DUE: Tuesday 14 October 2003

The Beginnings
 
In the beginning there was Atum, whirling in the void of the abyss. Then the word of creation was spoken a breathing of the vowels of the divine name. There came into being every god and goddess, lesser and greater. On all sides were the forces of magic, wisdom, intelligence, and truth. Then Atum gave birth to two lion headed children, The god Shu became the god of air. The goddess Tefnut became the goddess of moisture. He was yesterday, she tomorrow. Like golden sphynxes they stared in opposite directions with tails entwined, guarding the entrance to the world and heaven. From them came two children, Heaven and Earth. The goddess Nut was the heavens, the god Geb was the earth. They were the first divine lovers, sharing all emotion. What mattered to one mattered to the other: as above, so below.

The two lovers embraced in what seemed an eternity. They bore two children at dawn and dusk. The first came in a golden orb Nut named Ra. The second came in a silver orb she named Thoth. They became the sun and the moon. With the cooperation of Ra and Thoth they created time, so other gods could be born. Then Nut once again became with children.

In the days before Ra had left the earth, before he had begun to grow old, his great wisdom told him that if the goddess Nut bore children, one of them would end his reign among men. So Ra laid a curse upon Nut - that she should not be able to bear any child upon any day in the year.

Ra used the power of Shu to uplift his mother Nut from Geb. She could still see her beloved but only her hands and feet could touch at the edges of the horizon. Then Ra said “I who am the sun and created all light and measure of day decree that no other god be born on one of my days. I shall create my own children of my own flesh.” The cries of Nut rang thru out the universe as the pain grew. She could not deliver her unborn children.

Ignoring this Ra withdrew and began to create children of his own. He created men and women good and evil and named them remit (humanity). The spread across the earth and multiplied.

Inside Nut her five unborn children grew. And Nut began to weave their destiny. The first two children were fathered by the sun god Ra.  There was Osiris, brother, son, father, husband, watcher in the darkness.  There also was Horus, the divine son of a divine couple, twice born once on heaven once on earth.  There was Set, warrior and rebel, fathered by Geb.  Fourth was Isis, woman, wife, widow, goddess of love, and mother of a god, who called the god of wisdom, the Ibis-headed Thoth, as her father.. Lastly, there was Nephthys, lady of the house, mistress of the shadows, also conceived by Geb.

Ages passed, brother married sister. Isis, Queen of Heaven and Earth married Osiris, Lord on Earth and realm of dreams. Nephthys Married Set. Still ages passed. Time meant nothing to Isis and Osiris two lovers embraced.

On Earth Ra moved across the land burning and blinding. The Holy dancers chanted “Great mother! what sins have we done to be tortured so!” As Ra proclaimed “Am I not perfect. I am self created. nothing matters but me. I had no mother or father. Fall down and worship me.”

The children of Nut began to hear the words of Ra. Set screamed and shouted threats at Ra. Nephthys trembled and cried, “Sixteen thousand years have passed, do you not hear our mother cry?” Ra pretended not to hear. Isis and Osiris put their arms around Set to stay his anger, but pushed them away. and said “If you are not with me against Ra then you are against me forever.” Set was a dark storm his rage shattered the dreams of the dead. Then he with drew in silence. Set began to know hate. He hated Ra for imprisoning him and his face became distorted. He pushed Nephthys away, she began to weep, not knowing what to do, she began to learn loneliness.
 

Birth of the Five New Gods
 
Thoth heard the cries of his mother, his father, and his brothers and sisters.  Thoth know what it was like to be hidden from the world by his brother Ra’s powerful light.

Nut’s kind heart filled with sorrow at the thought that she would not become a mother. Tearfully she approached Thoth and said, “Ra has cursed me so that I cannot give birth in any month of any year! Is there anything you can do to help me? Surely, one of the children within me is yours!”

Thoth replied, “Do not spoil your beauty with your tears. Instead, let good cheer chase your grief from your heart. Trust me to find a way to help you. I promise that before the next year begins, you will be called Mother of the Gods!”

Thoth know what was needed to release them, Time.  Time, from which they were sheltered, was needed to free them.  Time would hold them and bind them to eternally shifting forms of light and dark, night and day, forever. They must be born.  So Thoth devised a plan.

The cunning moon played endless games of chance with his arrogant brother Ra.  Letting him win the majority of the games he secretly gathered winnings (small parts of light).  Finally, Thoth had collected so many fragments of light that, when he put them together, they created five complete days. Thoth then added the five days he had won from Moon to the normal solar year of 360 days.

Furious at being deceived Ra pounded his hands on the gaming table shaking the earth.  Thoth spoke “ you are bright my brother, But greed hinders you.  Let us make a deal.  I have won five days of light.  These days shall be returned to you.. in exchange for the 5 unborn gods to be born one on each.  Ra, seeing no alternative, agreed.

Osiris was to be first born, to go and make peace with Ra.  To work together in returning the earth to abundance.  Set complained that he should be first.  To go out and battle Ra.  Horus Stated that fate is not decided by man nor gods.  As Osiris left Isis lay down with him one more time tying their souls together with a silver cord. “In three days we will be together again.”

Osiris fell out of heaven and into time.  Where his feet touched the ground there rushed up a green field of wheat.  Water flowed and flowers bloomed.  Then second was Horus the elder.  A golden hawk whose claws never touched the earth.  He observed future and past and all that go between.  Then third was Set hideous to behold,  his heart hardened into iron.  On this day Ra sent forth a whirling red wind storm full of fury and sand.  Set turned into an asp and slithered into the rocks to wait out the storm.

Three days had passed.  Isis held Nephthys as they wept for their husbands.  Nephthys then spoke “Sister, your sorrows are mine, let us comfort each other.”

Isis responded “ Beloved, sister heart of my heart, we will be together.  Always your children will be mine, and mine will be yours.  We will soar at the dawn with our wings spread, rejoicing in our good fortune.”

On the forth day, the windstorm ceased.  Isis passed through the portal of time, leaving Nephthys alone with her grief .  In the east hung the golden orb.  In the west hung the hot white star, which was the soul of the goddess herself.

On the fifth day, the goddess Nephthys was born in a shroud of mystery.  She hid her light like the way only faint stars can be seen only from the corner of your eye.  Wolves howled and frogs gulped she brought truth into the land but the kind of truth that can only be glimpsed in dreams.

By day Nephthys sang her woman songs of becoming, while by night she sang her songs of unbearable sorrow.  In this way the curse of Ra was both fulfilled and defeated: for the days on which the children of Nut were born belonged to no year.
 

The Rule of the New Gods
 
Upon the Birth of the new gods, all the land stopped in awe.  The animals stopped what they where doing and looked on at these new beings born of the stars.  The barbarians that ruled the land stood bewildered.  Even the dead began to stir in their slumber.  Animals became pregnant, tree’s became heavy with fruit water filled the river.  Barley sprang up and flowers bloomed.  The land with the gods was born anew.

