The name Osiris is the Greek word for the hieroglyph 'Wesir' or Wsr', which is thought to mean 'He who is strong', but no definite conclusion has been reached. It is also thought to mean 'the place of the eye'. Other varieties of the spelling and pronouncing of his name are Ausar or Usir. Also sometimes Wennefer (Gr: Onnophris) which means "the eternally good being" or "the perfect one". Wesir/Osiris has been called "Lord of the Duat (Afterworld)", "Judge of the Blessed Dead", "Father of the Kings" and many other epithets. There exists much discussion about the origin of his name, and its´ meaning, though the most likely explanation seems to be that his name is related to the word 'woser' which would mean 'Mighty One'.

Seti I offering incense and libations to Wesir.2nd Hypostyle Hall, Abydos
Photo: author

Origin

There have been various theories as to the origin of Wesir/Osiris, one places him as being a foreign human king during the Predynastic times, entering Egypt from the North and settling finally in Djedu (Busiris) in Lower Egypt, where his cult center grew. It was probably here that his association with an earlier deity Andjety stemmed from. Another theory is that he developed from the primitive fertility god, Nepri, in Lower Egypt to become one of the greatest and most important of all the Egyptian deities, whose myth still lived on long after the fall of Egypt. As such he was associated with the inundation of the Nile and symbolizing the fertile land of Kemet. From this his association with resurrection, regrowth and new life in the Underworld developed. In the Late Period Plutarch described him as a human king who brought knowledge and agriculture to Egypt, though this legend must be taken with a grain of salt.

His authority as a king and a divine judge of the underworld probably came from his role as a source of fertility and his ability to regenerate life. Just as he had triumphed over death in the vegetation world, so was he thought to triumph in a wider sense over the deceased in the kingdom of the dead. His experience of suffering and his ability to conquer death made him a ruler not over the living but over the dead, thus promising them eternal life. As a vegetation god he was also regarded a corn-deity, with association to an early corn-god Neper (Nepri) and connects to other Near Eastern deities like Adonis, Dionysos, Tammus, but a common origin has not been proven.

Sometimes he is called the 'Lord of Djedu' (Gr: Busiris). It was also in Djedu that Wesir acquired his symbol, the 'djed-pillar' which came to symbolize strength and resurrection, and the royal insignia the crook and the flail.

The "Raising of the Djed-pillar", the Osiris Hall, Abydos.
photo: author

Depictions

The earliest depiction sofar of Wesir/Osiris shows his head and upper torso on a block from the 5th Dynasty (King Izesi). Above it is the symbolic name of Wesir/Osiris in hieroglyphs; an eye and a throne. He is often depicted in human form, in white mummy wrappings and with his skin white or black, alluding to the realm of the dead, or green as a symbol of resurrection. Out of the mummy wrappings his arms protrude and he is seen carrying the crook and the flail as a sing of kingship. He wears the 'Atef' crown; the tall, conical crown of Upper Egypt, flanked by a plume at each side, and ram´s horns as its base.

Titles and epithets

Wesir/Osiris is called by many epithets and titles, through them it is possible to glean information of the nature of him and how come he was capable of embracing several deities.

The most usual one is probably Foremost of the Westerners as already mentioned, the ancient Egyptian meaning of the deity Khenti-Amentiu. This shows Osiris as a funerary god at Abedjou.

Another title pointing at Osiris´s link to funerary beliefs and mummification is He Who Is In the God´s Tent. By 'tent' is meant the booth or pavilion where the mummification took place. It is also believed that Osiris assumed the role of Yinepu as protector of this process.

Then there are epithets which describes Osiris as being resident at different locations. Of these the one called:

He Who Dwells in Sah (Orion) with a Season in the Sky and a Season on Earth stands out as it places Osiris as belonging in the sky as an astral deity and contrasts with his usual realm in the Underworld.

He Who Dwells in Iunu (Gr: Heliopolis) places him at the location where the Ennead originated, and He Who Dwells in Andjet refers to the Lower Egypt cult center at Djedu (Gr: Busiris), where Andjety was the original local deity

Osiris in Myth

In myth he is the son of Geb, the earth god, brother and the husband of Aset, (Gr: Isis) and brother to Nebt-Het (Gr: Nephtys) andSeth. He was slain by his brother at the shore of 'Nedyet', resurrected by his sister-spouse who also gave him his son Heru (Gr: Horus) whom he in the end took revenge upon his brother Seth. go here for the myth.

