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Exploring Isis
By Catherine C. Harris
 The Egyptian goddess Isis is one of the most important
goddesses of ancient Egypt, and she remains one of the most well
known goddesses of this age. Isis is most well known for her role
as devoted wife and mother. In the Osiris legend we can see the
reasoning behind this pattern of thought.
Isis is one of the five children of Nut, the sky goddess. When
Isis was very young, she was determined to increase her powers. In
order to do so, she would have to get the secret name out from Ra.
Isis was clever and used Ra's own saliva to create an invisible
snake that bit him. Thus Ra was poisoned and could not heal
himself because he didn't know the nature of the wound. Ra was
weak and near the end of his reign, and Isis took advantage of
him. Isis offered to heal Ra if he would tell her his secret name.
Faced with death from the unknown wound, Ra told Isis the name and
in doing so he transferred his knowledge and power to her.
Isis later married Osiris, and together they ruled over Egypt.
Due to Set's jealousy over the throne, Osiris was tricked into
climbing in a box. Once he was inside the box, the lid was slammed
closed and nailed shut. The box was then covered with melted lead
and thrown into the Nile. Isis was furious and grieved for her
husband.
Eventually, word reached Isis that Osiris was found in Byblos.
Isis traveled to Byblos where she used the magic taught to her by
Thoth to bring her husband back to life long enough to conceive a
child by him. She hid on the island until she gave birth to her
son, Horus.
While Isis was away one day, Set found the body of Osiris. He
had the body cut into 14 pieces and had them scattered throughout
Egypt. Isis returned and was grief stricken. Isis began her search
for the body parts  of her beloved Osiris. She found all of the
pieces except for his manhood, which had been eaten by a crab.
With help from several other deities, Isis performed the needed
magic to rejoin the body parts of her departed husband, Osiris.
Isis performed the Rite of Rebirth in order to give Osiris eternal
life, at which time Osiris ascended to the immortal world.
Isis stayed in hiding with Horus as he grew and trained. She
knew he would need to be strong to regain control of the throne,
which was rightfully his. Isis exposed Horus to wild animals and
scorpion bites in an effort to give him strength. Each time he was
attacked or poisoned he was protected. Osiris, his father, came
down to teach him weaponry.
Eventually, Horus challenged Set for the throne of Egypt. Horus
went before the elder gods and petitioned for them to appoint him
the rightful ruler. Set tried to convince everyone that Horus was
not strong enough to rule. Despite the World Mother's declaration
that Horus was indeed the rightful heir the tribunal sided with
Set. Isis struck fear into the tribunal by putting curses on
everyone.
The tribunal was moved to an island that was thought to be out
of the reach of Isis. Isis would not be thwarted, however, and
bribed the ferryman to take her to the island. Once there she
disguised herself as a young and beautiful maiden. She trapped Set
into saying that her son was the rightful heir to the throne. Once
Set realized what he had done he returned to tell the tribunal.
Set demanded that the matter be settled by combat between
himself and Horus. The two men dove into the Nile to see which one
could hold his breath the longest. Isis became so concerned for
her son Horus that she threw a magical spear into the water. It
struck Horus by mistake, and he emerged for his mother to remove
the spear. Isis again threw the spear into the water, and this
time it hit Set. Set emerged from the water, as Horus had done,
for Isis to remove the spear. Horus was so enraged at his mother's
interference that he lashed out at her with the spear and chopped
her head off. The god Thoth replaced Isis' head with that of a
cow. In the end, after much turmoil, Horus was named the rightful
heir. Set would never accept it and continued to be a thorn in
their sides.
The Egyptian goddess Isis is one of the goddesses that stood
the test of time. Isis is the Greek form of more ancient Egyptian
names, and the name Isis is associated with the word for
"throne." Originally, Isis was known as Aset, or Eset.
Isis is worshipped today, just as she has been for thousands of
years, as the Lady of Heaven, The Great Enchantress, Goddess of
Magic, The Goddess of Love and War, the Giver of Life, Queen of
the Gods, and Goddess of Marriage and Protection.
Isis was able to give the gift of immortality. For this reason,
she is often portrayed wearing or carrying an Ankh. The Ankh is an
ancient symbol for eternal life. The symbol is similar to that of
a cross, but it has a looped top. Isis is sometimes seen wearing
horns and a solar disk atop her head. She is sometimes pictured
with wings. Isis is occasionally shown with a cow's head or with
the sign of a throne on her head.
Isis is one of the only winged deities in Egyptian myth. She is
sometimes representative of the wind, as in the legend of Osiris.
One version of the legend tells of Isis using her wings to fill
Osiris' mouth and nose with air. For those people who recognize
Isis as a force at work in their life; the wind takes on a magical
face. The simple act of walking outside on a windy day brings
about a refreshing of the soul.
Isis is viewed as the protector and patron of women. Isis
guided women in childbirth, marriage, and in the loss of loved
ones. She has the qualities that endear her to women of all ages.
Isis is full of compassion, tenderness, love and devotion. Isis is
the Great Mother Goddess.
As a divine healer, Isis shared the secrets of healing and
preparation of medical potions to her priestesses. Isis is also
credited for bringing us the secrets of law and agriculture. If
you ask anyone that esteems Isis to the role of goddess in this
present age; you will surely hear them proclaim that Isis holds
life in here hands. Isis, with her ability to breathe life into
something once dead, is worshipped today as she has for centuries.
There are ways to bring the goddess Isis into everyday life.
Her colors are white, gold, and cobalt blue. Many view these as
the colors of royalty and comfort. The gems and stones equated
with Isis are pearl, coral, lapis, geodes, and moonstone. Wearing
jewelry with these stones embedded is just one way to bring the
goddess near. Fragrances of the goddess are myrrh, rose, iris, and
eucalyptus. Candles and essential oils are useful in bringing the
fragrance of Isis into the home.
Isis is the Mistress of all elements, and she is a powerful
wind that blows constant. Isis is the ‘Goddess of Countless
Names,’ and she will continue to make her presence known.
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