Sirius: The Star of Isis

To the left is an image of the star Sirius, captured by the Hubble Telescope. Sirius is actually two stars, Sirius A and Sirius B, and every 49 years, these stars flop and switch positions. There is some debate as to whether or not there exists a Sirius C.

The Star Sirius, also referred to as Sothis, is a symbol for Isis and is the entire basis of much of the Egyptian religion. Sirius was and is considered the embodiment of Isis and it appears in the nighttime sky in the Canis constellation.

The star Sirius was noted to appear in the morning sky, just before sunrise when it came time for the Nile to flood. Due to the fact that the Egyptians depended upon the flooding of the Nile to keep the lands fertile, Sirius then became the marker of fertility for the Egyptians. Priests were called upon to watch for the rising of Sirius. Interestingly, the way priests determined the rising of Sirius was by visiting the temple of Isis-Hathor at Denderah. Inside the temple was a statute of the goddess Isis—permanently fixed facing the location of the sky in which Sirius would appear. In fact, the Isis statue was fixed 20 degrees south of due east and pointed directly at the rising place of Sirius. The priests would then place a gem into the forehead of the Isis statue and when the light of the star Sirius strike the gem, the priests could then announce the New Year. Subsequently, the inscription on the Isis-Hathor Temple reads as follows:

"Her majesty Isis shines into the temple on New Year's Day, and she mingles her light with that of her father Ra on the horizon."

Noted as the “Dog Star” and affiliated with Osiris (as Osiris is often depicted with the head of a dog), Sirius is a star that shines very brightly, especially during the months of summer. In fact, it is so bright that the Egyptians acquired the belief that this star, in addition to the Sun’s light, was responsible for the increase in temperature during the summer months. As an end result, the term the “dog days of summer” is derived from this Egyptian belief.

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Isis, Demeter, and The Golden Bough

The Golden Bough is a classic text that studies the relationship between magic and religion. According to the Golden Bough, written by Sir James George Frazer (1922), Isis was so loved in Egypt that, “Her attributes and epithets were so numerous that in the hieroglyphics she is called “the many-named,” “the thousand-named,” and in Greek inscriptions “the myriad-named.” Also, “Amongst the epithets by which Isis is designated in the inscriptions are “Creatress of green things,” “Green goddess, whose green colour is like unto the greenness of the earth,” “Lady of Bread,” “Lady of Beer,” “Lady of Abundance.” This is certainly an interesting fact, when Isis was a sky goddess. In fact, this description implies that Isis was not only a sky goddess, but the goddess of all things and of all that existed between the heavens and the earth.

Many religions adapted Isis and merged her with their own system of beliefs. When the Greeks later embraced Isis as one of their own goddesses, they associated her with the goddess Demeter:

The Greeks conceived of Isis as a corn-goddess, for they identified her with Demeter. In a Greek epigram she is described as “she who has given birth to the fruits of the earth,” and “the mother of the ears of corn”; and in a hymn composed in her honour she speaks of herself as “queen of the wheat-field,” and is described as “charged with the care of the fruitful furrow’s wheat-rich path.” Accordingly, Greek or Roman artists often represented her with ears of corn on her head or in her hand (The Golden Bough, Chapter 41).

Isis was easily associated with Demeter, because the tales of the two goddesses were so similar. For instance, Demeter grieved the loss of Persephone when she was taken by Hades into the underworld and searched the world for her, whereas, Isis mourned the loss of her beloved Osiris and searched the world for his body parts after he was dismembered by Seth.


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Isis and Ra

Isis’ role in Egypt was one of great importance. She was honored the faithful and loving wife of Osiris and the equally loving mother of Horus. This is easy to see from the depictions of Isis nursing her son and from the legend of Osiris in which Isis mourns him and reassembles his scattered remains after he is slain by Seth or Set.

As a child, Isis desired to increase her already existing powers and in order to accomplish such a task she would have to get the secret name of god from Ra. To accomplish this feat, Isis used the saliva of Ra to create a serpent which would, in turn, bite Ra. Once Ra was bitten, he did not have the ability to heal himself because he did not understand the brevity of the wound. Isis in turn, offered to heal Ra if only he would reveal the secret name of god. When Ra revealed the name of god, he then gave Isis all of his power and knowledge.


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The Eye of Horus

Isis Nursing Horus

To the left is a common depiction of Isis seated at her throne, nursing her son Horus. On her head she wears cow horns that embrace a solar disc. This depiction is typical considering that Isis was revered as a goddess that aided pharoahs in controlling their lands and she is also revered as a fertility goddess with motherly aspects.

Isis' son Horus was often honored as the god of the pharoahs. In fact, reigning pharoahs were frequently referred to as the "living Horus" and were believed to be the phyiscal incaranation of the son of Isis.

Horus was born after the death of his father, Osiris, who was slain by his own brother Seth or Set. When Horus grew up he wanted to avenge the death of his father and consquently ended up warring with Seth for 80 years. The stories vary as to what happened during this war, but one such story suggests that Seth tore out one of Horus' eyes.

