Today's Topics: 

I have posted the Osiris, Isis, and Horus story for you online since several students don't have their coursepackets yet. This is the last story that I will post.

One issue that I discussed before returning to the Osiris story was Joseph Campbell's categorization of the three forms of love: eros, agape, and amor.  Eros is merely sexual desire or lust, agape is the act of kindness or goodwill toward strangers, while amor is the pinnacle of love, noted by two people devoting themselves to each other and becoming a true unit.  Campbell describes amor as a "personal" love, since the depth of your love depends on the person. Both Eros and agape are "impersonal" loves because they can be directed at anyone (Eros = you could lust after anyone; agape = you can extend goodwill to anyone). See Chapter 7 in The Power of Myth for a further explanation.

We discussed several characters in Osiris who represented each of these three forms of love.  We discovered that Isis displays amor in many places, but especially when she devotes her life to healing her husband and child.  She also displays agape by healing children that she met along the way.  Set shows the greatest form of Eros, as he is a character driven by his appetite, exemplified the best when he falls for Isis after she had transformed herself into a beautiful young woman when on the Island in the Middle.

Campbell's references to the troubadours might be confusing. Troubadours were 13th century French knights who went around singing love songs to women with whom they were in love. Since marriages were arranged and most people were not married because they loved each other first. Since the "rush of love" was difficult to attain, the troubadours devoted their lives in pursuit of this ideal. They were playing a game: the man would actively and overtly pursue a women (who may be married, by the way, to someone else). The woman played the game by playing hard to get. Their goal was to feel loved and wanted, but not to pursue any physicality. There was no kissing, no hand holding, and no touching of any kind. (Well, this was an ideal, remember). The Church intervened and outlawed this practice, since it led to sin. Campbell explains that they were pursuing amor since it was missing from everyday life, yet the one feeling above others that makes us feel alive. Because of the troubadours, and the Renaissance that followed, we today are free to pursue love on our own terms, more or less.

Osiris, Isis, and Horus (continued)

Recall that Isis pursued Osiris' body, brought it back to Egypt, temporarily revived it, and made love to the spirit of Osiris to effect the virgin birth of Horus, who is a representation of the savior archetype.

Since Osiris cannot remain alive, Isis closes the casket and hides it in a cave.  Unfortunately, Set stumbles upon it while hunting at night, opens it up, and dismembers Osiris, cutting him up into 14 pieces, spreading the parts across Egypt.  Since 14 is one half of a lunar cycle (new moon to full moon, or vice versa), this shows a duality and a complete transformation from one form into another.  Isis must again take a journey to recover the parts and to reassemble them through the act of mummification.  Isis really is a hero in this story, since she takes the important journeys to protect and preserve her way of life.  Notice that many of the other stories lack a strong female presence, especially the powerful and loving mother figure.

Isis and Nephthys race across Egypt looking for the parts, and they sing songs of joy each time they located another one.  However, Sobek, the crocodile, sadly informs Isis that one part from Osiris' body fell into the Nile and was eaten by the fish -- Osiris' phallus.  Isis has to recreate it when assembling the body back together.  Luckily, she had already conceived of Horus, her son.

Osiris is now floating in a state of suspended animation (call it "limbo" for lack of a better word).  We will learn that the body must be prepared for several weeks before the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony takes place that releases the soul from the body.  Until then, Osiris is stuck in-between worlds, often referred to as the Underworld, represented as the entire night sky sailing by overhead each night.  Osiris asks Atum what is going on, and adapts to his new state of being, swirling in confusion and nonexistence.  It is in this spiritual world that Osiris realizes that he has a son about to be born.

The section entitled "The Birth of Horus" has influenced Greek literature as well.  Much like the character Penelope, the wife of Odysseus in the Homeric epic The Odyssey, Isis is captured by Set and thrown into a prison, where she must spin and weave day and night.  Since her husband has been killed, Set has assumed his throne and enslaved his enemies.  Unbeknownst to Set, Isis is ripe with the child conceived by Osiris.  As the months pass, Isis nears her delivery date, but she can't give birth to Horus while in captivity, lest Set kill the infant.

