Isis
Goddess Isis:
Wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, linked with funerary rites, motherhood, protection, and magic. She became a major deity in Greek and Roman religion. Isis is represented with a throne on her head and sometimes shown breastfeeding the infant Horus. In this manifestation she was known as “Mother of God.” To the Egyptians she represented the ideal wife and mother; loving, devoted, and caring.
The Goddess of Fertility. She was also the goddess of magic and a healing goddess.
Isis is the wife and sister of Osiris and the mother of Horus (the falcon). Her name means “the throne“. She is usually represented in a shape of a lady and sometimes a lady with 2 stretched wings.
As a goddess of magic, it is believed that Isis took the shape of the bird and was flying allover the land of Egypt looking for the parts of the body of her husband Osiris after being killed, that’s why one of her shapes is a lady with 2 wings to commemorate the myth of Osiris.
Her cult center was in Aswan and she has a beautiful temple built up on an island called Philae temple.
The origins of Isis are obscure. Unlike many gods, she can’t be tied to a specific town, and there are no certain mentions of her in the earliest Egyptian literature. Over time she grew in importance, though, eventually becoming the most important goddess in the pantheon. As the devoted wife who resurrected Osiris after his murder and raised their son, Horus, Isis embodied the traditional Egyptian virtues of a wife and mother.
As the wife of the god of the underworld, Isis was also one of the main deities concerned with rites for the dead. Along with her sister Nephthys, Isis acted as a divine mourner, and her maternal care was often depicted as extending to the dead in the underworld.
Isis was one of the last of the ancient Egyptian gods to still be worshipped. In the Greco-Roman period she was identified with the Greek goddess Aphrodite and her cult spread as far west as Great Britain and as far east as Afghanistan. It is believed that depictions of Isis with the infant Horus influenced Christian imagery of Mary with the infant Jesus.
Isis – The most powerful and popular goddess in Egyptian history. She was associated with virtually every aspect of human life and, in time, became elevated to the position of supreme deity, “Mother of the Gods”, who cared for her fellow deities as she did for human beings. She is the second-born of the First Five Gods (Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Horus the Elder), sister-wife of Osiris, mother of Horus the Younger, and symbolically understood as the mother of every king. Her Egyptian name, Eset, means “Goddess of the Throne” because of her association with the monarch. She was also known as Weret-Kekau, “The Great Magic”, because of her incredible powers. She cared for people in life and appeared to them after death to help guide them safely to paradise. After the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, her worship traveled to Greece and then to Rome. During the time of the Roman Empire, she was worshipped in every corner of their realm from Britain through Europe to Anatolia.
The Cult of Isis was the strongest opponent of the new religion of Christianity between the 4th-6th centuries CE, and iconography, as well as tenets of belief, of the Isis cult were incorporated into the new faith. Imagery of the Virgin Mary holding her son Jesus comes directly from Isis cradling her son Horus and the Dying and Reviving God figure of Jesus himself is a version of Osiris.
Osiris’s wife was the goddess of magic, and clever and ambitious woman. She tricked Ra into retiring by poisoning him with a magic snake, then encouraging the old sun god to reveal his secret name so Isis could cure him. Once Isis knew Ra’s secret name, she could force him to do just about anything. She encouraged him to retreat into the sky, opening the throne for Osiris. Isis was the patron of magicians, and loved her husband very much. She encouraged their son Horus to take vengeance on the evil Set, who had killed Osiris. Isis is often pictured as a beautiful woman with multicolored wings.
Isis was associated with funeral rites and said to have made the first mummy from the dismembered parts of Osiris. As the enchantress who resurrected Osiris and gave birth to Horus, she was also the giver of life, a healer and protector of kings.
Her most famous temple is at Philae though her cult spread throughout the Medi-terranean world and, during the Roman period, extended as far as northern Europe. There was even a temple dedicated to her in London.
Frequently asked questions about visiting Egypt
Who is Isis the goddess?
Who is Isis the goddess?
What are the powers of Isis?
What are the powers of Isis?
Where is the temple of Philae located?
Where is the temple of Philae located?
How old is Philae Temple?
How old is Philae Temple?
Is it safe to travel to Egypt
Is it safe to travel to Egypt?
Is it safe to visit the Pyramids
Is it safe to visit the Pyramids?