The hidden gods of fate decreed that Osiris first born would receive the black fertile land on either side of the river.  Here crops flourished and people began to gather and build.  To Set was given all the red land as far as the eye could see.  Wild animals lived in these dry lands with sparse vegetation.  Here nomads banded together bathing in war and hunt.

When Osiris was born many signs and wonders were seen and heard throughout the world. Most notable was the voice which came from the holiest shrine in the temple at Thebes on the Nile, which today is called Karnak, speaking to a man called Pamyles bidding him proclaim to all men that Osiris, the good and mighty king, was born to bring joy to all the earth. Pamyles did as he was bidden, and he also attended on the Divine Child and brought him up as a man among men.

When Osiris had grown to be a man, Isis took the hand of Osiris and called him husband.  Together they built a house of jewels and gold with alabaster walls, and they said Egypt’s children will dwell in such a house for eternity.  Together they took what the land gave and used it.  Isis taught them weave baskets, pluck cotton, spin and weave cloth.  She showed them how do make the oils and the kohl to define her beautiful eyes.

After Isis by her craft had learned the Secret Name of Ra, Osiris became sole ruler of Egypt and reigned on earth as Ra had done. He found the people both savage and brutish, fighting among themselves and killing and eating one another. But Isis discovered the grain of both wheat and barley, which grew wild over the land with the other plants and was still unknown to man; and Osiris taught them how to plant the seeds when the Nile had risen in the yearly inundation and sunk again leaving fresh fertile mud over the fields; how to tend and water the crops; how to cut the corn when it was ripe, and how to thresh the grain on the threshing floors, dry it and grind it to flour and make it into bread. He showed them also how to plant vines and make the grapes into wine; and they knew already how to brew beer out of the barley.

When the people of Egypt had learned to make bread and cut only the flesh of such animals as he taught them were suitable, Osiris, went on to teach them laws, and how to live peacefully and happily together, delighting themselves with music and poetry.

Together, the heavenly pair showed the people to sing and dance the songs of their mother (Nut).  Isis taught them the names of the stars (the hidden souls of the gods and goddesses).  She gave them chants, songs, and praises.  Isis also taught them the measure of the moon from new moon to full moon, about waxing and waning.  She then gave them the secrets of the herbs and knowledge of their own bodies.

When Osiris had improved the lives of his own people in these ways, he traveled to other parts of the world to convince the inhabitants to accept his ideas. He persuaded his listeners by entertaining them, setting his ideas to music and singing hymns and songs.

As soon as Egypt was filled with peace and plenty, Osiris set out over the world to bring his blessings upon other nations. While he was away he left Isis to rule over the land, which she did both wisely and well.

But Set the Evil One, their brother, envied Osiris and hated Isis. The more the people loved and praised Osiris, the more Set hated him; and the more good he did and the happier mankind became, the stronger grew Set’s desire to kill his brother and rule in his place. Isis, however, was so full of wisdom and so watchful that Set made no attempt to seize the throne while she was watching over the land of Egypt. And when Osiris returned from his travels Set was among the first to welcome him back and kneel in reverence before “the good god Pharaoh Osiris.”

The village grew strong with brick houses and boats of papyrus.  Isis and Osiris traveled back and forth along the Nile teaching the people the holy, peaceful ways with each other and the divine.  They gave them the gifts of  Ma’at  (Law and Truth).

They called Osiris King and Isis Queen.  The people admired the fine garments of Isis so delicate, so fine.  Isis admired their healthy children laid in her arms at the moment of birth.  She breathed upon them and read their blessings and fate.  But she longed for a child of her own.
 

The Birth of Anubis

Set’s rage drew him more and more away from the comfort of his wife, Nephthys.  This left Nephthys alone for many nights.  In his absence she would sneak into the palace and look upon her sister in the loving arms of Osiris.  This would bring some comfort to her, listening to their loving vows, and  the sweet smell of Isis’s perfume.

Although Isis was her twin Nephthys wanted to be like Isis in more ways.  Thinking that if she was more like Isis,  Set would love her and not vanish into the desert.  So it was that Nephthys put on one of her sisters dresses and wore some of her sweet smelling perfume.  Feeling beautiful she waited for set to return.  When Set came home he did not even notice her new look, nor did he give her any attention.

So caught up in his own rage he soon left once again into the desert.  Nephthys still dressed like her sister went to the village.  The villagers mistaken her for Isis gave her honor and worship.  Then Nephthys went to the palace to seek her sister for comfort.  When she arrived the palace was empty, so she went to the garden and began to sob.

Osiris discovered her in the garden and came up and held her.  “Why are you so sad? Come to your husband and I shall make you happy.” Osiris said.     Nephthys did not protest or cry.  She did not betray her self when Osiris called her Isis.  After she fell asleep in the flowers dreaming of the happiness that made her feel beautiful.  Osiris placing flowers in her hair then went in to get his lyre to play her music that would give her happy dreams.

While Osiris was gone Nephthys awoke and ran home.  Set was there  he noticed the flowers in her hair.  “What are you doing with those flowers?” Set asked. Nephthys remained silent.  “Those only grow in the Palace of my brother.” Set stated in anger. She nodded.  Set became even more irate with anger and slammed the door as he went back to the desert.    When Osiris came back to the garden he came upon Isis on her way to the palace.  Osiris asked “Did you have good dreams my love?”

Isis looked at him confused and asked “ where would I have been to have had dreams at all? “Osiris noticed their where no flowers in her hair and began to realize what had happened.” something terrible has happened. “ He said. then turned away and wept.
The moon came and went many times, Nephthys hid her belly beneath flowing robes.  In the final months she would hide in her room.  Telling her maid servant to send Set and her beloved sister away, when ever they would visit. Then when the time was near she sneaked out into the desert beneath a full moon.  There alone amid the howling wolves she gave birth.  Fearing if she returned home that Set would kill her and the child, she left him there warped in a fine golden blanket, where the wolves and jackals cared for it. In the morning the maid servant came to Nephthys with milk and honey.  Seeing the soft belly and hearing no crying she know what had happened.  Quickly she ran to the river where she knew that Isis would be.  Begging the Goddess for mercy she explained what had happened.  But she need not explain further because Isis already knew that the child was of Osiris.  Cursing her self for her own bareness she quickly raced.  With the help of a Jackal that Isis had tamed they found the boy child.  Isis wrapped the child in her skirt and carried him home.  There her Jackal had recently given birth to four pups.  Isis left the child with the Jackal to nurse him.  He grew strong part human part Jackal.  Isis named him Anubis.  Isis taught him her magic and the secrets of seeing the future, and the land of the dead.  He became her guardian and called Isis mother and Osiris father.  They called him “The opener of the Ways.”

Although Isis knew of his true mother, and Nephthys knew that Isis knew, neither ever spoke of it.  Instead they raised Anubis together.  The bound of love they shared for the child brought the sister closer together.  When challenged by Set as to the mother of the child, Isis responded. “Why brother when would I have time to tell you that I was with child?  You have been gone these many months in the desert.  As for Osiris, Isis had forgiven him and that night was never spoken of again.
 

