DOCSLIB.ORG

Untitled [Alexandra O'brien on Isis and Osiris]

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Untitled [Alexandra O'brien on Isis and Osiris] Geraldine Harris. Isis and Osiris. Lincolnwood, Ill.: NTC Publishing Group, 1997. 48 pp. $12.95, cloth, ISBN 978-0-8442-4763-2. Reviewed by Alexandra O'Brien Published on H-AfrTeach (March, 1999) This is a new U.S. edition of a book previously Instead of a straightforward retelling of these published in the UK in 1996. Harris has produced tales, the author has chosen to use a frame story several books on ancient Egypt for younger read‐ of two girls hired to play the parts of Isis and ers, all of which are competent, useful and to be Nephthys during the rituals associated with the recommended. She has also retold Egyptian funeral of the Apis bull. The two girls are poor myths for the same audience, in Gods and and uneducated, and so the priest who wants to Pharaohs from Egyptian Mythology, a lavishly il‐ hire them (they're twins and so would be perfect lustrated book with paintings by David O'Connor for the roles of Isis and Nephthys) has to tell them (New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1992, and worth the stories of Isis and Osiris and of the struggles looking up). between their son, Horus and his rival, Seth. Us‐ This book retells the legends surrounding Isis, ing the priest to do the retelling is a useful device her brother-husband Osiris and their son, Horus, as it provides an audience for the tales in the two all of whom had great troubles from another girls which facilitates an adaptation of the stories Egyptian deity, Seth due to his rival claim to the that is accessible to younger readers (9-12 years). (primeval) throne of Egypt. The stories associated Harris has managed to retell the stories without with Isis and her husband-brother Osiris have over-simplifying or modernizing them. largely been preserved for us in the writings of The author has broken down the tales into Plutarch (De Iside et Osiride), while the Contend‐ thirteen short chapters, each of which addresses a ings of Horus and Seth are better known from distinct part of the legend, and this--along with Egyptian texts. Both the cult of Isis and that of the the inclusion of a "cast list" on p. 4, and the "note" Apis bull became extremely popular under the on p. 47 which explains who the two little girls ac‐ Ptolemies, the period in which the present book is tually were (they are based on real individuals set. known from Memphite texts of the Ptolemaic pe‐ riod) along with other information on the setting's H-Net Reviews time and place--all facilitate the reading of the sto‐ ry. The decision to use photographs of actual arti‐ facts to illustrate the book is a good and appropri‐ ate one. Colour photographs appear throughout, accompanied by explanatory labels which pro‐ vide contemporary cultural setting and relevance for the tales recounted in the book. Harris' book is a great introduction to Egyp‐ tian religion and mythology for younger readers and I recommend it (it's certainly good value too). Copyright (c) 1999 by H-Net, all rights re‐ served. This work may be copied for non-profit educational use if proper credit is given to the au‐ thor and the list. For other permission, please con‐ tact [email protected]. If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at https://networks.h-net.org/h-afrteach Citation: Alexandra O'Brien. Review of Harris, Geraldine. Isis and Osiris. H-AfrTeach, H-Net Reviews. March, 1999. URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=2878 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 2.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 19 Sloan-Hubert
    Egypt in Antiquity: Music and Mythological Deities April Sloan–Hubert Jack Yates High School INTRODUCTION Jack Yates High School in Houston, Texas, is the alma mater of choreographer, producer and actress Debbie Allen and her Tony-award winning sister, Philicia Rashad. The Allen sisters discovered and began to develop their talents and skills at the historic Jack Yates High School. The great jazz vocalist, the late Anita Moore, developed her vocal pipes too at Jack Yates. Anita’s voice although silenced is still remembered for being hand picked by the one and only Duke Ellington to lead his orchestra. Jack Yates High School is also the alma mater of the now retired Lavonia Pope Bassett, the first African American music supervisor for the Houston Independent School District. As the present Choir Director and Fine Arts Department Chair at this talent-rich institution, I am charged with the phenomenal task to lead, mold, develop and return our department to its traditional glory. I am also cognizant of the fact that those were the days before state- mandated tests, budget cuts, site-based management and weaponless wars of destruction. In America’s not-so-long ago past, people from all walks of life were considered culturally refined and upstanding citizens by attending the opera, going to the museum, knowing what dinner fork to use at a well set table, and by the art work in their homes. At the heart of my motivation lie two exceptionally large music history classes with forty plus students each. The students enrolled in these classes are lovingly called “the music historians.” These semi-non musically inclined historians are void of vocal and instrumental skills, but they possess a great love and appreciation for music.
