The Mysteries of Egyptian Mythology

Egyptian Goddess: ISIS

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
worshiped. 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, Egyptian Aset or Eset, was one of the most important goddesses of ancient Egypt.
Her name is the Greek form of an ancient Egyptian word for “throne.” Isis was the daughter of
the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut and the sister of the deities Osiris, Seth, and
Nephthys. Married to Osiris, king of Egypt, Isis was a good queen who supported her husband
and taught the women of Egypt how to weave, bake, and brew beer. Isis was initially an obscure
goddess who lacked her own dedicated temples, but she grew in importance as the dynastic age
progressed until she became one of the most important deities of ancient Egypt. Her cult
subsequently spread throughout the Roman Empire, and Isis was worshiped from England to
Afghanistan. She is still revered by pagans today. As a mourner, she was a principal deity in rites
connected with the dead; as a magical healer, she cured the sick and brought the deceased to life;
and as a mother, she was a role model for all women. Isis had strong links with Egyptian
kingship, and she was most often represented as a beautiful woman wearing a sheath dress and
either the hieroglyphic sign of the throne or a solar disk and cow’s horns on her head.
Occasionally she was represented as a scorpion, a bird, a sow, or a cow.

Isis was believed to be powerful in the ways of magic, having the ability to create and
destroy life with mere words. She not only knew the words which needed to be spoken to cause
certain things to occur, but was also able to use exact pronunciation and emphasis in order for the
desired effect to occur.
References:

https://www.britannica.com/list/11-egyptian-gods-and-goddesses

https://westportlibrary.libguides.com/isisgoddess#:~:text=Isis%2C%20Goddess%20of%20
Magic,Osiris%2C%20Seth%2C%20and%20Nephthys.