The Vengeance of Set

Set continued his anger, spending most of his time in the desert gathering followers and companions in all he gathered 72.  Aso, a beautiful sorceress and queen of Ethiopia, was among those. Her power was supposedly as strong as Isis.  Aso had entered the shadow of Isis and Nephthys to discover the measurements of Osiris.

One day Isis was called to Coptos. Min the God of love and fertility and recently visited and many children where being born. Isis gathered her herbs and magick and left for Coptos. Osiris sent Anubis with Isis to guard and protect her on her journey. Osiris decided to have a party to keep his spirit up while his love was away.

Set overheard news of this party.  Knowing that both Isis and Anubis were away, he had a special box made. The box was inlaid with jewels and gold, and inside was a painted Nut Goddess of heaven.  It was fashioned of the rarest and most costly woods: cedar brought from Lebanon, and ebony from Punt at the south end of the Red Sea for no wood grows in Egypt except the soft and useless palm.  Aso cast her dark magic over the box, casting eternal sleep and binding spells.

As the party progressed with a crowd of merry makers dancing and singing. Fresh fruits and wine covered the tables.  . 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.  A messenger came for Osiris telling him that Geb the Earth God was pleased with his eldest son. Before his birth the Earth knew no happiness. Blessed be Osiris.

During the celebration Set came in with his 72 companions, dressed for war and painted up. Osiris glad to see his brother at his palace, and thinking that Set had put aside their differences embraced him. The music started again and the party continued. Then Set brought forth the jeweled box and said that if any man can fit in this box it would be theirs. As he had anticipated, the box was admired by all of his guests.

Pretending to jest, Set announced, “Whoever among you would like to own this beautiful box should climb into it. I promise to give it as a gift to the person whose body is a proper fit. However, your body must fit exactly when you lie down. If you are so tall that your head or your legs overhang the box, or if you are so short that your body leaves a space at the head or foot of the box, then you will not qualify for the gift.”

As Set had planned, his dinner companions eagerly gathered around the beautiful box, each awaiting his turn to try it.  Many tried, but it was not meant to fit any mortal.  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.

Then Osiris climbed in the box and it fit him perfectly. The 72 warriors of Set then quickly picked up the cover, placed it upon the box, and nailed it down, imprisoning the unsuspecting king. To make certain that Osiris would suffocate, they poured melted lead over the box.  Osiris tried to escape but was unable. The faithful to Osiris tried to help but drunk on the wine where no match for the seasoned desert nomads.

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.  Very soon, that tree would become famous throughout the land.

Set claimed victory and shouted, “Drowned in his own water, cut down like his own wheat. Farewell, brother King of the dead.”  Set returned to the party and began his own celebration drinking his brother’s wine and beating his servants. Then he fell asleep content on his brother’s bed.
 

The Mourning of Isis

The animals of the desert heard of the Death of Osiris first.  The Howled and screamed in panic, alerting the people of Chemmis.  Those that slept awoke with awful nightmares of drowning or murder.  Those awake shouted the news in the street.

The howling of the wolves and Jackals alerted Anubis to the news of his father’s death and how it came to be.  When he alerted Isis of this, Isis, grabbing her sacred knife, began to plunge it into her heart, but at the last second began to cut her beautiful hair.  She screamed in pain “My husband dead, by his brother! Woe is this day on our mother.  Two brothers now cursed for all time.  How I loved them both.”

With tears in her eyes she sent Anubis to go and comfort Nephthys her dear sister.  While Isis bear foot began to search the banks of the Nile for her beloved.  She came upon a village, but, in her desperate state, the villagers did not recognize her as The Goddess Isis, but as a crazed women ranting.  She asked them “Have you seen my king in his golden coffin?”  But they responded, “Away with you! and your evil eye.  A curse be upon you!”

“A curse IS upon us all!” Isis cried.

As the Great Goddess wandered tirelessly from place to place throughout Egypt, her mournful cries interrupted farmers laboring in their fields, craftspeople working in their shops, and even those who slept soundly at night. Isis walked from town to town, questioning everyone she met.  For weeks, Isis roomed the banks and the desert, asking all if they had seen him.  But they all looked upon her as being mad.  The jackals watched over her at night.

One night as Isis lay weeping upon the bank of the Nile, Sobek, a secret companion of Set, Came from the river as a crocodile.  He had come to devour the Goddess.  But, upon seeing her in such a state, took pity and turned away.  Isis Screamed out, “Have you Seen Him?”  But Sobek kept silent.

Many more weeks passed and Isis passed a man.  She asked him about her beloved, but the man pushed her aside and said, “Away with you old hag”

“Have I grown old as well?” she wondered.  Then from the Papyrus growing in the Nile came a white cow that spoke in a gentle voice, “I have seen him.  I have seen your brother your beloved your husband.  He dwells now with me in the womb of time.”

“Mother!” cried Isis. “Nuit!”

Then Isis came upon some children playing with dolls.  They put the dolls in a cradle.  Then Isis realized this was not a cradle, but a coffin.  Isis came up to them and asked, “What game is this you play?”

The girls knew that this was Isis, for they where young and destined to become priestesses of the Goddess.  The cried for joy at her visit and explained they had a dream that a man was placed in a jeweled coffin and it floated down the Nile to Tanis, and out to sea.  Isis eventually learned that the box finally had become lodged among the branches of a tamarisk bush in the papyrus swamps near Byblos. This bush had grown into a very large tree, and the box had been completely enclosed within the tree’s trunk.

When King Melcarthus heard of it, he and his wife, Queen Astarte, came to the seashore to gaze at the tree. By then the branches had grown together and hidden the chest which held the body of Osiris in the trunk itself. King Melcarthus gave orders that the tree should be cut down, and fashioned into a great pillar for his palace.  Trees of great size were rare in his country, and he had a specific use for its huge trunk. He placed it ‘n the center of his dining hall to help support the roof of his palace. The use of this tree trunk as a column was talked of far and wide.  He was unaware of the box.
 

Isis Goes to Byblos

Isis Continued on past the borders of Egypt into strange lands.  Everywhere she went the children recognized her and had the dream of the coffin.  finally Isis came to Byblos on the coast of Syria.  There she learned that where the coffin had touched ground a great tree had sprung up.  So now Isis searched for the tree.  Then she saw it standing tall and strong, Isis ran to the tree and caressed it.  “Husband! I have found you.”  Isis cried.  A breeze came through the tree.

Then the mighty king’s men came to chop the tree down for his palace.  Isis pleaded with them, but they pushed her aside.  The king’s men chopped the tree down and took it with them.

Isis followed their tracks but lost them when she came into town.  Isis felt alone and lost, she sat down by a well and began to cry.  Then the hand maidens of the queen came to the well.  They were young and began to splash each other. then one splashed Isis.  Isis smiled and motioned the girl over.  They came came over and Isis showed them to braid their hair and perfumed them with the aroma of her own body.

When the handmaidens returned to the queen, the queen Astarte saw the braids and smelled the sweet perfume, and was overcome by a longing to bring the mysterious woman there.  Queen Astarte immediately announced to her servants, “I want to meet this marvelous stranger who can transfer her own perfume to the hair and skin of other people! Go to the town fountain quickly, before she leaves. Find her, and bring her to the palace at once!”

