One of Egypt’s most revered gods, Osiris, was the deity of the afterlife. He also represented the cycle of Nile floods that Egypt depended on for agricultural fertility, as well as death, the afterlife, and resurrection.
The myth claims that Osiris was an Egyptian monarch who was killed and mutilated by his brother Seth. They were able to produce a son, the god Horus after his wife Isis put his body back together and brought him back to life. He was shown as a mummified king, dressed in wrappings that only showed his green hands and face.
The myth of Osiris
Osiris was the first king of Egypt in myth. His jealous brother Seth killed him, cut his body into pieces and scattered them across the land. His wife Isis, helped by her sister Nephthys, searched the country, gathered the pieces and, with Anubis, made the first mummy. Isis then conceived their son Horus, who grew up to avenge his father and take the throne, while Osiris became ruler of the underworld and judge of the dead.
Judge of the dead
In the Book of the Dead, the heart of the dead person was weighed against the feather of Maat before Osiris; a pure heart allowed entry to the Field of Reeds. Osiris is shown as a mummified king with green or black skin (the colours of growth and the fertile Nile mud), holding the crook and flail and wearing the white atef crown. “Corn mummies” of earth and grain sprouting in his shape symbolised rebirth with each flood.
Where to see Osiris
Abydos was his holiest site, and Egyptians hoped to be buried or remembered there. The Temple of Seti I has seven sanctuaries, including one for Osiris, and behind it lies the Osireion, a symbolic tomb of the god. Visit it on our Dendera and Abydos day trip from Luxor. On the roof of Dendera temple, chapels show his death and resurrection, and on Philae island near Aswan the Temple of Isis has rooms dedicated to him; see Philae on our Aswan sightseeing tour. Tomb paintings in the Valley of the Kings show the king meeting Osiris.
Quick facts
- Domain: the afterlife, resurrection, the Nile flood and fertility
- Symbols: crook and flail, atef crown, djed pillar
- Cult centre: Abydos
- Related deities: Isis (wife), Horus (son), Seth (brother and murderer), Anubis
More gods in our guide to ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses.