Facts About Ancient Egypt Great Goddess Isis!

Updated On: November 08, 2023 by   Marise

What do the temples of ancient Egypt, Athens, Rome, Paris, and London have in common with one another? They are all locations dedicated to the worship of the Goddess Isis. A significant Greek and Roman deity who was worshipped in Rome and throughout the Roman world. The Egyptian people revered her as a mother goddess, and her adoration was widespread. This is the legend of Goddess Isis, the Egyptian Goddess.

Goddess Isis’ prominent role in royal power is reflected in the hieroglyphic representation of her name, which is a throne. Every Pharaoh could be considered her child. This divine trinity, which consisted of Goddess Isis, Osiris, her husband, and Horus, their son, legitimised the power of the individual seated on the throne of Egypt.

There are definitely endless facts, stories and myths about Goddess Isis, but here are a few!

The Guardian Function Played by Isis in The Afterlife

Goddess Isis was known as the “Great of Magic,” and she possessed the ability to resurrect the dead. The Pyramid texts reference her on multiple occasions, such as when, inside Una’s pyramid, the King, who is now Osiris, addresses her directly “Isis, this Osiris standing here is your brother, whom you have brought back to life; he will live, and so will this Unas; he will not die, and neither will this Unas.”

The texts found in the pyramids would eventually become known as the “Book of the Dead.” This is not a book for pessimists because it describes death as “the night of going forth to live,” followed by an awakening from death while still alive. It was referred to as the “Book of Going Forth by Day” in Egyptian. It should be interpreted as a map leading to the great beyond and eternal life. Isis imparted her power to defy death upon regular Egyptians and allowed them to live forever. She wept in the form of a kite, a bird whose high-pitched squeal is eerily similar to the piercing shrieks of a bereaved mother. 

After that, she used her enchantments to bring the dead back to life. The following are some of the things that people hoped they would hear Isis say once they reached the Afterlife. Isis was not a distant divinity that high priests could only approach. The fact that she was able to triumph over adversity, the loss of her husband, and the responsibility of raising her son on her own made her a compassionate and humane deity.

 Isis, the Egyptian Goddess of motherhood, was revered as a figure of comfort and was believed to have the ability to find answers to a variety of life’s questions. As she did for Horus, she would save a child who a snake had bitten and was about to kill. Her maternal protection is required for a spell designed to ward off snake bites. Isis gradually took on the characteristics of other goddesses, particularly those of Hathor, as a result of the ancient Egyptians’ ability to easily combine two gods into one. At first, Isis was only venerated alongside other deities inside temples.

Temples that were specifically dedicated to her were built in the later stages of Egyptian civilisation, which is a sign that her importance only grew over time. The Egyptian conquest by Alexander the Great ushered in seven centuries of Greek and then Roman rule over the country. Both of them were confused by the animal-human gods, but they had no problem assuming the role of a human mother. Because “Isis is known as Demeter in the Greek language,” learning Greek would not be difficult for her.

The Abolition of the Goddess Isis Cult

One of the best Egyptian temples preserved the best is the Temple of Isis at Philae, which was constructed during the time of the Greek Pharaohs. The Roman Empire’s southernmost provinces witnessed the decline and eventual extinction of the traditional “pagan” ancient Egyptian religion. In 394 AD, the last hieroglyphic inscription was carved into its walls, capping off a history that spanned 3,500 years; three years before, it was made against the law to “go around the temples; [to] revere the shrines.” The phrase “Second Priest of Isis, for all time and eternity” was the last thing to be carved in hieroglyphs before the tomb was sealed.

A Greek inscription that was written in 456 AD is the last piece of evidence that the cult of Isis was practised in Philae. In the year 535 AD, the temple was finally shut down. The fact that the Temple of Isis has been preserved demonstrates that the use of the word “destroyed” is an exaggeration. Instead of remaining a temple, it was transformed into a church. As there was no Christian tradition of divine images or humans, historians argue over whether or not Isis’ depiction of herself nursing Horus influenced Mary and Jesus’ portrayal. These deities were honoured in worship in the same lands for several centuries.