Soon Isis and the handmaidens were there.  Isis, seeing the tree standing in the middle of the house, was relieved.  Astarte offered a room and a position to nurse over her children, the little Prince Maneros and the baby Dictys, who was ailing sorely.

Isis accepted, being content to live near her husband.  One of the children, a baby boy was still young enough for magic to work.  Isis, knowing how deeply painful it is to lose a loved one, began to work magic on the child to make him immortal like a god.

Instead of nursing the child with milk of mortals, Isis gave the child her finger, so to absorb the divine milk of gods.  Very soon, the baby Dictys was strong and well, though she did no more than give him her finger to suck. But presently she became fond of the child, and proceeded to cast the spells that would make him immortal,

Late at night she would place the child amidst the fire to cleanse it of all mortal things.  As she did this she would transform into a swallow and circle the tree where Osiris rested.  In this form she could cry out and no one would suspect.

One night Astarte awoke, hearing the bird.  Thinking it was one of her children in danger, she came down the stairs to look.  Confused at the sight of this bird circling the tree, Astarte began to go back up stairs.  Then she noticed her youngest within the fire, and screamed.  This awoke the child and broke the spell.  Isis quickly swooped the child out of the fire. and turned to her goddess form.  No longer was she a bird or even a humble nurse maid, but radiant in her true Goddess form.  Astarte crouched down in terror when she saw the shining goddess and began to learn who she was.

“I am sorry,” Isis said, “but you have come too soon.  if the spell had been complete your son would have become one with the gods.  As it is he will only be good looking, smart, and brave, but one day he will die.”

Astarte asked “who are you?”

Isis then proceeded to tell her the whole story and begged if she could take her husband back with her to Egypt.

The king, moved by her story, granted her wish.  Melcarthus and Astarte offered her gifts of all the richest treasures in Byblos, but Isis asked only for the great tamarisk pillar which held up the roof, and for what it contained. When it was given to her, she caused it to open and took out the chest of Set. But the pillar she gave back to Malcander and Astarte; and it remained the most sacred object in Byblos, since it had once held the body of a god.  With the wood from the tree Isis built a temple, for wives and mother could go for comfort when they lose a beloved.

When the chest which had become the coffin of Osiris was given to her, Isis flung herself down on it with so terrible a cry of sorrow that little Dictys died at the very sound. But Isis at length caused the chest to be placed on a ship which King Malcander provided for her, and set out for Egypt. With her went Maneros, the young prince of Byblos: but he did not remain with her for long, since his curiosity proved his undoing. For as soon as the ship had left the land Isis retired to where the chest of Set lay, and opened the lid. Maneros crept up behind her and peeped over her shoulder: but Isis knew he was there and, turning, gave him one glance of anger — and he fell backwards over the side of the ship into the sea.

Next morning, as the ship was passing the Phaedrus River, its strong current threatened to carry them out of sight of land. But Isis grew angry and placed a curse on the river, so that its stream dried up from that day.
 

The Begetting of Horus
 
Each night, as the boat sailed on, Isis called to Osiris to awaken and to pleaded with the heavens.  Lost in her pain the journey took what seemed like ages.  Finally they came in sight of the once glorious city.  Their home, now in ashes, burned to the ground by Set, like Osiris, only death dwelled in this place now.  No children played, no flowers grew, how much time had passed was uncertain.

The boat dropped Isis off on the shore.  She was home with her husband.  But it was not the happy ending that so long she dreamt of.  Upon reaching a remote place in the desert, Isis stopped and opened the box. The sight of her beloved husband, lying still and lifeless, was more than her heart could bear. The Great Goddess placed her face against the face of Osiris, embraced his body, and wept with grief.

The look of death was upon him.  His eyes where glazed as he dreamt the dream of death.  Isis could see her reflection in his eyes and could read his last thoughts.  “Isis, Sister, Wife, Queen of heaven and earth.”

Isis, lost once again in her grief, began to twirl and dance spinning out of control, her arms became feathered wings and she began to fly around Osiris mourning him.  She circled him as she did in Byblos singing and crying his name.  Her dance was so passionate that her circle began to turn the wheels of time back.  The ether of space and time began to cluster around Isis, who now in her darkest hour summoned all her powers.  The Gates of heaven opened at her command and she began to weave a new fate for her beloved.   Using knowledge that her father, Thoth, had taught her, she skillfully uttered the magical words of power in a way that she knew would bring temporary life to Osiris.

A new crown began to form, as deep in the sleep of death a gods eyes opened.  Osiris returned to life! With delight, Isis embraced her great love and enjoyed him for as long as she could.

All through the night Isis Chanted his name, and her love and words of magic were the life breath of Creation Love.  Breathing for her love, her heart would beat for her love.  Her words were that of a sorceress, the words of The Goddess of Magic.

Finally, she collapsed from sheer exhaustion, using all her power that very night.  Isis began to dream the dream of Osiris.  She saw a golden hawk come forth and make tacks in the Nile mud and on the land and desert.  The Hawk rose up and his wings covered all of Egypt.  Then a double crown was placed upon his head.

Isis awoke to a thunderous storm,  all the animals of Set where in panic.  But Isis who once grieved the loss of her beloved, who once grieved at not having her own child, who once grieved at brother killing brother was now filled with joy.  She felt the life within her womb.  She was to be a mother of a god.  Horus her brother her child.  Horus twice born once in heaven now on earth.  Rain came down to wash away the dirt and tears from the Goddesses face.  The water washed away the look of death from the now sleeping Osiris.

But Isis wanted to bring full life to her husband and she needed time to work her magick.  So it was she brought the body up to the hills and hide it in a cave.  But she could not guard him so she covered the entrance with a boulder and rushed to enlist the aid of her sister Nephthys and Anubis.
 

Dismemberment of Osiris

So it was that on the very night that Isis left to find Nephthys and Anubis, Set was out hunting wild boars with his dogs, hunting by night after his custom, since he loved the darkness in which evil things abound.  In the woods and came across the cave.  By the light of the moon he saw the chest of cedar wood inlaid with ebony and ivory, with gold and silver, and recognized it.  Noticing some scattered jewels and recognizing them from the coffin Set became enraged.  He searched out the body of Osiris within the cave.   When he came upon it he knelt down to his brother’s ear and whispered, “Sleep eternal brother death is the heir of Egypt.”

In his fury, Set began to hack the body of Osiris into pieces, then took them down to the Nile and threw them in so that the crocodiles might eat them.

“It is not possible to destroy the body of a god!” cried Set. “Yet I have done it, for I have destroyed Osiris!” His laughter echoed through the land, and all who heard it trembled and hid.

At this time Isis was sitting with her sister Nephthys and they heard the scream of Osiris.  Looking up, they saw a dark shadow of blood red cover the moon.  Then black covered the moon until just a crescent dagger remained.  Isis cried in horror.

