Osiris is the god of Ancient Egypt. Image and symbol of the god Osiris

Egyptian mythology is one of the oldest in the world. Over the years, the supreme god was the master of the land of the dead, the god Osiris, whose cult evoked a sense of respect and fear. It was he who decided what the soul deserved: eternal life or oblivion. Everyone fell on his court, on which good deeds and sins were weighed.

The Divine Dynasty

Myths are always interesting. Ancient people believed that the gods are not alien to all human, and especially in feelings. Therefore, they fell in love, quarreled, gave birth to children. This is what traditions tell about.

Egyptian legends say that earlier the earth was an endless ocean. It was covered by waves, cold and dead. The ocean was called Nun. But one day a bird of the phoenix flew over the endless water and changed its expanses with its cry. From the surface came Atum - the first deity. Several generations later, Osiris appeared. The forefather God realized that the sea would freeze again without wind, and created Shu's son. Together with him was born a twin-daughter Tefnut, who became the patroness of the ocean, order and thought. They were two deities with one soul, a feminine and a masculine. Subsequently, it was the patroness of water that helped create the world.

But the earth remained dark. The father lost his children and searched for them for a long time. To find the first-born, he gouged out his eye and threw it into the water. The eye had to find the children. But Atum coped himself and was so delighted that a lotus emerged from the water, and from it the god Ra is the lord of the sun. He cried with happiness, and his tears turned into people. Later this god became a reflection of Atum. But the eye, which spent the strength, was offended and in anger became a snake. Then the supreme god placed him on the crown.

Shu and Tefnut became the first heavenly couple. They had two children: Geb - patron of the earth and Nut - the owner of the sky. They loved each other so much that they did not break their embrace. Therefore, from the very beginning, the earth and the sky were connected. But when they quarreled, Ra ordered the Shu wind to separate them. The goddess of heaven rose. The head was spinning from the height, so her father, the wind, supported her in the daytime, and dropped him on the ground every night. Mother Tefnut - goddess of dew and rain - also had a daughter, but quickly got tired. When it was hard for her, water poured onto the ground.

In the dark, Nut met her husband. Ra, having learned about this, became angry. He cursed Nut that she would not give birth. But through the trick of Tot, she still could have children, among whom was the god of Egypt - Osiris.

The Wisdom of the Great God

He - the patron of wisdom and magic - decided to help heavenly Nut. He went to the moon and won her a cunning 5 days. Then Nut and Hebe had children. The first was Osiris. His brothers and sisters were Nephthys - ruler of the dead, Isis - kept love and destiny, Seth - evil.

When Osiris was born, a voice said that it would be the master of all things. According to the legends it was believed that he was a direct descendant of Ra.

Growing up, Osiris took the throne of his father Geb. It was the fourth god-pharaoh. The first thing he did when he took the throne - he began to teach the people of wisdom. Before that, the tribes lived savages and ate their own kind. Pharaoh taught to eat and grow cereals. The One who was the symbol of wisdom came to the aid. Together they established the main laws. He invented names, gave names to things, gave written language, taught art and various crafts. The Egyptian god Osiris told how to worship the higher powers. He was a master of agriculture and made all work. With his will, people learned medicine and magic. They made wine and brewed beer. With its installations, cities were built. Processed ore and copper. The Board was called the Golden Age. The government was conducted without bloodshed and wars. He married, according to family tradition, his sister Isis, who fell in love with him while still in the womb.

After putting his land in order, he went to neighboring provinces, where chaos still reigned. Peace and wisdom began to rule in other tribes. On the throne remained a wife who passed on to her people knowledge of the household and the science of family life.

Intrigues of the pantheon

While Osiris shared his experience, his brother Seth secretly fell in love with Isis. His feelings were so strong that he decided to take his brother out of the world. Seth did not search for supporters for long. Many demons did not like the situation. The brother of the god Osiris made a sarcophagus, gilded it and decorated it with expensive stones. Before that, he secretly measured the growth of the god of fertility. Then he organized a feast where he invited the elite of Egypt. When the guests drank wine, Seth took out a box. The audience gasped at the beauty they saw. The chest liked them. Then the god of evil said that he would give it to someone who fits there perfectly. Everyone decided to try to lie down in a box, but one it was cramped, the other long. When Osiris went there, the traitors closed the lid and nailed the coffin. The trap worked. The box was taken out and thrown into the river. But the current did not carry the sarcophagus into the sea.

