The Origins of Osiris and His Cult PDF
Preview The Origins of Osiris and His Cult
THE ORIGINS OF OSIRIS AND HIS CULT STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF RELIGIONS (SUPPLEMENTS TO NUM EN) EDITED BY M. HEERMA VANVOSS•E. J. SHARPE• R. J. Z. WERBLOWSKY XL THE ORIGINS OF OSIRIS AND HIS CULT LEIDEN E. J. BRILL 1980 The Earliest Known Representation of the god Osiris. On a block of the Fifth-Dynasty King Djedkare Izezi. Courtesy of Professor Klaus Baer, of Chicago, and Professor Jean Leclant, of Paris. THE ORIGINS OF OSIRIS AND HIS CULT BY J. GWYN GRIFFITHS LEIDEN E.J. BRILL 1980 ISBN 90 04 06096 0 Copyright 1980 by E.J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or translated in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche or any other means. without written permission from the publisher PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS Dedicated to the memory of A.M. BLACKMAN and ALEXANDER SCHARFF CONTENTS Preface . IX Abbreviated References XI I. THE ORIGINAL MYTH The Egyptian Treatment of Myth 1 The Pyramid Texts . 7 Osiris and the Horus-myth 14 The Basic Funerary Situation 17 The Death of Osiris 22 The Seeking and Finding . 25 The Birth of Horus Sopd 27 Osiris and Byblos . 28 The Ancillary Deities . 34 The Rite of Royal Burial 35 The Divine Titles . 36 II. THE ORIGINAL CuLT 41 Its Antiquity 41 Relation to the Deceased King 44 Nut, Isis and Nephthys 47 Tendance of the Body and Mummification 51 Sacrifices . 62 Life after Death 64 Purification Rites 69 Opening of the Mouth 69 A Carrying Rite 74 A Dramatic Scene . 78 Other Aspects of the Early Funerary Ritual 78 III. AN UPPER EGYPTIAN Goo OF THE RoYAL DEAD . 85 Iconography . 85 The Name . 87 The Name and Solar Functions 99 The Memphite Theology and the Dramatic Ramesseum Papyrus 107 Private Funerary Inscriptions . 113 VIII CONTENTS The Epagomenal Days 114 The Ennead of Heliopolis 118 Cult Topography 121 'Andjety . 136 The Eastern Delta and Anthropomorphism 139 The Libyan God Ash . 141 A Jackal-God in Abydos . 143 The Anthropomorphic Source 146 Antitheses and Hostilities . 147 151 IV. THE AssociATION WITH WATER AND VEGETATION Libation and Inundation . 151 Links with Orion and the Year 155 Fertility and the Nile . 158 Osiris and Corn 163 Other Gods and Fertility 171 173 V. THE RuLER AND JuDGE OF THE DEAD A Dreaded Deity . 173 A Judicial Function 177 A Trial Scene in Heliopolis 178 Judgement after Death 181 A Moral Defence and 'The Great God' 183 VI. THE CuLT AND THE SociETY . 185 Patriarchy in a Nomadic Community . 185 Brother-Sister Marriage· . 194 The Theory of the King's Compulsory Death 208 The Background of Sethian Symbolism in Sacrifice 211 VII. AN EMBRYONIC SYSTEM OF SALVATION 216 Osiris as the Central Figure . 216 Identification with Osiris . 218 A Pluralist Concept of Personality 219 Partial Identifications and Syncretism 220 The Imitative Element in Ritual 223 The Collective Approach 230 Deliverance after Death 232 Addenda 236 Bibliography 243 Index of Texts Cited 264 General Index . 271 Linguistic Indices . 285
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