Rushing back to the cave, Isis and Nephthys saw they were too late.  In waves of grief and Isis and Nephthys hurried to the river led by Anubis who knew the smell of his father and could smell his blood.  There upon the bank of the river Isis saw the severed head of Osiris.  She rushed over and grasped it.  She sang her spells of life into it, but there was no Osiris left.  Isis opened his mouth and offered him bread.  She perfumed him and bathed him.  Filled with more grief then she had ever known, she was lost in sorrow.

“Sister!” cried out Nephthys.  “Here lies the father of our child, our beloved brother.  We shall find him with love.  We shall reassemble his body and bring him to life!”

Then they began to mourn and dance with sistrums around the head of Osiris.  They rose with feathered wings into the air and circled with their chants.  Then all the people seeing this came from their houses and began to mourn for the dead king.

Later Isis, Nephthys and Anubis built a secret tomb for Osiris and placed his head there.  This would be where they would reassemble his body.  Brining it back together piece by piece.  Then going back to where they found the head of Osiris they built a temple to Osiris.  Inside They buried a body fashioned from spices and wheat within the temple.  “Pay honors to my husband here, your king.” cried Isis.  And the spirit of Osiris entered the Temple.

“He is yesterday, he is tomorrow.  He shall be born again and again.  The spirit of Osiris will be born in you and you and you.  He is eternal.  His body is in the bread you eat, his blood in the wine you drink.  He is truth.  Lord of Kemet.”  Isis shouted to the people.

    Then the trio left Abydos and started their search for the parts of Osiris.  Unknown to them Sobek the Crocodile was following the boat.  He had seen fish eat the reproductive organ of Osiris and felt pity on them.  Because he knew that they could never find all the parts of Osiris.

For 28 days they sailed the Nile in a papyrus boat, and whenever they would find a piece of Osiris Isis would shout in joy, “He lives! He rises!”

Then she would cry, “He is dead.. He is dead..”  Nephthys cried with her sister even as her troubles weighed on her heart.  For it was her husband that killed Osiris her brother. Yet she could not speak against her husband, Loving him and hating him equally. Anubis, her son, called her sister Mother.  Her life was filled with sorrow.

For each piece of Osiris that was found they built a new temple to Osiris, confusing Set as to the location of the real body.  To hide from the followers of Set Isis and Nephthys disguised themselves as beggar men.  Isis turn to her sister and said, “Although I am a woman I a have become like a man to ensure the name of Osiris is remembered always.”
 

Osiris Journeys to the Underworld
 
When all the pieces of Osiris had been gathered,  Isis, Nephthys, and Anubis returned to his real tomb in Abydos.  No one saw them in this late hour, none except the moon God Thoth who had gathered the time from Ra so that Osiris would be born and then die in this world.  The only piece that was missing was that of his manhood, which had been eaten by the fish.  So Isis fashioned another of cedar and gold.

Then began the first mummification of a body.  First, they arranged Osiris’ head, torso, limbs, heart, and organs as they would be in life. Next, the goddesses connected the various parts with wax. Then, they prepared a long piece of linen cloth by smearing sweet-smelling ointments upon it and sprinkling it with spices that would preserve Osiris’ body from decay. Finally, they wrapped Osiris’ body in the treated linen cloth and buried it.  Isis chanted spells of power and protection while Nephthys covered him in frankincense and myrrh:

“Ah Helpless One!
Ah Helpless One Asleep!
Ah Helpless One in this place
which you know not-yet I know it!
Behold, I have found you [lying] on your side
the great Listless One.
‘Ah, Sister!’ says Isis to Nephthys,
‘This is our brother,
Come, let us lift up his head,
Come, let us rejoin his bones,
Come, let us reassemble his limbs,
Come, let us put an end to all his woe,
that, as far as we can help, he will weary no more.
May the moisture begin to mount for this spirit!
May the canals be filled through you!
May the names of the rivers be created through you!
Osiris, live!
Osiris, let the great Listless One arise!
I am Isis.’
‘I am Nephthys.
It shall be that Horus will avenge you,
It shall be that Thoth will protect you
-your two sons of the Great White Crown-
It shall be that you will act against him who acted-against you,
It shall be that Geb will sec,
It shall be that the Company will hear.
Then will your power be visible in the sky
And you will cause havoc among the [hostile] gods,
for Horus, your son, has seized the Great White Crown,
seizing it from him who acted against you.
Then will your father Atum call ‘Come!’ Osiris, live!
Osiris, let the great Listless One arise!’

Thoth then descended and spoke aloud: “His body to earth; his soul to sky.”

The earth trembled, and Nut came down to earth in her full form and embraced her son, changing him into a living god and returning to the sky.  Nut Spoke: “Osiris LIVES! He was not destroyed! He was not Killed!”

Isis and Nephthys raised their arms and began the chant of change.  They changed into golden hawks, as Geb opened his mouth and swallowed his empty body.

Osiris was swirling in confusion.  He was alive and dead, he was nothing, he was everything, he was madness, and he was a god.  Osiris joined with the Atum.  Osiris-Atum was Alive.

Osiris asked, “Atum!  What is this?  where am I?  I once loved a Goddess now I am nothing..  I breathed her sweet perfume.. now I do not breathe.”

Atum answered. “Be still.  Look upon Egypt without its king..”

Osiris looked. He saw Isis and Nephthys in sorrow, going from town to town burring the dead, showing them the secrets of mummification.  He saw wild animals hunting children.  He saw the crops wither and die.  He saw his brother on his throne.  He saw men weep.  He saw all of this and more and he felt empty and full of sorrow.

“I thirst,” Osiris said, and Atum brought him beer.

“I hunger,” Osiris said, and Atum brought him bread.

“I can not breathe,” Osiris said, and Atum brought him air.

But the beer was dry as sand, the bread as tasteless as air, and the air did not fill his lungs.  “Can I look upon your face?” Osiris asked.

Atum answered, “Within my face is sorrow deeper then that which you know.  I will not show you my face.  It shall be forever hidden in shadow.”

“I long for Light.  Even at night I can see stars, but here there is nothing.”  Osiris said.

Atum Answered, “Your son Horus is your light.  He carries your spirit back to earth.”

“I did not know I had a son Horus,” Osiris stated, growing more hopeful.
“Let me see my Son,” demanded Osiris.  “If I can not look upon you, then let me see my son.  A god should be able to look upon the face of a god, since I can’t see you.”
“True.  I do not show you my face but I look upon you.  I am the desert, I am the sun, I am the stars, I am a man, I am a woman — I am everything.” answered Atum.
“How long will I live?” asked Osiris.
Atum began, “Millions and millions of years ….”
“And in the end?” questioned Osiris.
“It shall be as in the beginning, empty past, empty future.  I shall destroy everything and start anew.  I am that I am, and I will return to myself,” Atum stated.
 

The Birth of Horus

Rain fell on Egypt as Nut wept for Osiris.  Geb drank the tears as Genisis occured.  The child grew in the womb of Isis.  The two Goddesses slept not as Goddesses, but as tired women.  They fed beer and breed to the Ka of Osiris; however, they were not quiet about this, and one day Set’s men seized them and bound them as slaves.