Definitely safe to explore Cairo and visit the pyramids, especially while being accompanied with your guide. Here are some of the best tours to Pyramids:Is it allowed to enter The Pyramids in Egypt
Is it allowed to enter The Pyramids in Egypt?
Tourists are allowed to enter all three of the great pyramids, for a fee, of course. That is, you can go into the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure as long as you pay for a ticket. That’s the good news. The bad news starts with the mundane issues of how hard it can be to get inside. You must first pay for a ticket (around $20) for general admission to the grounds, then for an additional ticket for each pyramid, between about $5 and $15. The total amounts up fast, especially if you’re traveling with your family. Second, ticket sales are not a smooth procedure. Changes occur in the process regularly, and you can never be sure of exactly what to expect. First, there’s often, but not always, a limit imposed on ticket sales for the smaller pyramids, those of Khufu and Khafre. This is usually 300 tickets per pyramid per day, but only 150 are offered in the morning, the rest are saved until the afternoon. People get annoyed and impatient and you may run into pushing and shoving.How far is Marsa Alam from the Pyramids
How far is Marsa Alam from the Pyramids?
The distance between Marsa Alam and the Pyramids of Giza is 660 km.Is Egypt Safe for Americans to Travel to
Is Egypt Safe for Americans to Travel to?
We get this question a lot at Bastet Travel In short, Americans and other visitors can rest easy: yes, Egypt is a safe country for tourists. And the rest of the world seems to agree — after years of middling numbers, tourism in Egypt is steadily rising towards its former highs, hosting over 9 million sightseers in 2018. The longer answer is worth exploring, though, and we have some assurances to offer all our clients who join us on all of our Egypt Travel Packages.Is it safe to travel to Marsa Alam
Is it safe to travel to Marsa Alam?
The main tourist areas are considered generally safe to visit, though you should always check the latest government advice before traveling. There are some parts holidaymakers are not advised to visit, though this does not refer to the popular resorts of Hurghada, Luxor, or Marsa Alam for example.What are the most famous tourist attractions in Egypt
What are the most famous tourist attractions in Egypt?
Egypt has so much for travelers to see and do, it’s the perfect country for a mix of activities combining culture, adventure, and relaxation. Find the best places to visit with our list of the top tourist attractions in Egypt.- Pyramids of Giza
- Valley of the kings
- Luxor’s Karnak Temple
- The Egyptian Museum
- Christian and Islamic Cairo
- The White Desert and Baharyia Oasis
- Siwa Oasis
- Abu simbel Temples
- Aswan
- Alexandria
- St. Catherine’s Monastery
- The Nubian village
- Nile River Cruise
- Hurghada
- South of Sinai
Which resorts in Sharm el sheikh are good for couples?
Which resorts in Sharm el sheikh are good for couples?
How far is Luxor from Marsa Alam
How far is Luxor from Marsa Alam?
The distance between Marsa Alam and Luxor is 237 km. The road distance is 355.7 km.Which resorts in Sharm el sheikh are good for families?
Which resorts in Sharm el sheikh are good for families?
What are the best tours in Sharm El sheikh?
What are the best tours in Sharm El sheikh?
How much does it cost to stay in a resort in Sharm El sheikh?
How much does it cost to stay in a resort in Sharm El sheikh?
What are the top attractions to visit in Sharm El Sheikh?
What are the top attractions to visit in Sharm El Sheikh?
When was Philae Temple built?
When was Philae Temple built?
What are the best day trips from Sharm El Sheikh?
What are the best day trips from Sharm El Sheikh?
Is Alexandria worth visiting?
Is Alexandria worth visiting?
Why was the Temple of Philae built?
Why was the Temple of Philae built?
How old is Philae Temple?
How old is Philae Temple?
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Also known as Set, Setekh, Suty and Sutekh, Seth was the god of chaos, darkness, violence, evil, deserts, storms, and one of the Osirian gods. In the Osiris myth, he is the murderer of Osiris (in some versions of the myth, he tricks Osiris into laying down in a coffin and then seals it shut.)
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For all ancient Egyptians, the world was filled with mystery. Much of what they experienced in the world around them was unknowable and frightening. The ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses represented aspects of the Egyptians’ natural and “supernatural” surroundings and helped them understand its many aspects.
Horus
Depicted as a falcon or as a man with a falcon’s head, Horus was a sky god associated with war and hunting. He was also the embodiment of the divine kingship, and in some eras the reigning king was considered to be a manifestation of Horus.