Thoth, the god of wisdom, has a plan.  He sends down two goddesses, Ma'at and Seshet, disguised as weavers to break Isis out of her captivity.  Ma'at is the goddess of justice and Seshet is the goddess of writing and measurement.  Together, they form the concepts of Justice and Law that are sent to right the wrongs of her imprisonment.  Notice how these characters, who are the epitomes of law and order, still disguise themselves in order to execute their plan.  This type of cunning behavior resembles the serpent in Eden and Ea's whispers to the reed hut walls during Atrahasis' dream.

This reminds me of that little dot located inside the yin/yang dualities -- a little black is still part of the field of white, and a little white dot occupies the dark side.  Even though this story is a clear good vs. evil narrative, there appears to be a speck of the other side in each.  Remember that both sides of the duality need each other, for one side alone means nothing.  This is why Thoth sends down 7 stars that become 7 scorpions that help Isis to break out of prison.  Normally, the scorpions represent the dark side and would assist Set (much like Sobek, the crocodile); however, Isis needs some of the dangerous forces to aid her escape by killing the guards at the door.  Isis, who represents life and regeneration, could not accomplish such a sly and crafty escape on her own.

These scorpions follow Isis into the desert, where she gives birth to Horus -- his second birth (remember that Horus the Elder was born as the second of the five children to the earth and sky gods, but was not born into a bodily form until he became the child of Osiris and Isis).  Since Osiris was the first born, he gets to assume the power, inheritance, and glory.  Once Horus is reborn into a physical form (his first birth is a spiritual birth), he now becomes the first born son, and he inherits all of the powers of the previous gods in his family tree.  A parallel to this can be found in Christianity, where many believe that Jesus always existed in spirit (as the Holy Ghost), even though he did not become a savior figure until after his earthly (physical) birth.  Horus, now born again, can assert his presence in Egypt and become a savior to all of Egypt's people. Remember that Horus is referred to as the "twice born god."

The scorpions follow Isis into town, where they ask a rich woman for food and shelter.  The woman slams the door in their faces when she sees the scorpions.  However, a poor older woman has sympathy on Isis and gives her whatever she has.  That night, the scorpions seek out the child of the rich woman and sting him.  Isis is awoken by the child's screams, so she runs to the baby and recites the magic words of life to save him from certain death.  Here, we see Isis as a great protector and preserver of life, especially little children.

Thoth then warns Isis about the ever-present danger of Set's evil deeds, and he instructs Isis to hide the child.  Isis travels to the Nile delta where she finds an island, called Chemmis.  She digs the earth from under the island so that it floats on the Nile water magically.  Perhaps she does this to prevent Set (representing the red desert sands) from encroaching upon the island.  Much like Moses, he is hidden in the reeds and bulrushes, and much like the Madonna figure, she holds her savior child on her lap, the "seat of authority," as her name indicates (see pages 220-223 in The Power of Myth).  However, Set quickly locates this divine child, and he attempts to kill the kid on several occasions.  First, Set sends a snake to bite Horus, who is easily cured by Isis' magic incantations.  Set's next attack does more damage.  He places a scorpion inside Horus' crib, and the bite nearly kills the child.

Thoth must come to the aid of Isis and Horus by speaking even more powerful words and spells, which he teaches Isis afterwards.  Notice that Isis continually collects new spells and attains more power, similar to the growth of Inanna.  One way that Thoth helps is by stopping the journey of the sun, represented by a solar barque (boat) that contains the gods of the Ennead (those 9 gods on the family tree).  If we can stop time, then we can prevent Horus from dying (or at least stop him from getting worse).  Thoth eventually cures Horus, reminds us that Horus is really the manifestation of every other universal force, and teaches Isis these additional magic spells.