    [Show full text]
  • Foreign Deities in Egypt
    UCLA UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology Title Foreign Deities in Egypt Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7tr1814c Journal UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, 1(1) Author Zivie-Coche, Christiane Publication Date 2011-04-05 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California FOREIGN DEITIES IN EGYPT المعبودات اﻻجنبية في مصر Christiane Zivie-Coche EDITORS WILLEKE WENDRICH Editor-in-Chief University of California, Los Angeles JACCO DIELEMAN Editor Area Editor Religion University of California, Los Angeles ELIZABETH FROOD Editor University of Oxford JOHN BAINES Senior Editorial Consultant University of Oxford Short Citation: Zivie-Coche, 2011, Foreign Deities in Egypt. UEE. Full Citation: Zivie-Coche, Christiane, 2011, Foreign Deities in Egypt. In Jacco Dieleman, Willeke Wendrich (eds.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0027fcpg 1011 Version 1, April 2011 http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0027fcpg FOREIGN DEITIES IN EGYPT المعبودات اﻻجنبية في مصر Christiane Zivie-Coche Ausländische Götter in Ägypten Dieux étrangers en Égypte The presence of foreign deities in the Egyptian pantheon must be studied in the light of the openness of Egyptian polytheism and as a reflection on cultural identity. Even if Egyptian self- identity was defined as intrinsically opposed to the Other, i.e. the foreigner, Egypt always maintained contact with its neighbors, particularly Nubia and the Near East. These intercultural contacts had an effect on the religion. Since the earliest times, deities like Dedoun, Ha, or Sopdu formed an integral part of the Egyptian pantheon, so much so that their likely foreign origin is not immediately perceptible.
    [Show full text]
  • Abdelwahed, Y. (2016); 'Two Festivals of the God Serapis in Greek Papyri' Rosetta 18: 1 – 15
    Abdelwahed, Y. (2016); ‘Two Festivals of the God Serapis in Greek Papyri’ Rosetta 18: 1 – 15 http://www.rosetta.bham.ac.uk/issue18/Abdelwahed.pdf TWO FESTIVALS OF THE GOD SERAPIS IN GREEK PAPYRI1 Dr. Youssri Abdelwahed Minia University Abstract The cult of the god Serapis and the sanctuaries dedicated to his worship in Egypt and elsewhere has extensively been studied by scholars.2 Similarly, the kline associated with Serapis has been the subject of extensive scholarly discussion.3 However, the festivals associated with the god have not yet been properly covered so far. This paper deals with two festivals of the god Serapis, the Serapia, attested in Greek papyri uncovered from Egypt in the Graeco-Roman period. The first festival started on 26 Khoiak, while the second began on 30 Pharmuthi. The paper attempts to reconstruct the two celebrations in the light of Greek papyrological documents. It argues that the Serapia of Khoiak is a continuation of the Pharaonic and Ptolemaic festival of Osiris, whereas in Pharmuthi another aspect of the god Serapis, closer to the Greek Zeus, appears to have been celebrated. Tacitus has stated that the god Serapis was introduced from Sinope under Ptolemy I Soter, who gave him a great influence in Alexandria, where he became a Hellenised deity and served as an instrument of official religious policy.4 Yet the god Serapis was initially Osiris-Apis, a funerary deity mainly honoured at Memphis. He was particularly associated with Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld and fertility. In his Greek aspect, however, Serapis was given the attributes and traits of Zeus, 1 For citation of papyri and inscriptions, we adhere to the Checklist of Editions of Greek, Latin, Demotic and Coptic Papyri, Ostraca and Tablets, which is available at: http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/papyrus/texts/clist.html.