Set brought the Goddess Isis before him and made her kneel. He mocked her for her dedication to the dead.  But Isis was proud and would only love Osiris.   Set ordered her imprised inside a tomb (knowing how much she loved the sun).  He made her weave day and night,  but Isis was weaving more then thread she was weaving a new life.

Osiris saw his dear wife chained in the tomb as his own body decayed.  He set to work on his new city, for it is not the nature of Gods to lay dorment for long.  And it was that while his child grew inside Isis so He built the city of the dead, Osiris now the God of the underworld.

Because Set wanted fine clothes, he demanded that Isis teach her secrets of spinning to his servants.  So it was that she taught them not only the secrets of weaving, but of weaving life.  She taught them to pray as they weaved.

Isis grew round as moons waxed and waned.  Horus was coming.

Thoth, the Ibis-headed moon God who knew much of time, was beginning to worry about Isis, who was still trapped by Set.  So He sent forth his sisters Ma’at and Seshet, disguised as weavers, to free Isis. Ma’at and Seshet told Isis that she must leave this very night, for Set has evil intentions for the child.  They told Isis that her child would soar to the highest heights and avenge his father.  They also told her to name the child Horus.

Behold the god Thoth, the great god, the Chief of Ma’at, both in heaven and on the earth, said unto Isis, “Come now, O Isis, you goddess, it is a good thing to hearken, for there is life to one who shall be guided by the advice of another.  Hide yourself with your son, and there shall come unto him these things: His members shall grow, and two-fold strength of every kind shall spring up in him.   He shall be made to take his seat upon the throne of his father, whom he shall avenge, and he shall take possession of the exalted position of Heq of the Two Lands.”

That very night seven stars fell from the sky and took the form of scorpions, who were ready to strike any enemies with their stingers.  Two scorpions, Tefen and Befen, were behind her; two scorpions, Mestet and Mestetef, were by her side; and three scorpions, Petet, Thetet, and Maatet (or Martet), were for preparing the road for her.  They used their pinchers to free Isis and kill Set’s guards.  Then Isis went forth to freedom.

It was still night when the belly of Isis stirred and the Waters of Life flowed out of her.  Nephthys, feeling this in her own stomach, rushed to her sister’s aid.  So too were there other Gods and Goddesses present,  Khnum, the Ram God, came forth, and Selket the Scorpion Goddess arose, as did Heket, the frog Goddess,  Wedjit and Renenutet came forth as Cobra Goddesses, and Isis cried out as her child came forth.

As she gazed upon her newborn child, the Mother Goddess’ heart overflowed with joy.  “My Son!” Isis chanted to the morning.  As dawn broke and the son rose, Horus opened his eyes of blue.
“Child of dawn!” cried Wedjit.

Then his eyes flashed red.  “Child of the two horizons!” cried Selket

Then his eyes turned black and gold.  “Dispeller of Darkness!” cried Renenutet.

Isis bathed him and wrapped him in her dress.  “Horus, the twice born, makes the answers for his father.  Horus, my child, my brother,” said Isis.
 

Thoth’s Advice

Shortly thereafter Thoth, lord of divine words, visited his daughter.  “Listen to my counsel, Isis, and obey me,” he said.  “Those who follow the advice of another live and prosper. You must now escape from the eye of Set, and I shall help you.  If you will hide your child from Set until he is grown, he will become doubly strong.  Then he surely will avenge the death of his father and will sit upon his father’s throne.”

“However,” Thoth continued, “until that time comes, Horus will never be far from danger.  Therefore, I shall teach you the words of power that will protect Horus from death on earth, in the world above, and in the Other World.”

Isis obeyed her father’s counsel. That evening, she left the house with Horus and seven scorpion-helpers.  The Mother Goddess said to them, “My child and I are all alone in the world.  Because of the death of my husband, my sorrow surpasses the grief of anyone in Egypt.  So turn your faces to the ground and take me to a hidden place where I may rear my child in safety and in peace.”

One day she reached the Town of the Two Sisters in the Nile Delta, where she stopped by a big, wealthy-looking house to ask for food and a resting-place.  But the rich woman living there was scared by the sight of the seven scorpions and closed the door on Isis.  When she wearily prepared to walk on, a poor fisher woman approached them and offered them to share her meager meal.  While Isis rested, Tefen and the rest of the scorpions decided to take their revenge on the rich woman who had denied them help, and during the night they all loaded their poison onto Tefen who crept into the wealthy house and stung the child.  The mother woke up by the cries of her son and ran in search of help, carrying the small child in her arms, but no one offered her help or knew what to do.

Her cries woke up Isis, who soon found out what had been done, and, looking down at her own child, who slept calmly, she felt pity for the rich mother and decided not to let an innocent child die.  And Isis uttered words of great power, named each of the scorpions by their names, which meant that she dominated them.  Thereby she ordered the poison of Tefen to leave the body of the boy who soon could breathe again.  This meant that the spell could be used for any child who got stung by a venomous bite, together with a medical prescription of barley-bread, garlic and salt.

When the mother understood whom she had refused, she became very regretful, collected all her possessions and carried them over to the poor woman´s house, trying to make amends for her pride.  Isis rejoiced on behalf of the poor woman, and the next day she resumed her journey.

With three of the scorpions leading the way, Isis brought Horus to an island in the papyrus swamps of the Nile delta.  They arrived in a place called Chemmis, where Isis loosened the foundation of the island from below, allowing it to float up and down the Nile or out to sea.  Such confusion would keep Set at bay.  There she secretly nursed and reared her child.

Isis would often hide Horus among the papyrus plants while she went into a nearby city to acquire food for herself and her child.  “Have no fear, dear Horus, my glorious son,” she would croon.  “Your grandfather and I shall keep every evil thing from you, for you are the father of all that is yet to be created.  You shall be in no danger, either on land or in the water.  The sting of the most poisonous snake will not kill you, nor will the strongest lion be able to crush you.  For you are the son of Osiris and Isis, and in time you will become lord of all the earth as your father was before you!”

On this day Set knew what had occurred and became enraged.  “Kill the Child!!” he commanded and sent forth his assassins to hunt the child down.  They where disguised as snakes and scorpions and crocodiles and chaos.  But Isis kept watch, as the child grew.
 

Horus the Twice Born
 
Although Isis had secretly brought Horus to the papyrus swamps so that he was away from the servant of Set who sought to kill her child, one day Horus was bitten by a snake while Isis stood guard.

Isis spoke: “Oh the child shall live and the poison die!  Ra lives and the poison dies!  Horus shall be in good health for his mother Isis.  He who is stricken shall be in good health.”  And the fire which was in the house of Usert was extinguished, and heaven was satisfied with the utterance of Isis, the goddess.  With her kiss, the poison left the leg of her child.