The next section ("Horus Becomes a Man") takes place years later, after Horus has been raised by his caretakers and trained in the desert.  Much like the story of Jesus, we know about Horus' birth, then a long gap occurs in our knowledge of him before we see him emerge as a grown man, filled with intelligence and strength. This again seems to parallel the missing years in the life of Jesus. If the Magi visited the baby Jesus, then he must have been wealthy to warrant the visit. Boys from privileged backgrounds were routinely sent to the Far East for spiritual instruction in Sanskrit and the philosophies of the area. This explains the hundreds of parallels between the New Testament teachings and those of Confucius, Buddha, and several Hindu myths as well. This is the ultimate hero archetype.

When Horus and Isis become reunited, the first thing that Horus notices is that Isis is once again pregnant.  He inquires as to the father, and becomes upset that his mother has been with another man.  Isis, however, tells Horus that she has been with no other man but Osiris.  Confused, Horus listens outside of his mother's bedroom door that night, and bursts through when he hears her moan and grown.  He finds Isis making love to the spirit of Osiris, which begins his own quest to meet his father.  Isis trains Horus to meditate and connect himself with the spirit world so that he can finally meet his father.  Through meditation, Horus meets Osiris, who quizzes Horus regarding his purpose.  Horus answers the questions correctly, which makes Osiris proud and hopeful that his death will be avenged by his only son.

As Horus prepares for war, Ra looks into Horus' magic eyes to foretell the future of the battle with Set.  In the midst of doing this, a strange black pig rushes out of the thickets and injures Horus' eye with its tusker.  Bewildered and in pain, Horus screams at the sight of his own wound.  Ra takes him home and gives Horus his Divine Eye, called the Udjat (or Wadjet) to replace the one ruined by Set.

Two important symbols should be addressed here.  First, notice that Horus' eyes were really windows into time and space.  Symbolically, Horus is often described as having two celestial eyes, one representing the sun and the other the moon.  This implies that Horus can see both horizons equally.  He understands sunrise (birth) and sunset (death) equally.  These dualistic forces combined into one face represents the unification of the dualities, which only a great god can attain.  When one of his eyes is ruined in the attack, Horus temporarily loses his foresight and understanding of the cosmic dualities.  By replacing his injured eye with a divine one, Ra allows Horus to become even more powerful than before (Thanks, Set!).  Furthermore, the Egyptians incorporated this story into their own dietary codes, which forbade the eating of pork (pigs), a tradition that was passed along to the Jews, perhaps brought to Canaan and Judea by Moses after his escape from Egyptian captivity.

This last third of the tale develops the action-packed fighting scenes between Horus and Set.  The section entitled "The War in Heaven Begins" shows Horus and Set engaged in a legal argument, presided over by the remaining seven gods of the Ennead.  Horus emerges from his childhood prepared to fight this battle to avenge his father's death.  Much like Jesus, Horus comes out of his exile a strong and intelligent man ready to tackle the biggest problems.  He is honored by all and the women all find him to be handsome, but he does not date or socialize.  Rather, he is all business, and he devoted his time on Earth to fulfill one mission -- vengeance.

We see Horus in these last chapters increase his power and his symbolism.  One new symbol introduced here is the golden disk of the sun, which shines above his head, similar to a halo around the head of a saint in a stained glass window.  The orb is not really hanging over his head, but rather a symbolic representation of his holy stature and his connection to Ra, the sun god. One way that Horus illustrates his newly attained power is by morphing into a new symbol, the Winged Disk. In this form, Horus becomes assimilated with Ra, and he is therefore referred to by a hyphenated name: Ra-Harakhti (Ra-Horus). The symbol of Ra (the sun disk) combines with the wings that reflect Horus' falcon identity to reveal a combined character that represents incredible power.

Horus enters the court pleading his case for the throne of Osiris, and Shu and Thoth agree.  Atum, however, is upset that he was not asked about his opinion, nor was Set allowed his say in court.  If the trial is supposed to be a fair one, so far it has not been achieved.  Set is allowed to speak, and he resorts to name calling (for example, Horus is deemed a "child").