Interestingly, much as been drawn from the story of Horus and Set and the Eye of Horus became an amulet of protection for the Egyptians. What's more, each part of the eye, in fact both of Horus' eyes, held specific connotations.

For example, the Wedjat or the Udjat is a term that is used to refer to the Eye of Horus. The term wedjat literally means, "health". Typically, the right eye of Horus is considered an amulet for protection and represents the Sun, while the left eye of Horus represents the Moon. According to the legend, the eye of Horus, when it was torn out by Seth, was divided into 6 sections. Some lengends suggest that Thoth helped him restore his left eye and the eye then become a symbol of healing and completeness. Further, it became a symbol of restoring order after chaos.

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The Birth of the Egyptian Dieties

© 2005 Dayna Winters, All Rights Reserved. Image
created using Photo Impressions Editing Software.

According to the text, ISIS Magic by M. Isidora Forrest, the Egyptian cosmology is one that begins with Nun. Nun was a the primal waters of Nothingness, where eternity was found. Out of Nun, or out of the nothingness appeared Atum of Re, arising as the first hill that appeared out of nothingness. Atum was perfect in every way and totally complete--consisting of both female and male polarities.

Atum began the act of creation. According to the lengend, both the Divine Hand as wife and the Divine Phallus as husband procreated and that act created the universe. When the universe burst forth, Shu and Tefnut, god and goddess respectively, who are the elemental dieties of air and moisture, were also brought forth.

Tefnut and Shu, although they were brother and sister, became husband and wife. They in turn gave birth to the heavens and the earth. They also bore a celestial daughter, Nut, the goddess of the sky, and a terrestial son, Geb, who is the god of the earth. Like their parents, Geb and Nut fell in love with one another and brought forth children.

The first child of Geb and Nut to be born was Osiris, the god of life and death. The second child Geb and Nut was Horus the Elder, also known as Horus the Great, the Falcon god. Next, Seth was born and begin both angry and impatient, he burst forth from his mother's side instead of being naturally brought forth like the other gods. Next, Isis was born and her twin sister, Nephthys, the goddess of darkness and mystery was born. Later, Isis would wed her brother Osiris and they begot Horus, while Nephthys wedded Seth and begot Anubis.

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IMAGE OF ISIS

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Legends of Isis

According to the Encyclopedia Mythica, during the Hellenistic period, the Goddess Isis was revered as a protectoress of sailors. One of the most popular legends surrounding Isis pertains to her husband Osiris and his brother Seth.

Osiris was the god of the underworld who was wedded to the goddess Isis--a sky goddess. Thus, with a joining of the sky goddess and the god of the underworld, a balance of forces was established.

Osiris' brother was Seth, the god of chaos. Interestingly, one can immediately see a parallel with the mythology of the Greeks when viewing the hierarchy of the Egyptian gods. According to the works of Hesiod and Appolydorus, the hierarchy of the divine was initially established out of chaos. Ge or Gaia, and Ouranos were the first deities to be formed form chaos in Greek Myth. An interesting difference can be identified between Egyptian mythology and Greek mythology: the roles of the divine are reversed. Isis, an Egyptian feminine deity is ruler of the sky and Osiris rules the underworld in Egyptian myth. Whereas, in Greek myth, Ge or Gaia (meaning earth) ruled the earth and Ouranos ruled the heavens. Later Pontos would emerge as ruler of the sea in Greek Myth, but that's another story entirely.

It is also interesting to note the role reversal of the deities from one culture to another. In fact, the role reversal between the two cultures may reflect the vast differences between the Egyptian and Greek cultures and the role of the woman in society. In Greek cultures, women had few rights and when wedded and were the property of their husbands, whereas in Egyptian culture the woman's' role was a bit more liberated.

But, I digress....

Seth was associated with evil. Embracing all concepts of evil, Seth was the god of war, of desert storms and foreign lands (this association probably had much to do with the Egyptian's fear of invasion and suppression by foreign lands). Seth battled his brother Osiris and killed him. Later, he dismembered his brother and scattered his body parts throughout Egypt.

When Isis' beloved husband was killed she grieved terribly. She search the land of Egypt for all of the parts of Osiris and put him back together again. Due to the fact that Isis reconnected Osiris after death, Isis became a goddess that was the protectress of the deceased. After Isis reconnected Osiris, she impregnated herself and gave birth to their son, Horus. In fact, one can find many depictions of Isis nursing Horus while she sits on her throne.

Additionally, Isis is also frequently depicted with a solar disc resting between a set of cow horns on her head. Occasionally, a vulture would also be depicted on her crown. However, an image less well known is that Isis is sometimes depicted as a kite over the mumified body of Osiris. Finally, some scholars contend that the name Isis means "throne", while others, like Plutarch for instance, contend that her name means "knowledge."

For more information on the Goddess Isis, Witchcraft, Wicca, the occult, the esoteric, the unexplained, and the paranormal, tune into ISIS Paranormal Radio at www.blogtalkradio.com/isisparanormal.


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