Appendix 1

The Story of Osiris

"Osiris was the eldest son of Nut, the sky goddess, her other children being Isis, Seth, 
Nephthys and possibly Anubis.  Osiris, a man as well as a god, became the first king of 
Egypt and his sister Isis became his consort.  He was a good king and established the rule 
of law (maat).  With the help of his vizier, the ‘god’ Thoth, he taught men religion and 
the arts of civilization.  Egypt became prosperous and it was at peace with itself.  
Unfortunately, not everyone was happy - especially his brother Seth.  He plotted against 
Osiris, murdered him and cut up the body into small pieces, which he scattered all over 
Egypt.  Even more tragically, Isis was still childless when this happened and Osiris had no 
heir to take his place.  All was not lost, however, for Isis secretly gathered up the 
pieces of her husband’s body and, by means of her magical powers, reconstituted them into 
the body of Osiris, thus making the first ever mummy.  Having brought him back to life, she 
was now able to have sex with him.  Although this was only temporary reprieve for Osiris, 
it was long enough for Isis to become pregnant with his seed.  His task on earth having 
been completed, Osiris transfigured himself into a star being (Orion) and went on to rule 
the Heavenly Kingdom of the Dead - called the Duat.  Isis now hid from Seth in the marshes 
of the Delta near Heliopolis and in due course gave birth to a sun, Horus.  He grew up to 
become a powerful prince, and eventually challenged Seth to a dual to see who had the right 
to rule Egypt in Osiris’s stead.  During the fight, Horus lost an eye and Seth lost his 
testicles.  Though the battle was inconclusive, the sun god was eventually persuaded to 
judge in favour of the young Horus and he was proclaimed king, the first in line of the 
pharaohs."