Often, Isis would go to town to get food, where she would trade her wisdom of the secret arts and teach the people to weave and sing.  All the townspeople loved her (not knowing who she truly was).  While Isis was away, all the Goddesses of Egypt would take turns watching over Horus.  He would delight them with stories of the spirit world to which he recently left.  In all there where seven Cobra Goddesses, seven Scorpion Goddess, and seven Heifer Goddesses.

One day a stranger came into town with red hair and a red beard.  He appeared strange to the people.  He saw all the children playing in the street and commented to the ladies, “So many children playing they most have mothers that love them.”  Then in an attempt to locate the Goddess Isis he said. “Which of the children has the mother that loves them the most?”

The Women, now fearful of the stranger, kept there silence, but some of the children overheard this conversation and began to sing out the name of Isis whom they loved dearly: “Isis is the mother that loves all children the most but none so dearly as her own.”  The stranger quickly reported this to Set, who then began to devise a plan to murder the child.

It was one night, during one of Isis’s trips to town entering the celestial houses making a libation for her husband, that Set went forth to kill Horus.  Nephthys was watching over the child, but Set waited until she was not looking to place a scorpion in the child’s bed.  Soon the scorpion bit Horus, and the boy cried out.  His scream was heard by both the gods and the animals.

The keepers of the doors, who were in the temple of the holy Acacia Tree, started up at the voice of Horus.  One sent forth a cry of lamentation, and Heaven gave the order that Horus was to be healed.

The gods took counsel together concerning the life of Horus, saying, “Oh, bring him the magic which is in you to cut off the poison which is in every member of Horus, the son of Isis, and which is in every member of him that is under the knife likewise.  Lo, a bread-cake made of barley meal shall destroy the poison, and the fire made of hetchet-plant shall drive out the fever-heat from the limbs.

At that moment Isis arrived in town and felt the pain of Horus.  She could not run as she collapsed in tears.  “O Isis, O Isis, come to your son Horus, O woman of the wise mouth!  Come to your son,” cried the gods who dwelt in her quarter of the town, “for he is as one whom a scorpion has stung, and like one whom the scorpion Uhat, which the animal Antesh drove away and wounded.”  Then, summoning her strength, Isis quickly went to Horus.

Then Isis ran out like one who had a knife stuck in her body, and she opened her arms wide, saying, “Behold me, behold me, my son Horus.  Have no fear, have no fear, O son, my glory!  No evil thing of any kind whatsoever shall happen unto you, for there is in you the essence, the fluid which made the things which exist.  You are the son from the country of Mesqet, you have come forth from the celestial waters, Nu, and you will not not die by the heat of the poison.  You were the Great Bennu, who is born from the top of the balsam-trees which are in the House of the Aged One in Anu (Heliopolis).  You are the brother of the Abtu Fish, who ordered what is to be, and art the nursing of the Cat who dwells in the House of Neith.  The goddess Reret, the goddess Hat, and the god Bes protect your members.  Your head shall not fall to the Tchat fiend that attacks your body.  Your members shall not receive the fire of that which is poison.  You shall not go backwards on the land, and you shall not be brought low on the water.  No reptile which stings shall gain the mastery over you, and no lion shall subdue you or have dominion over you.  You are the son of the sublime god who proceeded from Keb.  You are Horus, and the poison shall not gain the mastery over your organs.  You are the son of the sublime god who proceeded from Keb, and the four august goddesses shall protect your members.”
 

The Divine Words

By the time Isis had arrived Horus was still and foaming at the mouth.  Isis cried out, as she was too late to stop the poison.  She held Horus in her arms, but Horus, the beautiful one of gold, the boy, the child, was without life.  He had bedewed the ground with the water of his eye, and with foam from his lips.  His body was motionless, his heart was powerless to move, and the sinews of his members were helpless.

Isis sent forth a cry, saying:  “I, even I, lack a son to make answer for me.  My two breasts are full to overflowing, but my body is empty.  My mouth wished for that which concerned him.  A cistern of water and a stream of the inundation was I.  The child was the desire of my heart, and I longed to protect him.  I carried him in my womb, I gave birth to him, I endured the agony of the birth pangs.  I was all alone, and the great ones were afraid to come out at the sound of my voice.  My father is in the Duat, my mother is in Aqert, and my elder brother is in the sarcophagus.  Think of the enemy and of how prolonged was the wrath of his heart against me, when I, the great lady, was in his house.”

Isis cried passionately, then looked around at the gathering crowd: “Who among the people will indeed let their hearts come round to me?”  The people came forth to me from their houses, and they thronged about Isis at the sound of her voice, and they loudly bewailed with her the greatness of her affliction.  There was no man there who set restraint on his mouth, and every person among them lamented.  Yet there was none there who knew how to make the child live.

Then Isis placed her nose in his mouth so that she might detect any breathing.  She examined the wound of the heir of the god, and she found that there was poison in it.  She threw her arms round him, and then quickly she leaped about with him like fish when laid upon the hot coals, screaming:  “Horus is bitten, O Ra. Your son is bitten, O Osiris.  Horus is bitten, the flesh and blood of the Heir, the Lord of the diadems of the kingdoms of Shu.  Horus is bitten, the Boy of the marsh city of Ateh, the Child in the House of the Prince.  The beautiful Child of gold is bitten.  The Babe hath suffered pain and is not.  Horus is bitten, he the son of Un-Nefer, who was born of Auh-mu.  Horus is bitten, he in whom there was nothing abominable, the son, the youth among the gods.  Horus is bitten, he for whose wants I prepared in abundance, for I saw that he would make answer for his father.  Horus is bitten, he for whom I had care when he was in the hidden woman and for whom I was afraid when he was in the womb of his mother. Horus is bitten, he whom I guarded to look upon. I have wished for the life of his heart.  Calamity hath befallen the child on the water, and the child hath perished.”

Then came Nephthys shedding tears and uttering cries of lamentation, and going round about through the papyrus swamps.  And Serq came also, and they said: “Behold, behold, what has happened to Horus, son of Isis, and who has done it?  Pray then to heaven, and let the mariners of Ra cease their labors for a space, for the Boat of Ra cannot travel onwards while son Horus lies dead on his place.”

So Isis sent forth her voice into heaven, and made supplication to the Boat of Millions of Years, and the Disk stopped in its journeying, and moved not from the place where it rested.  Then came Thoth, who is equipped with his spells, and possesses the great word of command of maa-kheru, and asked, “What ails you, O Isis, the goddess who has magical spells, whose mouth has understanding?  Assuredly no evil thing has befallen your son Horus, for the Boat of Ra has him under its protection.  I have come this day in the Divine Boat of the Disk from the place where it was yesterday — now darkness came and the light was destroyed- — in order to heal Horus for his mother Isis and every person who is under the knife likewise.”

And Isis, the goddess, replied, “O Thoth, great things are in your heart, but delay belongs to your plan.  Have you come equipped with spells and incantations, and having the great formula of maa-kheru, and one spell after the other, the numbers of which are not known?  Horus is in the cradle of the poison.  Evil, evil is his case, death, and misery to the fullest extent.  The cry of his mouth is towards his mother.  I cannot bear to see these things in his train.  My heart has not rested because of them since the beginning when I first arrived.”