    [Show full text]
  • Rituals Related to Animal Cults
    UCLA UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology Title Rituals Related to Animal Cults Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6wk541n0 Journal UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, 1(1) Author Dodson, Aidan Publication Date 2009-07-16 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California RITUALS RELATED TO ANIMAL CULTS الطقوس المتعلقة بطوائف الحيوانات Aidan Dodson EDITORS WILLEKE WENDRICH Editor-in-Chief University of California, Los Angeles JACCO DIELEMAN Editor Area Editor Religion University of California, Los Angeles ELIZABETH FROOD Editor University of Oxford JOHN BAINES Senior Editorial Consultant University of Oxford Short Citation: Dodson, 2009, Rituals Related to Animal Cults. UEE. Full Citation: Dodson, Aidan, 2009, Rituals Related to Animal Cults. In Jacco Dieleman, Willeke Wendrich (eds.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. ttp://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz001nf7d0 1027 Version 1, July 2009 http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz001nf7d0 RITUALS RELATED TO ANIMAL CULTS الطقوس المتعلقة بطوائف الحيوانات Aidan Dodson Tierkulte Cultes des animaux Two kinds of cult animal existed in ancient Egypt: specific faunal representatives of a given deity that lived in a temple and were ceremonially interred, and creatures killed and mummified to act as votive offerings. The former are attested from the earliest times, while the latter date from the Late Period and later. عرف نوعان من طوائف الحيوانات بمصر القديمة: فكانت تمثل الحيوانات اﻵلھة وتسكن بالمعبد وتدفن بشكل مراسمي. وعرف ھذا من أول العصور المصرية، والنوع الثاني ھو قتل الحيوانات وتحنيطھا لتكون قرابين نذرية وھي عادة ظھرت بالعصر المتأخر وما بعده. hile there continues to be debate which reflected the deities’ iconic over precise definitions (cf.
    [Show full text]
  • The Apis Cult from the New Kingdom to the Ptolemaic Period
    Institutionen för arkeologi och antik historia The Apis cult from the New Kingdom to the Ptolemaic Period Ida Kingo Fig. 1. Apis bull statuette. BA thesis 15 credits in Egyptology Spring term 2020 Supervisor: Andreas Dorn Abstract Kingo, I. 2020. The Apis cult from the New Kingdom to the Ptolemaic Period. Kingo, I. 2020. Apiskulten från det Nya Riket till den Ptolemaiska perioden. In this thesis the main goal is to present a general overview of the development of the cult of Apis in a chronological perspective from the New Kingdom until the end of the Ptolemaic Period, as this has not been done in a condensed form with the different aspects of the cult and the venerated animal present. Classical theories, such as those used in archaeology, is not very applicable for this thesis, instead it will address and connect several aspects such as time, geographical space, religion and ideology of kingship to the Apis cult. The Apis cult is interesting because it was one of the more important animal cults in ancient Egypt. The time period chosen is the c. 1500 years between the New Kingdom and the Ptolemaic Period, because it was during this time that the cult experienced the most developments and had its golden era. The Apis cult ties together several important aspects of the ancient Egyptian society; the political, religious, ideology of kingship and the cultural sphere. The cult of Apis was one strongly connected to the ruling power, one such example is during the Persian conquer by king Cambyses II in c. 526 B.C.E., when his role as the regent in Egypt was not seen as entirely legitimate by the Egyptians until he had participated in the burial ceremonies of the Apis bull.
    [Show full text]
  • Open Alk Thesis.Pdf
    THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHREYER HONORS COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS AND ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN STUDIES ISIAC WORSHIP IN THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN: THE IMPLICATIONS OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL BARRIERS ON RELIGIOUS TRANSMISSION ANNA LEAH BOLES KINCAID SPRING 2014 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for baccalaureate degrees in Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Anthropology with honors in Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies Reviewed and approved* by the following: Donald Redford Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies Thesis Supervisor Mary Lou Munn Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies Honors Adviser * Signatures are on file in the Schreyer Honors College i ABSTRACT Religious syncretism across the boarders of nations begs the question of causation and origins. In the case of the Ancient Egyptian goddess Isis, her cult adapted to be relevant in an increasingly globalized Mediterranean through either language or cultural necessities, be it a conscious alteration or not. The shift of language from the Egyptian hymns to Isis at Philae and the Greek hymns of Isidorus in the Fayum are a central part to the argument of causation. Through analyzing the hymns, language differences and inaccurate translations become less and less of a driving force of her change. The barriers between the Oriental and Near Eastern religion of the Egyptians and the Graeco-Roman World lead to the metamorphosis of Isis’ portrayal allowing her to endure through the centuries. ii
    [Show full text]
  • Sekhmet's Ancient Egyptian Quest! Notes for Teachers
    Sekhmet’s Ancient Egyptian Quest! Notes for Teachers These teacher’s notes give you extra information about each of the objects featured in our ancient Egyptian trail. We have also suggested follow-up activities for pupils back in class. Practical points: • This trail is for pupils in Primary 3–5 (age 7–9) who have some prior knowledge of the ancient Egyptians. • The trail will take approximately 50 minutes. • The trail will involve moving between levels 0,1,3 and 5. You can access all these areas using the lifts and stairs. Each group should take a map with them to help them find the galleries and directions can be found on the trail sheet. • The trail contains 8 challenges for pupils to do. • Start the trail with your whole class together at the mummy in Discoveries on Level 1. After this, you can split up into smaller groups to complete the challenges. • Enjoy looking at all the objects up close, but please remind pupils not to touch them. If objects have numbers next to them, look at the numbered text nearby to tell you more about the object. • This trail is available in black and white or colour. Introduction to Sekhmet – the narrator of the trail • The goddess Sekhmet was believed to have been the daughter of the sun god Ra and is often seen with a sun disc on top of her head. • Sekhmet was worshipped as a warrior goddess. She helped the pharaoh win battles against his enemies, but if angered, she could bring war and disease upon Egypt.
