Osiris: Egyptian god of the afterlife, resurrection, and fertility

Nile flood

According to ancient Egyptian tradition, the Nile sprang from the leg of Osiris at the Abaton on Philae. The Nile flood symbolized its outflows, which flowed into the Mediterranean Sea. Its annual rebirth was heralded by the "Celestial Nile" which descended to earth in the south on the borders of Egypt, causing the Nile to rise. The "Celestial Nile" is represented by the constellation Eridanus, which begins at the leg of Osiris (Orion). The Nile flood was interpreted as the secretion of Osiris' corpse. Osiris thus falls into the category of those fertility gods who make new life possible through their death.

God of the Dead

Osiris is god and judge over the dead and the underworld and also ruler of the subterranean world, the Duat. The dead must answer to him before they can enter the afterlife. All the otherworldly enemies of the deceased, such as the net-catchers or "those with the terrible faces," are emissaries of Osiris and thus by definition not evil forces, since they pursue and kill enemies of Osiris. But lest there be any confusion, any collection of sayings accompanying the dead in the grave usually includes incantations against these demons.
In the coffin texts, the deceased identify themselves with Osiris (wsjr NN pn, "this Osiris NN"); by describing Osiris' embalming and resurrection in detail, the deceased hope that these events will succeed with them as well. The aspects of a god of the dead he probably took over from Sokar.

In Egyptian mythology, the astral representation of the border between this world and the hereafter is the "celestial river" Eridanus, which the deceased had to cross with the help of the gods Thot and Anubis.

fertility god

Through the resurrection Osiris has become the god of fertility. Resurrection myths are also found in the Hebrew Bible (Ezekiel) and in the New Testament (resurrection of Christ), each with its own meaning. Sir Alan Gardiner considered it possible that the Osiris myth goes back to a real event.

In the Greco-Roman period, the "Feast of the Finding of the Lower Leg of Osiris" was celebrated on the 27th of Choiak (23rd of Novembergreg^. since Augustus). On this day Osiris created the deity Nemti in the form of a maggot of silver "attached to the head of an ox." Evidence of these annually celebrated Osiris mysteries could be found during archaeological excavations by Franck Goddio and his team in the sunken city of Thonis-Herakleion.

Mergers and epithets

The Osiris myth is considered one of the most important myths of ancient Egyptian religion. In the Middle Kingdom, Osiris formed a singular deity with Ptah and Sokar. In addition, various local gods of the early period merged as manifestations of Osiris, for example Anedjti, Chontamenti, Sepa and Wenen-nefer/Wen-nefer (Wn-nfr); among others, Osiris is called in the Amun temple of Hibis with the epithet Wsjr-wnn-nfr (Osiris-Onophris / Onophrios) ("Osiris who is good/Osiris who is perfect").

In Hellenism a merging of the Osiris cult with that of the Apis bull as well as some Greek gods like Dionysus took place. The Ptolemies elevated Osiris to the status of imperial god under the name Serapis (see also: Serapeum (Sakkara) and Serapeum of Alexandria).

Osiris is depicted in anthropomorphic form, as a human mummy, always in a standing or stiffly upright sitting posture with closed legs. In many cases he is depicted with green or black skin, which has often been interpreted in research as a symbol of fertility: Green referred to the color of many plants, black to the color of the dark alluvial land of the Nile. An alternative interpretation, on the other hand, states that the colouring of the Osiris depictions refers to the green-blackish discolouration of bodies after death and the role of Osiris as god of the dead. Some representations also show him with white skin, perhaps as a symbol for the mummy bandages.

His hands protrude from the wrapping and hold as his main attributes crosier (symbol of the good shepherd) and flagellum (symbol of fertility), which because of his role as ruler of the afterlife were probably taken from royal insignia. There are regional differences in the way he holds the insignia. For example, Osiris figures from Middle Egypt usually hold their arms at the same height, while in Upper Egypt they are usually crossed.

The representations from the Middle Kingdom onwards often show him with the white crown of the south, which perhaps indicates his Upper Egyptian origin. Another crowning of Osiris is the Atef crown, which resembles the white crown, but with two lateral feathers and occasionally horns and solar discs attached. In later depictions, other crowns and complex hybrids are also found as a deviation from the standard of the white or the Atef crown, respectively.

In later forms, Osiris depictions are sometimes embellished with broad jeweled collars and bangles, but also with more detail in the depiction of mummy bandages and with ribbons crossed over the chest and a sash tied at the waist.