Iset (3)(fl. 14th century B.C.E.) Royal woman of the
Eighteenth Dynasty
She was the daughter of AMENHOTEP III(r. 1391–1353
B.C.E.) and Queen TIYE(1). Like her royal sister, SITAMUN
(2), Iset married her father. A CARTOUCHEdiscovered on a
cosmetic case commemorates this marriage.
Isetnofret (1)(fl. 13th century B.C.E.) Royal woman of
the Nineteenth Dynasty
She was the ranking consort of RAMESSES II (r.
1290–1224 B.C.E.). Isetnofret replaced Queen NEFERTARI
Merymut as the Great Wife sometime after the dedica-
tion of ABU SIMBELby the pharaoh. She was the mother
of Ramesses II’s successor, MERENPTAH(r. 1224–1214
B.C.E.), and she bore several other sons and daughters,
including Prince Kha’emweset and Queen BINT-ANATH.
Isetnofret died or retired to MI-WER, the harem enclo-
sure in the FAIYUMa decade after replacing Nefertari.
There is some indication that she may have been buried
in the SERAPEUM(1) alongside her son, Prince Kha’em-
weset (1).
Isetnofret (2)(fl. 13th century B.C.E.) Royal woman of
the Nineteenth Dynasty
She was the ranking consort of MERENPTAH(r. 1224–1214
B.C.E.), also his sister. Isetnofret was the mother of SETI II
(r. 1214–1204 B.C.E.), Prince Kha’emweset, and Princess
Isetnofret.
Isetnofret (3)(fl. 12th century B.C.E.) Royal woman of
the Twentieth Dynasty
She was the consort of RAMESSES IV(r. 1163–1156 B.C.E.)
and his sister. Isetnofret was not the mother of the heir.
Isetnofret (4)(fl. 12th century B.C.E.) Royal woman of
the Twentieth Dynasty
A consort of RAMESSES VII(1143–1136 B.C.E.), Isetnofret
bore a son, Prince Ramesses.
isfet This was the Egyptian word for chaos or disorder,
a state abhorred by the people of the Nile Valley. MA’AT,
the social imperative of the nation, opposed isfetand its
manifestations.
Ished Tree A sacred tree in Egypt, thought to be the
Balanites aegyptiaca,the Ished Tree was used as a symbol
throughout the nation’s history, dating to the earliest peri-
ods. Like the PERSEA TREE, the Ished Tree was associated
with life and destiny. The god THOTHand the goddess
SESHATwrote the names of the newly appointed pharaohs
on the leaves of the Ished Tree.
Ishtar See ASTARTE; GODS AND GODDESSES.
Isis (Eset, Iset, Weret-Hikau, Mut-netjer) The
most enduring and beloved goddess of Egypt, whose
name was translated as “the seat,” she was also addressed
as Weret-Hikau, “the Great of Magic,” and as Mut-netjer,
“the Mother of the Gods.” Her cult started in the Delta,
and she was praised in the PYRAMID TEXTSof the Old
Kingdom (2575–2134 B.C.E.) as “the Great One.” She was
hailed as the wife of the god OSIRISand was credited with
civilizing Egypt with her husband and institutionalizing
marriage.
The traditions concerning her cult state that when
Osiris was slain by the god SET, Isis began a journey to
discover his remains. Osiris’s coffin was eventually
engulfed by a fragrant tamarisk tree, and Isis soon found
the box and the corpse in BYBLOS, where it floated on the
Mediterranean Sea. Many adventures accompanied this
search. Returning to the swamplands of BUTO, Isis hid the
coffin of Osiris, but Set discovered it and dismembered
the body into 14 pieces. Isis persisted and began to look
for the parts of her husband. She found all of his remains
except for his phallus, which had been devoured by a
Nile fish, called OXYRRYNCHUS(2) by the Greeks.
Fashioning the body together and reanimating it, Isis
became pregnant from the corpse. She then fled to the
mythical island of CHEMMIS, where WADJET, the goddess
protector of Lower Egypt, kept her and her newborn son,
HORUS, safe from the agents of Set. In time, however, Set
attacked Horus as a serpent, and Isis had to call upon the
god RÉfor aid. Ré sent THOTHto be her ally. He was able
to exorcise the poison from the child by reciting the cos-
mic disasters that would occur if the baby did not
recover. Horus was cured and then given to local inhabi-
tants to be cared for in safety. He also became their leader,
thus uniting the cultic myth to the real populace of the
Delta.
In another adventure, the goddess Isis discovered the
secret name of the god Ré, viewed always as the most
potent of magical weapons. She thus provided herself
with additional powers, all of which she dedicated to the
service of mankind. Isis was the epitome of the selfless
woman, the charmer, the endurer, and the loyal spouse.
To the Egyptians of every generation she was “the fertile
plain, the arbor and the gentle pool of living waters.” The
cult of Isis endured because she fostered honor, courage,
and loyalty in people, while evoking sympathy, admira-
tion, and a recognition of injustice.
In the Middle Kingdom (2040–1640 B.C.E.) there
were passion plays featuring the dramatic events of Isis’s
legends. In the New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.) in the
various versions of the BOOK OF THE DEAD, Isis was hailed
as the Divine Mother of Horus, the Widow of Osiris,
clever and energetic and ever true. She is listed in the
WESTCAR PAPYRUSas the protective deity of Egypt’s royals.
Queen ARSINOE(1) Philadelphia introduced Isis to
the Ptolemaic court (c. 280 B.C.E.), and cult centersIsis 183