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So it was that on the very night that
Isis left to find Nephthys and Anubis, Set was out hunting in the
woods and came across the cave. Noticing some scattered jewels and
recognizing them from the coffin Set became enraged. He searched
out the body of Osiris within the cave. When he came upon it
he knelt down to his brothers ear and whispered. "Sleep eternal brother
death is the heir of Egypt."
Set began to hack
the body of Osiris into pieces then he took them down to the nile and threw
them in. At this time Isis was sitting with her sister Nephthys and
they heard the scream of Osiris. Looking up to see a dark shadow
of blood red cover the moon. Then black covered the moon until just
a crescent dagger remained. Isis cried in horror.
Rushing back to
the cave Isis and Nephthys saw they were too late. In waves of grief
and Isis and Nephthys hurried to the river led by Anubis who knew the smell
of his father and could smell his blood. There upon the bank of the
river Isis saw the severed head of Osiris. She rushed over and grasped
it. Singing her spells of life into it, but there was no Osiris left.
Isis opened his mouth and offered him bread. She perfumed him and
bathed him. Filled with more grief then she had ever known,
she was lost in sorrow.
"Sister!" cried
out Nephthys. "Here lies the father of our child, our beloved brother.
We shall find him with love. we shall reassemble his body and bring
him to life!"
Then they began
to mourn and dance with sistrums around the head of Osiris. They
rose with feathered wings into the air and circled with their chants.
Then all the people seeing this came from their houses and began to mourn
for the dead king.
Later Isis, Nephthys
and Anubis built a secret tomb for Osiris and placed his head there.
This would be where they would reassemble his body. brining it back
together piece by piece. Then going back to where they found the
head of Osiris they built a temple to Osiris. Inside They buried
a body fashioned from spices and wheat within the temple. "Pay honors
to my husband here. your king." cried Isis. And the spirit of Osiris
entered the Temple.
"He is yesterday,
he is tomorrow. He shall be born again and again. The spirit
of Osiris will be born in you and you and you. He is eternal.
His body is in the bread you eat, his blood in the wine you drink.
He is truth. Lord of Kemet." Isis shouted to the people.
Then the trio left
Abydos and started their search for the parts of Osiris. Unknown
to them Sobek the Crocodile was following the boat. He had seen fish
eat the reproductive organ of Osiris and felt pity on them. Because
he knew that they could never find all the parts of Osiris.
For 28 days they
sailed the nile, and whenever they would find a piece of Osiris Isis would
shout in joy "He lives! He rises!"
Then she would cry "He is dead.. He
is dead.."
Nephthys cried with
her sister even as her troubles weighed on her heart. For it was
her husband that killed Osiris her brother. Yet she could not speak against
her husband, Loving him and hating him equal. Anubis her son called her
sister Mother. her life was filled with sorrow.
For each piece of
Osiris that was found they built a new temple to Osiris. Confusing
Set as to the location of the real body.
To hide from the followers of Set Isis
and Nephthys disguised themselves as beggar men. Isis turn to her
sister and said "although I am a woman I a have become a man to ensure
the name of Osiris is remembered always."
