The MyTh of osiris and isis

Long, long ago, the god Osiris came to Egypt to rule as king. He brought the Egyptian people a new system of laws, and he taught them how to make good farms and how to live peacefully in villages. Osiris was a very wise and powerful king and he was loved and respected by Egyptian people. Unfortunately, Osiriss brother Seth, who was also a god, did not share these good feelings toward the king. Seth was so jealous of his brothers power that he made a plan to kill Osiris and take over his throne. Very late one night, Seth tiptoed into Osiriss bedroom. As Osiris slept, Seth measured his body from top to bottom and from side to side. When he was finished, Seth sneaked out of kings room without waking Osiris or his queen, the goddess Isis. The next morning, Seth took the measurments to a carpenter who made a beautiful wooden chest decorated with bright paint and sheets of gold. That night Seth threw a huge party for all his friends, and invited Osiris to be the guest of honor. The night was spent feasting on wonderful food, singing, dancing, and playing games. The final game of the evening was one that no one played before. Seth brought out the wooden chest. He announced that the first person who fit perfectly inside the chest would be allowed to keep it. One by one, each of Seths friends climbed in the chest. They all knew of Seths plan, so they were not surprised when the chest did not fit their bodies. Finally, the convinced Osiris to try his luck. He stepped into the chest and lay down. It fit perfectly, just as Seth had planned. Before Osiris could get up to celebrate his good fortune, Seth slammed down the lid and sealed it shut. Seth and his friends took the chest down to the Nile River and dumped it in, knowing Osiris would never be able survive.

When Isis heard the news of her husbands disappearance, she was extremely upset. She rushed to the riverbank and, after many days of searching, she found the wooden chest. Isis opened it and gently removed the body of her beloved Osiris. Weeping, Isis hid Osiriss body in river grass. Isis didnt want Seth to find Osiris before she could perform the proper rituals that would allow him to pass to the Afterworld. Late that night, Seth returned to the Nile, to make sure Osiriss body had washed away. The chest was nowhere to be found, but as he walked through the grass on his way home, he stumbled against a large object. He parted the grass, and the light of the moon revealed the body of his enemy. Furious, he cut Osiriss body into fourteen pieces. To make sure that the body would never be found, he hurled the pieces all over Egypt. The next morning, Isis returned to the riverbank with her sister, the goddess Nepthys, and her friends, the gods Thoth and Anubis. Imagine their shock when they found that Osiriss body had disappeared yet again! Isis transformed herself into great bird and flew high above Egypt. Using her sharp vision, she recovered enough pieces to put the body back together. Several nights later, when the moon had disappeared from the sky, Isis summoned Nepthys, Thoth, and Anubis to help her perform a great act of magic. Very carefully, they began to saw Osiriss body back together. They worked night after night, as the moon grew brighter and fuller. When the body was in one piece again, they wrapped it from head to toe instrips of linen, creatin a mummy. On the night of the full moon, Isis performed a great act of magic and brought her husband back to life. Osiris embraced Isis, and he thanked her sister and her friends. He told them he would not be able to stay in the world of the living. He needed to travel to the world of the dead, where he would become the King of Afterlife.

Before he left, Osiris told Isis not to worry. She would soon give birth to their son, who would be named Horus. Horus would become a great bird, and, like his father, he would be a great protector of the Egyptian people. Most imortant, Horus would one day take back the throne from Seth and restore order and peace to the Universe.

Answer the questions in complete sentences

1. who was osiris? ____________________________________________________ 2. why was osiris loved and respected by egyptian people? ____________________________________________________ 3. who was seth? ____________________________________________________ 4. why did seth measure osiris? ____________________________________________________ 5. what has happened at the seths party? ____________________________________________________ 6. who was isis? ____________________________________________________ 7. what did seth do with osiriss body? ____________________________________________________ 8. what animal did isis transform into and why? ____________________________________________________

9. what did isis, nepthys, and thoth create? ____________________________________________________ 10. whom did osiris become after he was brought back to life? ____________________________________________________ 11. who was horus? ____________________________________________________ 12. what would be horus job? ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________