Therefore, Isis would have served as a point of reference for the earliest Christians when depicting Mary and Jesus. The opposing viewpoint contends that the similarities are merely coincidental because there is nothing more ubiquitous than a nursing mother caring for her child.

Goddess Isis And Religious Tolerance

In his work titled “On Isis and Osiris,” written approximately 1,900 years ago, the philosopher Plutarch compared and contrasted Egyptian and Greek beliefs. Regarding the Egyptians: There is nothing to fear if, in the first place, they preserve our gods that are common to peoples and do not make them belong to the Egyptians only; they do not deny the gods to the rest of mankind. In other words, if they do not make them Egyptian-only gods, there is nothing to fear.

For the Greeks: We also do not think of the gods as being different for various people or as being divided into gods of the barbarians and gods of the Greeks. However, despite the fact that all people share the sun, the moon, the heavens, the earth, and the ocean, these things are referred to by various names depending on the culture.

The Continuation of Isis in the Contemporary World

The fact that Isis was a part of Greek and Roman culture that was rediscovered during the Renaissance ensured that she would not be forgotten. On the ceiling of Pope Alexander VI’s apartments, Isis and Osiris are portrayed in this manner as an illustration. After Champollion deciphered the text, the ancient Egyptian tale could once more be read in its entirety. People in the ancient world took her name, which means ‘Gift of Isis,’ and gave it to their children, giving them the names Isidoros and Isidora. Towns worldwide, from the United States to Argentina and the Philippines, have names based on the “Gift of Isis,” such as San Isidro.

 Isis, the Egyptian Goddess of the Seas, is commemorated by giving her name to a genus of deep-sea coral. There are corals that are over 4,000 years old. Her name has been given to a satellite and a crater on the surface of the moon, both of which are associated with the star Sirius. On Ganymede, Jupiter’s other moon, a second Isis crater is further away. There are remnants of the ancient Goddess Isis present in the fabric of society and in the routines of millions of people worldwide. Bob Dylan’s song “Goddess Isis” uses the name Isis as a first name for a woman. A colossal marble Isis is considered to be one of Rome’s “talking statues.”

It does not matter how hard someone tries; removing the ancient Egyptian Goddess from the record of the past five millennia will not be possible. The legacy of Goddess Isis was left behind in many places, including on the moon, deep within the oceans, and even in space.

Beliefs and Observances of Rituals

It was believed that Isis possessed great power in the ways of magic and had the ability to bring life into existence or take it away simply by speaking. She not only knew the words that needed to be spoken to cause certain things to occur, but she was also able to use exact pronunciation and emphasis for the desired effect.

 She knew the words that needed to be spoken in order to cause certain things to occur. It is commonly held that for terms of power to have the desired effect, they must be spoken in a particular manner, including having a certain pitch and cadence, speaking at a specific time of the day or night, and accompanied by the appropriate kinds of gestures or ceremonies. The real magic can only take place once all of these conditions have been satisfied. Throughout the entirety of Egyptian mythology, various manifestations of Isis’s magic can be found. 

Goddess Isis has demonstrated a magical ability that exceeds that of the other gods, as evidenced by her ability to resurrect her deceased and disembodied husband Osiris and produce a son with him, as well as her ability to learn the sacred name of Ra. The primary prayer offered to Isis while she is being worshipped is called “The Invocation of Isis,” This prayer may provide the best explanation of Isis.

Goddess Isis is honoured with not one but two significant celebrations. The first one was held on the Vernal Equinox, whose purpose was to rejoice in the rebirth of life worldwide (around 20 March). This was nothing compared to the second celebration, which began on 31 October and continued through 3 November. 

The story of Osiris’s death and Isis’s ability to bring him back to life was the subject of a dramatisation that took place over the course of these four days. Actors would take on the roles of Isis, her son Horus, and a variety of other gods during the first day of the production. Together, they would travel the world searching for the 14 body parts that belonged to Osiris. The second and third days depicted Osiris’s reassembly and rebirth, and the fourth day was marked by wild rejoicing over Isis’s accomplishments as well as the arrival of Osiris in his newly immortal form. 

It is believed that if you show intense devotion to Isis and worship her, she will bring you back to life if you pass away. You will live in eternal bliss under her protective care, just as Osiris was reborn and will continue to rule forever.

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