Egyptian mythology clearly indicates that beyond the Nile, a feature of life and death is laid. The river took him from the country of people to the realm of souls. God, who was considered eternal, passed into the world of the dead.

Learning about the dirty trick, Isis began to mourn. She grieved for a long time and looked for the body of her beloved on the ground. After a while the woman was told where they had seen the coffin. But the box was overgrown with heather, and one of the kings took him to his palace as a column. Ishida found out about this and began to serve in the castle as a commoner. Subsequently, the inconsolable widow carried away the sarcophagus. The severed faith that stood as a pillar was later used as a symbol of the god Osiris. When they opened the lid, the goddess burst into tears. In Egypt, she hid a crate in the Nile delta.

The Great Power of Divine Love

There was another reason why Seth hated his brother. According to the family tradition, the children of one parent were married. This happened in a pair of twins Shu and Tefnut, Nut and Geb. This fate awaited and their children - Osiris and Isis and Seth plus Nephthys.

The evil God was married to his second sister. But this woman sincerely fell in love with the Egyptian pharaoh and part-time brother. One night she reincarnated in Isis and shared a bed with him. So the son of Duat Anubis, who became a master of mummification, appeared. The woman for a long time hid the truth from Seth. But when the situation turned against Osiris, she turned to the side of good and became an ally of the sister.

Then the events unfold as follows. One evening Seth fished on the Nile and came across a sarcophagus. In a fit of anger, he cut the body of his brother into 14 parts and scattered them around the world. Poor Isis and her sister began to look for the body. The search was successful, they found all the pieces except the phallus. Subsequently, it was replaced with clay.

Where a part of the body was taken from, they built a temple. Seth saw the sanctuary and thought that the ashes were buried forever, without even knowing that the enemy wants to resurrect.

The wife of Osiris and his supporters, sister Nephthys, a friend of Thoth and son Anubis, created a mummy. The process lasted 70 days. Ishida was very grieved and because she did not have children. But due to great magic she turned into a bird Hat, said spells and became pregnant.

The fate of the heir

For a long time, the widow who was waiting for the baby was hiding. When I gave birth, she said that her son would avenge the death of his father. The child was called Chorus. Ishida raised it and waited for the day when justice will triumph. The entire pantheon guarded her and the baby from the bad Seth.

When the Choir grew up, there was a battle with the uncle for the throne. During the war, Seth knocked his nephew's eye out. One of the legends says that when the eye returned to the owner, Horus took him to the mummy. The son of the god Osiris stuck him into the body of the deceased, and he rose again. But the man no longer belonged to this world, but had to rule the realm of the dead. Before saying good-bye, my father asked a few riddles of Horus and made sure that his son could replace him with dignity. Then the child was blessed to win.

Since then, the Egyptians believed that everyone goes the way of Osiris, that is, he dies and is resurrected. A mummification does not give the body a smoldering. Like this god, nature rises every year. In the next world he weighs the sins of people and acts as a judge.

For 80 years, the battles of his uncle and nephew continued. Tired of the constant wars, Seth and Chorus turned to the higher gods. The court decided that the throne belonged to the son of Osiris. Seth became the lord of the desert and storm. The god of Egypt, Osiris and his son were the last mystical rulers. After them the earth was ruled by people.

Portrait of the earthly god

The image of this creature is extremely complex and has undergone many transformations. It is believed that his first name was Jedu, and worshiped him in the eastern part of the Nile delta. Then his essence was connected with the face of Anjeta, the patron of another city. Therefore, in his hands appeared a staff and a whip shepherd. Over the years, he acquires new forces, becomes the king of farmers and acquires a vine and a lotus.

Since 1600 BC. E. It was portrayed as sprouting grain.

At the end of the New Kingdom was associated with Ra. The image of the god Osiris began to be served with a solar disk over his head.

Becoming the head of the dead, he did not stop drawing among the riot of plants. In front of his feet was a pond where the lotus grew. Nearby put a tree on which sat the soul in the face of the phoenix.

The Kingdom of the Dead

Leaving the earthly world, God became the lord of the dead. Mythology says that he headed 42 deities who decided the fate of the deceased. Everyone who passed into the next world fell into the hall of two truths. The man spoke the oath of renunciation, the essence of which is that the speaker started the phrases from the prefix "no": he did not violate, he did not deceive.

