Egyptian Mythology The Gods Set’s Story

Egypt

Gods Ra- Sun god Horus- God of the blind Osris- God of the Dead and Rebirth Isis- Queen of the Magic Set(Seth)- God of chaos Anubis- God of the Dead and Mummification

The story of Set and his brother Osiris Set gave a great feast in honor of Osiris; but the other guests were the two-and- seventy conspirators. It was the greatest feast that had yet been seen in Egypt, and the foods were choicer, the wines stronger and the dancing girls more beautiful than ever before. When the heart of Osiris had been made glad with feasting and song the chest was brought in, and all were amazed at its beauty. Osiris marveled at the rare cedar inlaid with ebony and ivory, with less rare gold and silver, and painted inside with figures of gods and birds and animals, and he desired it greatly. "I will give this chest to whosoever fits it most exactly!" cried Set. And at once the conspirators began in turn to see if they could win it. But one was too tall and another too short; one was too fat and another too thin - and all tried in vain.

"Let me see if I will fit into this marvelous piece of work," said Osiris, and he laid himself down in the chest while all gathered round breathlessly. "I fit exactly, and the chest is mine!" cried Osiris. "And the chest is mine!" "It is yours indeed, and shall be so forever!" hissed Set as he banged down the lid. Then in desperate haste he and the conspirators nailed it shut and sealed every crack with molten lead, so that Osiris the man died in the chest and his spirit went west across the Nile into Duat the Place of Testing; but, beyond it to Amenti, where those live for ever who have lived well on earth and passed the judgments of Duat, he could not pass as yet. Set and his companions took the chest which held the body of Osiris and cast it into the Nile; and Hapi the Nile-god carried it out into the Great Green Sea where it was tossed for many days until it came to the shore of Phoenicia near the city of Byblos. Here the waves cast it into a tamarisk tree that grew on the shore; and the tree shot out branches and grew leaves and flowers to make a fit resting place for the body of the good god Osiris and very soon that tree became famous throughout the land.

ISIS SET RE (RA)

Burial Rites Believed in rebirth Mummification sometimes as animals not to preserve life but to keep it from living again a secret to priest.

The Afterworld Judgement hall of Osiris by the god Thoth If there heart was lighter then a feather then they were “holy” and were sent to the Fields of Peace. For worthy souls only everyone was clan in white linen and white sandals with there own homes and estates

The Book of the Dead Part of this book, a guide to the world of the dead, consists of charms designed to overcome these dangers. After arriving in the kingdom of the dead, the ka was judged by Osiris, the king of the dead, and 42 demon assistants. The Book of the Dead also contains instructions for proper conduct before these judges. If the judges decided the deceased had been a sinner, the ka was condemned to hunger and thirst or to be torn to pieces by horrible executioners. If the decision was favorable, the ka went to the heavenly realm of the fields of Yaru, where grain grew 3.7 m (12 ft) high and existence was a glorified version of life on earth. All the necessities for this paradisiacal existence, from furniture to reading matter, were, therefore, put into the tombs. As a payment for the afterlife and his benevolent protection, Osiris required the dead to perform tasks for him, such as working in the grain fields. Even this duty could, however, be obviated by placing small statuettes, called ushabtis, into the tomb to serve as substitutes for the deceased.

The Court of the Underworld When a person had died he was taken to Underworld where his deeds in life were taken to the Court of Osiris for the final judgement. Since this place also was called "The Island of Fire" it's quite obvious that the Egyptians had knowledge about the burning interior of the Earth though they had no volcanoes in their own country. Before coming there the dead person had to pass a labyrinth of gates and doors and answer questions correctly to pass through. The lion-god Aker let him through the last gate and he was facing the fourteen members of the jury in the Tribunal Hall. There he was allowed to speak about his behavior on Earth. Then god Anubis took him into the courtroom presenting him the scale where his heart would be put in balance with the feather of the goddess Máat, patroness of truth and harmony. The procedure was recorded by Thoth - the god of writing and wisdom. Sometimes Thot's animal (a baboon) was sitting on top of the scale ready to adjust the result using a sliding weight.

The Underworld Court

If the heart of the deceased wasn't too heavy with sins from his life on Earth, he went through and could continue his voyage to the afterlife and was granted a plot of land in the "Field of the Reeds". This was the paradise for the ancient Egyptians - to grow crops for eternity in a land that was the very image of the Nile Valley they just had left. If he failed the test on the other hand - his heart was immediately devoured by the beast Ammut sitting under the scale ready to have a good blow-out. In that case the dead faced the most horrible future imaginable for the Egyptians - he was denied an eternal life in the land in the West and his soul would be restless forever. The seven stages to Paradise 1. Crossing the celestial river by Nemty to the "Land in the West". 2. Passing through gates and labyrinths by answering questions. 3. Being let into the great Court of the Underworld by the god Aker. 4. Addressing a jury of 14 judges about the deeds during life on Earth. 5. Taken by Anubis to "Balance of Truth" to weigh his heart for sins. 6. If the heart wasn't heavy, brought by Horus to Chief Judge Osiris. 7. Entering the "Fields of the Reed" (Paradise) and get eternal life.

Quiz 1. Who is the God of the Sun? 2. Who is Osiris Brother? 3. Who performed the mummifications? 4. What is the Fields of Peace? 5. What is the name of the book that is buried in the tomb with the dead? 6. How many Stages to Paradise are there? 7. What type of animal helped in the Underworld court? (HINT: it belongs to Thoth