There exits no written account of his myth, so it is surmised it was handed down by oral tradition. The earliest and most complete written version is by Plutharch and thus it reflects Greek style and perception of the world, and is of a much later period in history.

However, this myth can be traced in the Pyramid Texts (Old Kingdom) and New Kingdom or Graeco-Roman inscriptions and reliefs on some temple walls refers to rites held at annual festivals held to Osiris.

Through this myth Osiris became the ruler of the Underworld, king of the deceased. He was seen as the night form of the sun, even the moon sometimes.

Osiris in the Pyramid Age

During this time Wesir/Osiris exists as that deity into which the deceased King transforms. Great importance is attached to this concept, and during the whole of the Old Kingdom. The King was the only person whose existence was seen as continuous, unbroken by death and only transformed into Osiris. Inscriptions in the pyramids from the 5th Dynasty onwards describes Osiris as the legendary first ruler of Predynastic Egypt. These inscriptions are the earliest hints of the myth of Osiris as a Predynastic ruler of Egypt, and this myth was to last through the almost 4000 year old history of ancient Egypt.

Scene of the mythical Resurrection of Osiris. Ptah-Nefertem Hall, Abydos.
Photo: author

Osiris and the Sun-God

Opposed to Osiris as ruler of the Duat, there is his connection with the concept of the sun-king. It is believed that this reflects the ancient Egyptian fear of death. They dreaded the gloom of the Underworld and therefore it lay close to hand to in Osiris see the counterpart of the sun-god - the opposite pole so to speak. This would ensure that the Underworld would always have at least some shade of the light of day. It was said that Re an Osiris embraced one another as 'twin souls' and Re is even told to superwise the funeral of Osiris. This might also be the reason Osiris was often seen as the moon while Re symbolized the sun.

Osiris at Abedjou

During the Old Kingdom Wesir/Osiris seems to have absorbed the ancient canine deity at Abedjou (Abydos), Khenti-Amentiu and replaced him as the main deity there. The name Khenti-Amentiu means 'Foremost of the Westerners' was also included in the long line of epithets for Osiris.

Abedjou was situated on the west bank of the Nile, the area where the sun sets and prepares to descend into the Duat. It is also here where many cemeteries and necropolii were placed in the ancient days.

Festival of Osiris

It was here at Abedjou that the yearly Passion Plays of Osiris were acted out. These drew pilgrims and visitors from all over the country and rituals were held within the closed-off sacredness of the temples, while outside of them people acted out the drama of the Myth of Osiris. It went on for days and were probably one of the most frequented and longest celebrated of ancient Egyptian festivals. We don´t know very much about what exactly went on, it seems that both priests and lay people assumed roles as deities and other characters from the myths and acted out these mythical events. A stela in the Berlin Museum tells about a high official called Ikhernofret, living in the Middle Kingdom, who was ordered by the king to use 'Nubian gold' for decorating the cult statue of Osiris, and to construct a new shrine out of cedar wood for the god. The shrine was inlaid with gold, lapis lazuli, silver, and bronze.

Then the stela tells that a bark, called 'neshmet' was made, to carry the shrine enclosing the cult statue on, and it also tells of what processions were made:

The Procession of Wepwawet:

Wepwawet was an ancient canine deity, said to open up the way. Here he acted as a herald of Osiris.

The Great Procession

The shrine of Osiris is carried in a funeral procession from his temple to a symbolic tomb. On the way there is a struggle enacted against his enemies.

Return to the Temple

The shrine and the ceremonial barks are brought back on the Nile to the temple for concluding purification rites.

Osiris in the Middle and New Kingdom

Towards the end of the Old Kingdom and during the First Intermediate, the concept of the King being the sole one to be transformed into Osiris and eternal life began to spread to other high nobles and courtiers. This is often called the 'democratization of the funerary beliefs'. Already in tombs of nobles during the 5th Dynasty there are signs of Osiris being the protective deity, and in the 11th - 15th Dynasties, accompanying funerary texts had become a 'must' for officials and those who could afford to have these made. Osiris became more and more the 'King of Those Who Are Not', meaning that his kingdom was the Duat where the dead lived their eternal lifes.

