The goddess Isis was born to Geb and Nut, the god of Earth and goddess of the overarching sky.  Ancient Egyptian legend tells how she we her brother Osiris. They were a happy, well-suited couple who produced a son, Horus.  A Egyptian myth tells the story of Osiris and how he was betrayed by his enemy Seth.  The evil Seth fooled Osiris and drowned him in the Nile river.  Isis used her magical powers to resurrect her husband, but Seth was relentless and killed Osiris again, this time hacking his body into 14 pieces and spreading the remains across the lands.

Grief-stricken, Isis set out across the desert in hopes of find the remains of her husand and making him whole again.  After decades of searching, Isis reassembled the remains of her husband and used her magical power to bring him back from the dead.

Versions of the story differ, but must suggest that Osiris was resurrected but imcomplete because Isis was unable to find his genitalia. In one tale, she fashioned a substitute from clay to ensure that she could become impregnated and give birth to her son Horus.  Horus becomes a powerful god in his own right and exacts revenge on Seth, destroying him in retribution for his father’s death.

Isis was different than most other Egyptian gods and goddesses in that she dwelled amongst her worshippers.  She taught women how to make bread from grain and weave cloth along with other household duties. Isis was worshipped as the goddess of wisdom and medicine.  She was also considered the protector of the dead in the afterlife.  The annual flooding of the Nile is explained as the tears Isis cried at the loss of her husband.

Over time, Isis began to be identified with the sky goddess Hathor and was depicted wearing the solar disk and horns that were Hathor’s signature headdress.  Isis is frequently depicted in Egyptian art carrying an Ankh symbol and a simple staff.  Frequently, she is portrayed with outstretched wings as a symbol of protection.  Thought to be the symbolic mother of the king, her name also meant “throne.”.  A popular exhibit at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo depicts Isis nursing Horus. This was a common subject of Egyptian art that emphasized Isis’ protector role.

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