A long time ago, the god Osiris came to Egypt to rule as king.
He brought the
Egyptian people new laws and taught them how to farm well and live
peacefully in their villages. Osiris was a very wise and powerful king, and was
loved and respected by the Egyptian people. Unfortunately, his brother Seth,
was very jealous of his brother's power in Egypt, and began to form a plan to
kill Osiris and take over his throne.
Late one night, Seth tiptoed into Osiris's bedroom. Careful to not wake up
Osiris, or his queen, the goddess, Isis, Seth measured Osiris's body from top
to bottom and from side to side. The next morning, Seth took the
measurements to a carpenter who made a beautiful wooden chest decorated
with bright paint and sheets of gold. That night, Seth threw a huge party, and
invited Osiris as the guest of honor. The night was spent feasting, singing,
dancing, and playing games. For the final game, Seth brought out the huge
wooden chest. He announced that the first person to fit perfectly into the
chest would be allowed to keep it. One by one, each
of Seth's friends climbed into the chest Unsurprisingly, no one was able to fit
into the chest, which was made perfectly for Osiris.
Finally, Seth and his friends convinced Osiris to try his luck with the chest.
Osiris stepped into the chest and lay down. The chest fit him perfectly, just
as Seth had planned. Just as Osiris lay down, Seth slammed the lid and
sealed it shut. Seth and his friends took the chest down to the Nile River and
dumped it in, knowing that Osiris would never be able to survive. When Isis
heard the news of her husband's death she was extremely upset. She rushed
to the riverbank, and after several days of searching, found the wooden
chest. Isis opened it and removed the dead body of her beloved Osiris.
Crying, Isis hid Osiris' body in the river grass. She didn't want Seth to find
Osiris's corpse before she could perform the proper rituals that would allow
him to pass into the Afterlife
Late that night, Seth returned to the Nile, to make sure Osiris's body had
washed away. The chest was nowhere to be found, but after searching the
riverbank grass, he found the body of his late brother. Furious, Seth cut
Osiris's body into fourteen pieces. To make sure that the body was never
found again, he hurled the pieces all over Egypt.
The next morning, Isis returned to the river with her sister. Nepthys and her
friends, to perform the necessary rituals, only to find Osiris's body gone! Isis
transformed into a huge bird and flew high over Egypt. Using her sharp
vision, she was able to find all the pieces of the body to put Osiris back
together
With the help of Nepthys, Thoth, and Anubis, Isis performed a great act of
magic. Very carefully, they began to sew Osiris's body back together. They
worked together night after night. When the body was whole once again,
they wrapped it head to toe in strips of linen, creating a mummy. On the
night of the full moon, Isis used powerful magic to bring her husband back to
life. Osiris embraced Isis, and thanked her sister and her friends. He told
them he would not be able to stay in the world of the living. He explained
that having died; he needed to travel to the world of the dead, where he
would become the King of the Afterlife Before he left, Osiris told Isis not to
worry. He told her that she would soon give birth to a son, Horus, who would
defeat Seth and become a great protector of the Egyptian people. By taking
back the throne from Seth, Horus would restore order and peace to the
Universe.
When Horus was born, he was hidden away and kept safe from his evil uncle
Seth.
When he became of age, Horus finally confronted Seth, and they violently
fought. During the fight Horus' left eye was poked out, but magically came to
life. Later on, the Wadjet, or eye of Horus became a powerful symbol to
promote healing. Although Horus emerged victorious, there was still a large
question of who legally had power to the throne. Seth believed that as Osiris'
brother, he was the rightful ruler, but Horus argued that he should be
proclaimed king, since he was Osiris' legitimate heir. Ultimately, it was
decided that Horus would rule on earth as King. Seth was banished forever.