In the New Kingdom there is also once again signs of the polarity between life and death, as Osiris is called Lord of the Living', Lord of the Universe or 'Ruler of Eternity'. The many epithets of Osiris can be seen in the Book of Going forth By Day, spell 142. Here is just a small selection:

Osiris in the Late Period

Already in the Ptolemaic Period, Osiris was merged with the Hellenistic Serapis, for whom there was a cult center at Alexandria; the Serapion, but was still worshipped in his own right as Spouse of Aset and King of the Underworld. In the 22nd Dynasty onwards, six sanctuaries built for Osiris at Karnak, by the divine adoratrices to Amun. Here are inscriptions mentioning Osiris as upholder of Ma'at. Psamtik I restored a temple to Osiris-Apis at Saqqara, and at Djedu (Gr: Busiris) there was another important cult center. So there were several important cult centers for Osiris built, renovated or added to during this period. Some of these places were linked to the Ptolemaic version of the myth which tells about Osiris´s dismemberment by Set by claiming that parts of the god´s body were buried there. Among these were:

Tjebnutjer (Sebennytos)
Henen-Nesut (Herakleopolis)
Hut-Heryib (Athribis)
Abedjou (Abydos)
Edfu
Bigeh Island

Osiris at Bigeh

On the Island of Bigeh, close to the island of Philae, there is said to be found 16 mythical tombs to Osiris. The island is also called 'Abaton', which means 'inaccessible'. Speaking loudly was forbidden here, and the statue of Aset, his sister-spouse, was brought over from Philae at regular intervals to make offerings at his tombs.

It was also believed that Hapi, the personification of the inundation, to whom Osiris had a close connection, lived in a cave on Bigeh, the entrance being protected by a sacred snake.

Osiris-beds

From the New Kingdom there are found in tombs wooden frames in the form of Osiris - so called Osiris-beds. These were filled with silt and seeds of barley and are thought to symbolize resurrection and regrowth, and thereby also Osiris´s triumph over Set.

The Djed-pillar

The Djed-pillar was attested already before the first mentionings of Osiris. It is suggested that it might be a Predynastic symbol, perhaps representing a pole around which grain was tied. By time, the word 'djed' came to mean 'stability' or 'continuity of power' and its link with the King is thought to symbolize and enhance the strength and endurability of kingship. It is often seen used in decorative friezes together with the Ankh and Was sceptre hieroglyphs but just as frequently with the 'Tyet' knot, symbol of Aset.

It existed already about 2600 BC, and an early depiction of it is as a decoration on the tiles in the Step Pyramid at Saqqara.

There are various ideas about what it actually depicts but no consensus has sofar been reached. In the Book of Going Forth By Day it is called the vertebrae or backbone of Wesir/Osiris, and there are papyri showing the Djed pillar with human arms holding the crook and flail, an surrounded with the 'atef' crown.

The 'Raising of the Djed-pillar'

There is also a ritual called the 'Raising of the Djed pillar', believed to have been started by the kings at MenNefer (Memphis). It is recorded as having formed a part of a royal jubilee ritual for Senwosret I (Dyn 12), and it is also depicted in the tomb of one official named Kheruef, as being a ritual of raising the Djed pillar, performed by the King. The ritual was also incorporated in the Heb Sed festival of Amenhotep III at Waset (Thebes).

At Abedjou there is a depiction of it in the Hall of Wesir, and it is thought that it formed a conclusive part of the 'Mysteries of Wesir' which were celebrated annually at Abedjou. The ritual symbolized not only the stability of kingship but also the resurrection of Wesir.

A note about Nepri:

Nepri is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts as being a god of harvest and of grain. In one passage the deceased is being identified with Osiris and with barley, as well as with Nepri.

In the Coffin Texts Nepri is called 'one who lives on after death'. Here we see the reasons for connecting him and Osiris.

Nepri is shown in human form, often as a child being suckled by Renenutet.



Main center of worship:

Abedju/Abydos, 8 th Nome, Upper Egypt

Virtual visit to Abydos.

Other sites:

Saqqara, 1st Nome, Lower Egypt - to Osiris-Apis & Isis

Hut-Heryib/Athribis, 1st N, Lower Egypt

Busiris/Abusir, 9th Nome, Lower Egypt

Taposiris Magna west of Alexandria, Lower Egypt

Djan´netTanis, west of, 19th N, Lower Egypt

Bigeh by Philae island 1st N, Upper Egypt

Waset/Thebes, 4th N, Upper Egypt, at Karnak there was 5 chapels built to Osiris and a small temple to Osiris-Heka-djet.

Want to see some photos from Abydos?