Lecture VII. Osiris And The Osirian Faith. 143
version of the legend knew nothing of the voyage to Gebal. The
chest was indeed found by Isis, but it was near the mouths of the
Nile. Here it was buried for awhile; but Set, while hunting by
night, discovered it, and, tearing open its lid, cut the body inside
into fourteen pieces, which he scattered to the winds. Then Isis
took boat and searched for the pieces, until she had recovered
them all save one. Wherever a piece was found, a tomb of Osiris
arose in later days. Carefully were the pieces put together by Isis
and Nephthys, and Anubis then embalmed the whole body. It
was the first mummy that was made in the world.
Meanwhile Horus the younger had been born to Isis, and
brought up secretly at Buto, in the marshes of the Delta, out of
reach of Set. As soon as he was grown to man's estate he gathered
his followers around him, and prepared himself to avenge his
father's death. Long and fierce was the struggle. Once Set was
taken prisoner, but released by Isis; whereupon Horus, in a fit of
anger, struck off his mother's head, which was replaced by Thoth
with the head of a cow. According to one account, the contest
ended with the victory of Horus. The enemy were driven from
one nome to another, and Horus sat on the throne of his father.
But there were others who said that the struggle went on with
alternating success, until at last Thoth was appointed arbiter, and [155]
divided Egypt between the two foes. Southern Egypt was given
to Horus, Northern Egypt to Set.
It is somewhat difficult to disentangle the threads out of which
this story has been woven. Elements of various sorts are mixed up
in it together. Horus the younger, the posthumous son of Osiris,
has been identified with Horus the elder, the ancient sun-god of
Upper Egypt, and the legends connected with the latter have been
transferred to the son of Isis. The everlasting war between good
and evil has been inextricably confounded with the war between
the Pharaonic Egyptians and the older population. The solar
theology has invaded the myth of Osiris, making him the son of
Ra, and investing him with solar attributes. Anubis the jackal,