| Osiris was of prime importance in Egyptian mythology. As a god of fertility, he was seen as the life force behind all things. Yet, at the same time, he was lord of the underworld, and this combination of aspects led him to be identified with resurrection. Osiris was reborn after he had been killed by Seth, who dismembered his body and scattered it across Egypt. His resurrection was achieved with the help of his sister Isis, who reassembled his scattered libms in the form of the first mummy so that his spirit could inhabit his body once again. Osiris's main cult centre was Abydos, in Upper Egypt, where his head was thought to be interred. Some priests went so far as to claim that the tomb of the First Dynasty moanrch Djer, who ruled around 2900BC, was in fact Osiris's burial place. But the god was also described as "he who dwells in Heliopolis," which was the cult centre of Re, thereby linking him with the sun god. |