And Thoth said: “Fear not, fear not, O goddess Isis; fear not, fear not, O Nephthys, and let not anxiety be to you.  I have come from heaven having life to heal the child for his mother.  Let your heart be firm; he shall not sink under the flame.  Horus is protected as the Dweller in his Disk, who lights up the Two Lands by the splendor of his two Eyes; and he who is under the knife is likewise protected.  Horus is protected as the First-born son in heaven, who is ordained to be the guide of the things that exist and of the things that are not yet created; and he who under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected as that great Dwarf (nemu) who goes round about the Two Lands in the darkness; and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected as the Lord in the night, who revolves at the head of the Land of the Sunset (Manu); and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected as the Mighty Ram who is hidden, and who goes round about in front of his Eyes; and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected as the Great Hawk that flies through heaven, earth, and the Other World (Duat); and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected as the Holy Scarab Beetle, the mighty wings of which are at the head of the sky; and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected as the Hidden Body, and as he whose mummy is in his sarcophagus; and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected as the Dweller in the Other World and in the Two Lands, who goes round about ‘Those who are over Hidden Things’; and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected as the Divine Bennu who alights in front of his two Eyes; and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected in his own body, and the spells that his mother Isis has woven protect him.  Horus is protected by the names of his father Osiris in his forms; and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected by the weeping of his mother, and by the cries of grief of his brothers; and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.  Horus is protected by his own name and heart, and the gods go round about him to make his funeral bed; and he who is under the knife is protected likewise.”

Then Thoth turned to the infant Horus and spoke the magic words: “Wake up, Horus!  Your protection is established.  Make you your mother’s heart happy.  The words of Horus shall bind up hearts.   He who is afflicted shall cause to be at peace.  Let your hearts be happy, O you who dwell in the heavens [Nut].  Horus, he who will avenge his father shall cause the poison to retreat.  Surely, that which is in the mouth of Ra shall circulate, and the tongue of the Great God shall repulse opposition.  The Boat of Ra stands still, and travels not onwards.  The Disk is in the same place where it was yesterday to heal Horus for his mother Isis, and to heal him that is under the knife of his mother likewise.  Come to the earth, O Boat of Ra.  Heal Horus for his mother Isis, and to heal him that is under the knife of his mother likewise.  Go away, O pain which is in the region round about, and let the Boat descend upon the place where it was yesterday to heal Horus for his mother Isis, and to heal him that is under the knife of his mother likewise.  Go round and round, O bald fiend, without horns at the seasons, not seeing the forms through the shadow of the two Eyes, to heal Horus for his mother Isis, and to heal him that is under the knife likewise.  Be filled, O two halves of heaven!  Be empty, O papyrus roll!  Return, O life, into the living to heal Horus for his mother Isis, and to heal him that is under the knife likewise.  Come to earth, O poison.  Let hearts be glad, and let radiance go round about.  O Horus, O Horus, your ka protects you, and your Image works protection for you.  The poison is as the daughter of its own flame — it is destroyed because it smote the strong son.  Your temples are in good condition for you, for Horus lives for his mother, and he who is under the knife likewise.”

And the goddess Isis nervously said: “Turn his face towards those who dwell in the North Land (Ateh), the nurses who dwell in the city Pe-Tept (Buto), for they have offered very large offerings in order to cause the child to be made strong for his mother, and to make strong him that is under the knife likewise.  Do not allow them to recognize the divine ka in the Swamp Land, in the city of Nemhettu and in her city.”

Thoth continued his incantation: “Bite him not, for he is Ra. Sting him not, for he is Thoth.  Shoot ye not your poison over him, for he is Nefer-Tem.  O every male serpent, O every female serpent, O every antesh [scorpion] who bites with his mouth, and stings with his tail, bite him not with your mouths, and sting him not with your tails.  Get far off from him, and make not your fire to be against him, for he is the son of Osiris.”

Thoth then repositioned the suffering body, and continued with an instruction to the future god: “Vomit, and say four times: ‘I am Thoth, I have come from heaven to make protection of Horus, and to drive away the poison of the scorpion which is in every member of Horus.’”

Still, the young Horus did not move, but slowly he recovered the sensation in different parts of his body.  Thoth proceeded: “Your head is to you, Horus; it shall be stable under the Urert Crown.  Your eye is to you, Horus, for you are Horus, the son of Keb, the Lord of the Two Eyes, in the midst of the Company of the gods.  Your nose is to you, Horus, for you are Horus the Elder, the son of Ra, and you shall not inhale the fiery wind.  Your arm is to you, Horus, great is your strength to slaughter the enemies of your father.  Your two thighs are to you, Horus.  Receive the rank and dignity of your father, Osiris.  Ptah has balanced for you your mouth on the day of your birth.  Your heart  is to you, Horus, and the Disk makes your protection.  Your eye is to you, Horus; your right eye is like Shu, and your left eye like Tefnut, who are the children of Ra.  Your belly is to you, Horus, and the Children are the gods who are there, and they shall not receive the fluid of the scorpion.  Your strength is to you, Horus, and the strength of Set shall not exist against you.  Your phallus is to you, Horus, and you are Kamutef, the protector of his father, who makes an answer for his children in the course of every day.  Your thighs are to you, Horus, and your strength shall slaughter the enemies of your father.  Your calves are to you, Horus; the god Khnemu hath built them, and the Goddess Isis hath covered them with flesh.  The soles of your feet are to you, Horus, and the nations who fight with the bow (Peti) fall under your feet.  You rule the South, North, West, and East, and you see like Ra.  Say four times, and the same be to him that is under the knife.”

Then spoke Thoth unto the great gods who dwell in the Swamp-Land, saying: “O nurses who dwell in the city of Pe, who smite fiends with your hands, and overthrow them with your arms on behalf of that Great One who appears in front of you in the Sektet Boat, let the Matet (Mantchet) Boat travel on.  Horus is counted up for life, and he is declared for the life of his father Osiris.  I have given gladness unto those who are in the Sektet Boat, and the mariners of Ra make it to journey on.  Horus lives for his mother Isis, and he who is under the knife lives for his mother likewise.   As for the poison, the strength of it has been made powerless.  Truly, I am a favored one, and I will join myself to his hour to hurl back the report of evil to him that sent it forth.   The heart of Ra rejoices!   Your son Horus is counted up for life which is on this child to make him to avenge, and to retreat from those who are above, and to turn back the paths of the Sebiu fiends from him, so that he may take possession of the throne of the Two Lands.  Ra is in heaven to make answer on behalf of him and his father.  The words of power of his mother have lifted up his face, and they protect him and enable him to go round about wherever he pleases, and to set the terror of him in celestial beings.  I now must depart.”

Before leaving, Thoth gave Isis the magic instructions to heal, and he gave her the secret words of power that can call forth the very life force of the universe.  Then he returned and the Sun barge traveled.

Isis, fearing that Set’s attacks would continue to happen again, secretly gave Horus to Renenutet to raise in secret.   Set howled out in anger, but could do nothing … for the moment.