Then we passed the weighing procedure. The heart of the deceased was placed on the scale on one side, and the feather of the goddess of truth on the other. Osiris observed everything. God defined the afterlife. There were two options: the happiness of the fields of Jaru, where the joy and fun, or the heart of the sinner gave to the monster Ammuth, which condemned him to eternal death.

The cult of the afterlife was so great that in the era of the New Kingdom, Osiris was the highest among the gods. Hence a new theory. From now on, eternal wealth awaits not only the rich, but also the poor. A ticket to heaven is an exemplary existence, morality, obedience.

According to the Egyptians, all the blessings of the world had to be taken care of by relatives, since death was perceived as a deep sleep. In order for a person to live normally after awakening, the body mummified. It was not a whim, but an integral part of practice.

The court of the god Osiris evoked a feeling of fear and trembling. And he himself was not only the first mummy, but also the founder of the cult of the dead.

The image of a dark overlord

The Lord of Souls became the unofficial forefather of literature and art. Strength inspired people to create stories about his exploits. They were depicted on the walls and parchment. Most of the pages were dedicated to him in The Book of the Dead. These works reveal the image of God.

Like all celestial creatures, Osiris was partly a man. The judge met the subjects sitting. His feet were bandaged. In his hands lay the symbols of power - a hook and chain.

God Osiris in ancient Egypt had an inherent feature only to him. It was the crown, called "atef." This crown was made of papyrus. The color is white, two red ostrich feathers are attached to the sides. From above they curled. Sometimes the horns of a ram were on an oblong cap. It was on this crown that the researchers recognized on the frescoes the god of darkness.

One can find drawings where Osiris is depicted as green. This is a reference to his earthly rule, where he was the patron of fertility and agriculture. If God is red, then this is the color of the soil. Also in his hands can be a vine, because he taught people how to make wine. It is not unusual for an image of the god of plants among the trees.

The oldest is the fresco, which was created in the reign of the V dynasty of Pharaoh Jedkar - ca. 2405-2367 BC. E. It depicts the god Osiris. Photos that have a thousand-year history are of interest to both scientists and ordinary people.

Egyptian gods in Greece and Christianity

About the gods of Ancient Egypt, the world first learned from the Greek thinkers. Josephus Flavius, Julius Africanus and Eusebius of Caesarea studied the history of the neighboring kingdom in detail. But most of all contemporaries derive from the research of Plutarch. This man wrote a treatise "On Isis and Osiris". A lot of interesting can be found in his work. The only drawback - the product is full of intertwined Egyptian myths with Greek. For example, there are inaccuracies associated with the name "Osiris". God with such a name did not exist in Egypt, but there was a cult of Usiro. The name we know is simply closer to the language of Plutarch. There are other substitutions: Ra became Helios, Nut-Rhea, Toth-Hermes. And the protagonist of the winemaker was Dionysius.

Many scholars see the common features of the Egyptian with Christ. So, both taught people of wisdom and offered wine and bread as their flesh and blood.

And it all started with the fact that archaeologists found a prayer dated the thousandth year BC. She repeated word for word "Our Father". There are many parallels about the birth of both gods. The Virgin Mary learned about the blessed child from the archangel, and Nut from an unknown voice. Then Isis hides with his son from the evil Seth, like Mary and Jesus.

The ancient Egyptian god Osiris was specially invented for slaves who hoped for a different, better life after death. They also interpret the essence of the Christian faith.

Another relationship between Jesus and Osiris is death and resurrection.

Symbol - sarcophagus

The name Usiro has been known to mankind for more than five thousand years. The word "Us-Iri" does not have an exact translation, but most scientists believe that it means "one that goes its own way". It was one of the most popular cults of Egypt, so it is not surprising that his image is often found in art. It's no wonder that fetishes were dedicated to him. The subject of Osiris was the Jedi.

The first attributes for the cult are wooden staves with fixed bonds of wheat. For the festivity they were bandaged with a red ribbon-belt. It was a symbol of a new life and season. In different regions, the fetish was done in its own way. Sometimes they were bundles of reeds.

After popularizing the myth that Isis found a vertical coffin with her husband in the veranda, the Jed began to be perceived as the spine of a god. A great role was played by the pillar during the change of kings. No coronation was conducted without this symbol.

Every spring, the Jedi was placed vertically. This meant the defeat of Seth and the peace that Osiris brought. God received victory when the constellation of Orion was hiding behind the western horizon.

Small figurines were used as talismans.