Isis

Ancient Egypt produced many gods and goddesses, but Isis was the most respected. Her influence began some 6,000 years ago before it spread beyond the Nile and then throughout the Mediterranean world. Her temples dotted the Roman empire, from North Africa to Britain and from Spain to the deserts of Arabia.

She was a healer, a protector, a communicator, a fertility figure, a mother, a sister, a wife, and a promiser of life after death—all rolled into one.

She was the daughter of the Egyptian gods Keb and Nut (earth and sky) and was considered supreme in magical powers, cunning, and knowledge. In the blog post, “The Eyes of Ra”, she was introduced as Osiris’ sister, wife, and a key figure in the Osiris Myth.

When dealing with ancient Egypt, two points should be kept in mind. To be effective, magic had to be spoken. Second, all action in the physical world begins with the spoken word.

In the Vita Aesopi, the fictional narrative of Aesop, there is the tale of how the mute slave Aesop was given the power of speech by Isis. Here, the absence of language is synonymous with the absence of life. The priestess asks of Isis, “At least give him language, for you are able to bring back what has fallen into darkness.” Isis grants her request and Aesop’s fables are the result.

In both the Egyptian and the later Hellenic world, the ability to speak well was highly prized. In ancient Egypt, it was believed that only through articulate speech could one control the demons and other creatures present in the afterlife. Hence the need for pyramid texts, coffin texts, and Books of the Dead, so that the sojourner could say clearly what was necessary should he or she not remember.

Isis was also different from other Egyptian gods. She communicated. She spoke to her peers, listened to them, and heeded their advice. She even spoke to mortals. She told them who she was, what she could do, and why she was important. No other god before her spoke as often or as much as she did.

As an example, a god or goddess would often have their attributes listed out by a follower or priest, but in the following passage, it is not a priest or priestess but the goddess herself who speaks. Seven such proclamations by Isis written on small monuments have been found in various locations around the Hellenic world.

The following was likely written after 300 BCE and is called the Kyme aretology. (The term aretology comes from the Greek arete, meaning skill or excellence, and refers to monologues of this kind written on stone pillars.) Isis speaks:

“I am Isis, ruler of every land.

I was taught by Hermes (Thoth) and with Hermes devised letters, both

Hieroglyphic and demotic [ordinary script], so that not everything would be written with the same characters.

I gave laws to mankind and ordained what no one can change.

I am eldest daughter of Cronus.

I am wife and sister of King Osiris.

I am she who finds fruit for men.

I am mother of King Horus.”

The inscription continues for another sixty lines before it ends with:

“I overcome Fate.

Fate hearkens to me.

Hail, O Egypt, that nourished me!”

Two points are worth noting.

The first is that the ancient Egyptian gods corresponded with each other through letters.

The second is that Isis states plainly that she could command Fate. Not even Zeus could do that, and so in this passage, she proclaims that she is the most powerful deity of them all.

And she was that entity throughout the Greek and Roman world until the coming of a man from Bethlehem, who changed everything once again.