    [Show full text]
  • An Eternal Curse Upon the Reader of These Lines (With Apologies to M
    An Eternal Curse upon the Reader of These Lines (with Apologies to M. Puig)* Robert K. Ritner, The Oriental Institute, Chicago In retribution for the ‘prying’ or ‘intrusive curiosity’ inherent in the reading of another’s words, the Argentine novelist Manuel Puig entitled a 1980 work ‘Eternal Curse on the Reader of these Pages.’ The same sentiment appears in Egyptian magic. A Coptic curse preserved in the British Museum (Oriental Ms. 5986) begins with an invocation for divine wrath directed not against its primary victims (who are later damned by name), but against the accidental discoverer: God of heaven and earth! Whoever shall open this papyrus and read what is written in (it), may all those things written in it descend upon 1 him. A counterpart is provided by the Coptic Papyrus Lichaev, which concludes a specific curse with a similar generic warning: Whoever opens this papyrus and reads it, what is written on it will come upon him, by order of the lord god.2 Such invocations of divine hostility have their origin well before Coptic Christianity, in magical practices of Late Period Egypt that exploit the bond between the demonic and the divine. The distinction between gods and demons in ancient Egypt is often tenuous at best.3 The ‘trickster’ character of Seth is well-known, but his ambiguous qualities can be shared by other gods as well. In the famous New Kingdom tale of ‘The Contendings of Horus and Seth,’ the conflict is * This was the keynote lecture, presented June 27, 2003, for the first Egyptology symposium held in Greece, “Egyptian Theology and Demonology: Studies on the Boundaries between the Divine and Demonic in Egyptian Magic,” presented at The University of the Aegean, Rhodes.
    [Show full text]
  • Anubis, the Jackal-Headed God Who Oversaw Embalming and Protected Travelers in Ancient Egypt
    ABOVE: Anubis, the jackal-headed god who oversaw embalming and protected travelers in ancient Egypt. Detail from a diorite statue at the Temple of Luxor, reign of Amenophis III (1403–1365 BCE). Photo by FOST/Alamy. 12 EXPEDITION Volume 60 Number 3 SACRED ANIMAL CULTS IN EGYPT Excavating the Catacombs of Anubis at Saqqara by salima ikram and paul nicholson A recent excavation at saqqara, egypt, is exposing an ancient bustling economy associated with pilgrims and animal cults. Catacombs dedicated to oferings for the god Anubis have revealed huge numbers of mummifed dogs, purchased to obtain the god’s favor. Te study of these remains allows Egyptologists to interpret the impact religion had on local culture and the economy. EXPEDITION Winter 2018 13 SACRED ANIMAL CULTS IN EGYPT ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN ANCIENT EGYPT KNOWS THAT THE EGYPTIANS MUMMIFIED MANY TYPES OF ANIMALS INCLUDING DOGS, CATS, RAMS, BIRDS, AND CROCODILES. THEY MIGHT HAVE EVEN HEARD OF SACRED ANIMAL CULTS. these cults focused on an animal that was thought received much less lavish burial, although they played to house the soul of a god during its lifetime, and was a key role in personal piety. Tese were the votive animal revered until its death, when it was mummifed with the mummies dedicated by pilgrims at sacred sites such as soul migrating to another similarly marked creature. Te Saqqara, Bubastis, and Tuna el-Gebel (to name but a best-known example is the Apis Bull, though other gods, few), in the hope that the mummy, having been given such as the Khnum Ram of Elephantine, and the Cat of a ftting burial, would intercede with the god and bring Bastet, were also prominent.
