
His father is Geb, who is the Earth. Osiris’s mother is Nut, who is the sky. His siblings are Isis (goddess of mothers, healing, and magick), Set (god of deserts and violence), Nephthys (goddess of darkness and mourning), and Horus the Elder (god of the sky and kingship). Osiris is the oldest child of Geb and Nut. (For a minute there, I thought Ra was his father.) His wife is his sister Isis. Osiris fathered Horus the Younger with Isis, and in some stories, he fathered Anubis, who is the god of the dead, and mummification with Nephthys.
Osiris has a number of symbols. They are the crook and flail, which he is often depicted with. Other symbols are the Atef crown ostrich feathers, fish, mummy gauze, and the djed. The djed is a pillar-like symbol representing stability or Osiris’s backbone (I had to look it up). He is often stylized with, as I said, the crook and flail, but also the Atef crown and green skin. The green skin represents rebirth, regeneration, and fertility. Finally, we see Osiris partially or fully wrapped in mummification dressing in some art.
Since he was born first, he assumed leadership. Humans had no laws or civility. He taught us how to plant food, about the Gods, and even how to behave. During his rule, everyone was taken care of. We had what we needed and weren’t greedy. Unfortunately, the brothers Osiris and Set grew apart, and Set grew resentful. Before the most well-known story with Osiris is the story of his fight with Set, Nephthys disguised herself as Isis, had sex with Osiris, and became pregnant with Anubis. After this, I believe Nephthys hid her pregnancy and Anubis once he was born. Osiris and Isis raised him as their own, knowing nothing of Anubis’s origins. They just found an abandoned baby.
Later, Set threw a big party. He had a beautiful coffin made to Osiris’s measurements. He challenged everyone at the party to lay in it and see if it fit them. Whoever fit won it. Osiris laid in it, and Set closed it, then threw it in the Nile. Eventually, being trapped in the coffin, Osiris died. Finally, Isis found him. When she left to get herbs for a potion to bring him back to life, she left Nephthys to look after him. Set got it out of here where Osiris was, chopped him up, and threw him about.
Nephthys helped Isis find the pieces. They found all the pieces except for his eggplant. Even so, Isis revived him. Because a part of him was missing, he could no longer rule the living. Still, Isis managed to get some semen from his body and impregnate herself with Horus. Osiris went to the afterlife to rule and judge.
So what do you think of Osiris? Is he fit to fight in the arena without being whole? Have you played him? Let me know in the comments. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