After 80 years of conflict, the Ennead finally decide to write a letter to Neith, the primordial universal Mother Goddess, who writes in reply that Horus is the rightful recipient of the throne.  In fact, she threatens to collapse the separation between the heavens and the earth, which would destroy the earth.   Interestingly, Neith favors Horus, who acts as a defender and protector of order, while simultaneously threatening chaos.  This shows that Neith embodies both sides of this duality: order and chaos.

Atum is still angry, and calls Horus "despicable," possibly suggesting that Atum is a jealous god (akin to Yahweh, who describes Himself as a "jealous god" in Genesis).  Perhaps Atum fears losing his glory to a younger deity.  Perhaps because Horus is not the first-born sun of Nut (Atum's creation), Atum shows bitterness toward him.  Set, although he was defended by Atum, turns to him and insults the great god (it's Set's nature to do so).  Atum mopes by himself, but is soon joined by Hathor, who exposes herself to Atum to make him smile.  Hathor, if you recall, was the goddess in the form of Ra's eye in the story The Destruction of Mankind.  Hathor is a complex figure, but part of her essence is that of pure sexuality and healing, so we see her playing a more familiar role here.

Back in court, Set and Horus make strong cases.  In fact, Set has a very strong legal argument, which must resemble a real-life inheritance dispute in ancient Egypt.  Isis, however, grows more vocal and excitable in the courtroom, prompting Set to move the court to an island in the middle of the river -- without Isis.  The ferryman, Nemty, is asked to transport the other gods, but not Isis.  However, Isis changes her appearance to that of an old hag and bribes her way across.  Once she arrives, she changes into a beautiful woman, whom Set makes sexual advances toward.  Isis tells a false story about a wife who lost her husband, only to find that a stranger steals their farm.  Although this is a parallel example to what Set did, he does not make the connection, and shows sympathy for the woman's suffering.  This, of course, implicates himself, and Isis calls him on it.  Set feels better only after Nemty is punished (his toes are cut off).
 
In court again, Horus is awarded the white crown of Lower Egypt, while Set receives the red crown of Upper Egypt, but Set wants both crowns.  He challenges Horus to a physical duel -- submerge themselves in the Nile in the form of hippopotami.  The first one who rises for air loses the crown.  After a few days under water, Isis panics and casts a fishing hook into the water, catching her son Horus, who screams to the surface.  She unhooks the barb and casts again, this time netting Set, who likewise screams in agony.  Although she wanted to help, she ended up making both gods mad.  Horus grows so enraged that he cuts off Isis' head and walks away with it.  Thoth gives Isis a new head -- that of a cow.  Isis likes it, since it reminds her of her mother (Nut, shown in a cow form in the early stories in the unit).  The cow is a reverential figure, representing motherhood and provides sustenance.  Ironically, in ancient India, the early Hindus survived years of constant drought by suckling the milk from cows, hence the reason for cows being sacred in Hinduism.

To show another connection between Egypt and India, we see the same triad concept of "god" in both cultures.  Check out the following table:
 

Egyptian God	Hindu god	concept
Osiris	Brahma	creator/resurrector
Isis/Horus	Vishnu	protector/preserver
Set	Shiva	destroyer

 

After Horus apologizes to his mother and relinquishes her head, he rests outside, only to be attacked by Set, who plucks out his eyes.  Hathor comes to the rescue and cures Horus before they re-enter the court chambers. 

We'll finish this story in class next time.

Announcements:

The Bookstore has SOLD OUT of the coursepackets, so you will need to place a special order to receive yours. Please read the following if you have not done so already: Ordering the coursepackets.

Due Next Time:

 

The Journey to the Duat (342-373)

The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor (374-377)

The Tale of the Two Brothers (378-385)

Quiz 8 (DUE Wednesday 29 March 2006)

 

COLOR CODES:
		-= Required		-= Supplemental