Dios egipcio Osiris

Osiris, también llamado Usir, uno de los dioses más importantes del antiguo Egipto. El origen de Osiris es oscuro; Él era un dios local de Busiris, en el Bajo Egipto, y puede haber sido una personificación de la fertilidad cónica (inframundo). Alrededor de 2400 a. C., sin embargo, Osiris claramente jugó un doble papel: era un dios de la fertilidad y la encarnación del rey muerto y resucitado. Este doble papel se combinó a su vez con el concepto egipcio del reinado divino: el rey al morir se convirtió en Osiris, dios del inframundo; y el hijo del rey muerto, el rey vivo, fue identificado con Horus, un dios del cielo. Osiris y Horus eran, pues, padre e hijo. La diosa Isis era la madre del rey y, por lo tanto, la madre de Horus y consorte de Osiris. El dios Seth fue considerado el asesino de Osiris y adversario de Horus.

Examen

Mitología, leyenda y folklore

¿Cuál era el nombre del lugar donde los antiguos héroes nórdicos fueron después de la muerte?

Según la forma del mito reportado por el autor griego Plutarco, Osiris fue asesinado o ahogado por Seth, quien rompió el cadáver en 14 pedazos y los arrojó sobre Egipto. Eventualmente, Isis y su hermana Nephthys encontraron y enterraron todas las piezas, excepto el falo, dando así una nueva vida a Osiris, que a partir de entonces permaneció en el inframundo como gobernante y juez. Su hijo Horus luchó con éxito contra Seth, vengando a Osiris y convirtiéndose en el nuevo rey de Egipto.

Osiris was not only ruler of the dead but also the power that granted all life from the underworld, from sprouting vegetation to the annual flood of the Nile River. From about 2000 bce onward it was believed that every man, not just the deceased kings, became associated with Osiris at death. This identification with Osiris, however, did not imply resurrection, for even Osiris did not rise from the dead. Instead, it signified the renewal of life both in the next world and through one’s descendants on Earth. In this universalized form Osiris’s cult spread throughout Egypt, often joining with the cults of local fertility and underworld deities.

The idea that rebirth in the next life could be gained by following Osiris was maintained through certain cult forms. In the Middle Kingdom (1938–c. 1630 bce) the god’s festivals consisted of processions and nocturnal rites and were celebrated at the temple of Abydos, where Osiris had assimilated the very ancient god of the dead, Khenty-Imentiu. This name, meaning “Foremost of the Westerners,” was adopted by Osiris as an epithet. Because the festivals took place in the open, public participation was permitted, and by the early 2nd millennium bce it had become fashionable to be buried along the processional road at Abydos or to erect a cenotaph there as a representative of the dead.

Osiris festivals symbolically reenacting the god’s fate were celebrated annually in various towns throughout Egypt. A central feature of the festivals during the late period was the construction of the “Osiris garden,” a mold in the shape of Osiris, filled with soil. The mold was moistened with the water of the Nile and sown with grain. Later, the sprouting grain symbolized the vital strength of Osiris.

At Memphis the holy bull, Apis, was linked with Osiris, becoming Osiris-Apis, which eventually became the name of the Hellenistic god Serapis. Greco-Roman authors connected Osiris with the god Dionysus. Osiris was also identified with Soker, an ancient Memphite god of the dead.

The oldest known depiction of Osiris dates to about 2300 bce, but representations of him are rare before the New Kingdom (1539–1075 bce), when he was shown in an archaizing form as a mummy with his arms crossed on his breast, one hand holding a crook, the other a flail. On his head was the atef-crown, composed of the white crown of Upper Egypt and two ostrich feathers.