Osiris, the Egyptian god of death, resurrection, and fertility, was one of the oldest recorded gods in Egyptian history. He was married to his sister Isis and was drowned in a trunk by his brother Set. Isis brought him back to life, but he was sent to the underworld to watch over the dead and judge them when they entered. Osiris is associated with life and rebirth and is often depicted in the underworld with Anubis and the scales of justice.
Osiris is the Egyptian god of death, resurrection and fertility. He is often depicted in the formal dress of the pharaohs, holding the staff and flail of office, wearing the crown of Upper Egypt and wearing a ceremonial beard. In most of the artwork, he is also wrapped up like a mummy and his skin is green, symbolizing fertility.
Archaeological excavations indicate that Osiris is one of the oldest recorded gods in Egyptian history, the son of the earth god and sky goddess. Worship of him was centered in a temple at Abydos, though Osiris was widely worshiped throughout Egypt and beyond; cults of him were, at one point, quite fashionable in Rome, for example.
According to legend, Osiris was married to his sister Isis and was drowned in a trunk by his brother Set. In various legends, Isis found the trunk floating on the Nile, or she found the body washed up on shore, and brought it back to life to beget their son Horus. However, Set was enraged by this and tore Osiris to pieces, scattering the fragments across Egypt.
Isis painstakingly reunited her husband, with the help of others, and brought him back to life, but according to the rules of the Egyptian gods, Osiris was no longer allowed to inhabit the land of the living, as he was considered dead. As a result, he was sent to the underworld to watch over the dead and judge them when they entered. Consequently, the dead came to be associated with Osiris, with the Egyptians believing that the righteous would dwell in his kingdom after his death.
Many depictions of Osiris show him in the underworld with Anubis, a god associated with the afterlife, and the scales of justice on which the souls of the dead would be weighed. Cults of Osiris used imagery of death, rebirth, and judgment extensively, using the god to inspire followers with ideas of immortality for the righteous.
Because Osiris died twice and was resurrected, he is also associated with life and rebirth. Egyptian society was very much focused on cyclical patterns of fertility and life, thanks to the annual flooding of the Nile, so it is perhaps only natural that this god could represent both life and death at the same time for the Egyptians. The story of Isis and Osiris was recited in many temples each year, complete with offerings, songs and narratives, and may have influenced similar stories elsewhere in the ancient world, such as the tale of Persephone.
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