Isis
Great Mother Goddess
Goddess of a thousands names, Queen of Healing and magic, a tree goddess.

Isis is one of the earliest and most important goddess in ancient Egypt. She was regarded as the feminine counterpart to Osiris, a role she probably occupied before the dawn of dynastic Egypt. No other Egyptian deity has stood the test of time as well as Isis. Her cult was not extinguished with the other Egyptian gods, but was embraced by the Greeks and Romans, her worship has even lasted into the present day.

It was Isis who retrieved and reassembled the body of Osiris after his murder and dismemberment by Seth. In this connection she took on the role of a goddess of the dead and of funeral rites. Isis impregnated herself from the corpse and subsequently gave birth to Horus. She gave birth in secrecy at Khemmis in the Nile delta and hid the child from Seth in the papyrus swamps. Horus later defeated Seth and became the first ruler of a united Egypt. Isis, as mother of Horus, was by extension regarded as the mother and protectress of the pharaohs. The relationship between Isis and Horus may also have influenced the Christian conception of the relationship between Mary and the infant Jesus Christ. The depiction of the seated holding or suckling the child Horus is certainly reminiscent of the iconography of Mary and Jesus.

• Isis

• Goddess of fertility and motherhood

• Exploring Isis

• Middle east and North Africa

Some other Egyptian Goddesses:

Nuit Mother of Isis. The great sky Goddess, Infinite space that surrounds us.

Maat Goddess of truth. Her feather weighed against the heart of the deceased in the Hall of Judgment after death.

Sekhmet Power that protects and annihilates the wicked. Sekhmet is the wrathful form of the Goddess.