    [Show full text]
  • Ten Egyptian Plagues for Ten Egyptian Gods and Goddesses the God of Israel Is Greater Than All Other Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
    - Ten Egyptian Plagues For Ten Egyptian Gods and Goddesses The God of Israel is greater than all other Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Moses was a great prophet, called by God with a very important job to do. As an instrument in the Lord's hand he performed many signs, or "wonders", attempting to convince Pharaoh to allow the Israelites freedom from their bondage of slavery to the Egyptians. These "wonders" are more commonly referred to as "plagues" sent from the God of Israel, as a proof that the "one true God" was far greater than all of the multiple Gods of the Egyptians. These Egyptian Plagues were harsh and varied to correspond to the ancient egyptian gods and goddesses that were prevelant during Moses time in Egypt. The number ten is a significant number in biblical numerology. It represents a fullness of quantity. Ten Egyptian Plagues Means Completely Plagued. Just as the "Ten Commandments" become symbolic of the fullness of the moral law of God, the ten ancient plagues of Egypt represent the fullness of God's expression of justice and judgments, upon those who refuse to repent. Ten times God, through Moses, allows Pharaoh to change his mind, repent, and turn to the one true God, each time increasing the severity of the consequence of the plagues suffered for disobedience to His request. Ten times Pharaoh, because of pride, refuses to be taught by the Lord, and receives "judgments" through the plagues, pronounced upon his head from Moses, the deliverer. The Ten Egyptian Plagues testify of Jesus the Anointed One and His power to save.
    [Show full text]
  • WORD BANK EGYPTIAN GODS and GODDESSES Word Bank - Egyptian Gods and Goddesses Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives
    wq WORD BANK EGYPTIAN GODS AND GODDESSES Word Bank - Egyptian Gods and Goddesses Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives This word bank could be used in multiple ways: 1. Challenge learners to create a family tree. E.g. http://www.veritablehokum.com/comic/ the-egyptian-god-family-tree/ 2. Have a list of Egyptian Gods hanging around the room. For special or important Gods, learners create posters that depict the god. 3. Share the story of Egyptian Creation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_ creation_myths Temporary link. Name God of … Appearance Notes Ammit A demon Head of a crocodile, the torso of a leopard, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus Amun King of the gods, God of the A man with the head of a Combined with sun god Ra Wind ram to become more powerful Amunet One of the creation A woman wearing the red Wife of Amun goddesses crown of Egypt Anhur Sky god and God of war. His A bearded man wearing a Husband of Mehit name meant "sky-bearer" robe and a headdress Anput Goddess of funerals and A woman with some jackal Mother of Kebechet mummification related clothing or head Wife of Anubis Anubis God of dead, embalming, A Jackal-headed god Son of Osiris and Nephthys, funerals, and mourning helps Osiris ceremonies Anuket Goddess of the river Nile A woman with a headdress Daughter of Ra of either reed or ostrich feathers Apis This is a rare case of an A live bull worshipped as a Son of Hathor. animal being worshiped as a god at Memphis god while alive, then mummified when he died.
    [Show full text]
  • Cults of the God Amun at Memphis: Identification, Prosopography and Toponymy
    CULTS OF THE GOD AMUN AT MEMPHIS: IDENTIFICATION, PROSOPOGRAPHY AND TOPONYMY Mariam Victoria Kamish submitted for the degree of PhD in archaeology University College London 1990 CULTS OF AMUN AT MEMPHIS for Fessar and Zena* *io alphabetical order AL-HORBAN \ \ \ \ 330Sooc- AL-MIDiYAH AL-QUSURAH \ \ TUMAN DAFBABY KHAUQ AR-RAML h BEWAL-BELADON N Birkah NAWA MlT RAHtNAH 330tooo- BAHR AL-QANTARAH ARBAIN FAKHRY S Birkah h \ ALJ QALAAH N3303ooo Memphis HELUL Hod and tom names and boundaries •dent of ruin field boundary M m PTAH ENCLOSURE VWALL 300m SABAKHAH EES grid I b - as published in Jeffreys, Survey o f MmpA/s. 2 Abstract Some fifteen cults of AmOn/Amon-R 6r are attested for Memphis, from the firs t attestations in the reign of Amenhotep II. They are AmOn/Amon-R£r of Prw-nfr/o; ob nswt t& j; of 'Inbw-Mo; pntj bvt Mrw, o\ *pit-nfr/c;<A Uwdntjt ;of N§i;<A 7pt; t/p w tn trn p w t raw n Wsr-m/rt-Rr-stp-n-Rr m pr 7mn,ol Rsbd;ot rbw,ot PJ-v-ro ;ti Pr-bnwM DnlR; and at Msdo, as this place may have been in the memphite region. Most of these cults appear to have been founded during the reign of Ramesses II, in line with a policy of malting manifest the principal deities in all their aspects and therefore in each of the major cities. Most of the temple foundations examined here were of middling size and were located in the area of central Memphis.
    [Show full text]