The Story of Osiris Osiris Was the King of Egypt

Story

The Story of Osiris Osiris was the King of Egypt. During his reign, Osiris’ people were happy and well-fed. However, Osiris’ brother Seth became very jealous of the king’s success. While Osiris was travelling and bringing his blessings to other nations, Seth came up with a devious plan. Secretly, Seth found out Osiris’ exact body measurements and asked for a beautiful chest to be made that he knew would only fit Osiris.

Upon Osiris’ return from his travels, Seth invited his brother to a great feast. During the celebrations, Seth revealed the exquisite chest and declared that he would give it to anyone who fitted into it exactly. Many tried and failed to fit into the chest, and eventually, Osiris asked to try. He was delighted that the chest fitted him perfectly, but at that very moment, Seth’s evil plan revealed itself; he slammed the lid, nailed it shut and sealed every crack with molten lead. Osiris died within the chest and his soul (or ‘ka’) moved on into the spirit world. Seth ruthlessly cast the chest that contained Osiris’ body into the River Nile.

Isis, who was Osiris’ sister and wife, was devastated and feared for the safety of Horus, their child. She secretly fled into the marshes to look after Horus but was afraid that Seth would find the baby and murder him. So when Isis found shelter on a small, isolated island, which was home to the goddess Buto, she asked Buto to guard Horus. For extra protection, Isis transformed the island into a floating island, so it never stayed in one place permanently.

Isis then searched far and wide for the body of Osiris so she could hold a traditional service that would allow Osiris’ spirit to move to a better place in the spirit world. She eventually found the chest within a pillar of wood inside a royal palace! The chest had become part of a tree that had been cut down and placed within the building. Isis returned the chest to Egypt and hid it in the marshes.

Pharaohs Copyright © 2017 Cornerstones Education Limited However, sometime later, Seth was hunting wild boar with his dogs and he discovered the chest! He was enraged. This time, he was determined to be rid of Osiris for good. So, he cut Osiris’ body into fourteen pieces and had them scattered far and wide.

Isis did not give up on Osiris. She again searched until she found thirteen parts of his body and put them back together, using magic to rejoin them and to replace the missing fourteenth part. Isis then asked her sister Nephthys and her nephew Anubis (who was also Osiris’ son) to help her to produce the first mummy. They embalmed Osiris’ body and hid it away in a secret place.

Osiris’ soul then moved to a place in the spirit world where he could rule over the dead. The spirit of Osiris often visited his son, Horus, teaching him how to be a great warrior. When fully grown, Horus challenged Seth to a battle to avenge the death of his father. This battle became a terrible war.

Both men survived the war, but neither could secure an overall victory. The gods decided that Horus should be King of Egypt. He took on the powers of Osiris, who then became god of the underworld. Seth became the ruler of the deserts as the god of chaos and evil.