Osiris, the Pharaoh of Egypt

When Ra, the lord of the gods, the first pharaoh of Egypt, withdrew to the heavens, Osiris, the son of the sky goddess, Nut, succeeded him.

On growing up, Osiris married his sister Isis. (Marrying one’s sibling was common practice among Egyptian gods and later, pharaohs.) No one had forgotten the prophecy that had been made the day Osiris was born—that one day, he would be King of Egypt. All the gods agreed that Osiris, when he became a young man, looked every inch the future king.

Isis, most of all, was impatient for the day he would be made pharaoh. It had been Isis who, with her magical powers, had forced a reluctant Ra to give up his earthly throne. After a serpent bite that poisoned him, Isis had healed him, but only after learning Ra’s secret name. Ra, who was old, frail and senile by now, retreated to the heavens.

Osiris now succeeded him as the new pharaoh of Egypt. When he came to the throne, Osiris found the people living in a state worse than animals. They followed no laws but wandered about from place to place, hunting and killing. When they could not find a wild animal to kill, they would murder and eat their own kind.

Osiris taught them to live civilized lives, following the wise laws he had made for them. He taught them to farm the land and this yielded plentiful wheat and barley. He also taught them to grow fruit trees and grapes for wine. Soon the people of Egypt became happy and content. They sang praises of Osiris the Good, and he in turn taught them to praise the gods and build grand temples to honour them.

In the heavens, all the gods were pleased with the manner in which the new pharaoh ruled Egypt. All but one, and that was Set, brother of Osiris. Set was the god of the storm and thunder and the cruel desert. In the desert dwelt his evil minions—scorpions and wicked spirits, drought and sandstorms. Set waited quietly amidst his dark storm clouds. He wanted to be king.

Meanwhile, Osiris decided to spread his wisdom and ideas to the rest of the world. He was something of a poet–philosopher, you see. Entrusting his kingdom to Isis, who was now queen, he set out with priests and musicians to spread his message. Needless to say, everywhere he went he was welcomed with reverence.

Set offered to help Isis run the kingdom but she refused him. Isis knew what her evil brother was made of. Unknown to her, Set went about gathering support for his campaign to oust Osiris. Soon, seventy-two conspirators had joined him in a deadly plot.

When at last Osiris returned from his travels, Set invited him to a grand feast in his honour. When the feast ended, Set announced that there were gifts to be given away. Many exquisite gifts were distributed, much to the delight of his guests. Finally, he announced that there was just one more present left. His servants brought in a fine, intricately carved ivory and ebony chest inlaid with delicate silver patterns, and placed it in the centre of the hall.

‘Whom is this for?’ asked his excited guests.

‘Well, that I cannot say,’ said Set. ‘It belongs to the one who fits it best!’ Everybody rushed to see if they could fit into the chest. But it was too narrow, too short, too broad or too long. ‘Why don’t you try, brother Osiris?’ asked Set slyly. Osiris did not care for gifts but did not want to appear rude. So he lay down in the chest to please his brother.

All of a sudden, the seventy-two traitors and Set surrounded the chest and slammed it shut. Quickly, they poured molten lead into all the cracks so that no air could enter it. This coffin carrying Osiris was then taken away and thrown into the Nile.