The cult of Osiris as the ruler of dead and the god of vegetation was established as early as in the late fifth century BCE; it is obvious from the Pyramid Texts and from inscriptions of private tombs. Osiris was the ruler of fertility and was associated with resurrection of the nature. In Egyptian temples there were annual ‘Mysteries of Osiris’, the main religious event in the country. The most important cult centre of Osiris was in Abydos, where, according to Egyptians’ beliefs, the tomb of the god was situated. The festivals of Osiris took place in the month of Khoiak (from mid-October till mid-November), when the Nile receded, leaving a fertile lay of silt on the fields. They made two statues of Osiris for those festivities; both were carried in a procession up to the point of destination. The festival programme was connected to the myth on Osiris killed by his brother Seth and restored by his sister-wife Isis, who conceived a son Horus from him. Matured, Horus revenged for his father and got a throne, and Osiris became the ruler of the afterworld.
During the festival, priests brought the barque-neshmet with a statue of Isiris out of the temple. Participants of the procession played the roles of Seth and his associates, who had killed Osiris. Those events were performed in the ceremony of ‘Coming of Wepwawet’ (‘Opener of the Ways’), who “go out to revenge for his father”. Thus, god Wepwawet was associated with Horus; he left the temple to drive enemies away from the remains of Osiris. Then, rituals of mummifications and burial of the Osiris body followed; in their course, the god’s statue carried into a temple space associated with the tomb of Osiris. Those ceremonies were held in the night, in a place called ‘House of Gold’, where a new statuette of Osiris was made of electrum or gold. The statuette was laid in bed, where the god spent the night. Possible, at the same time, they held the rite of the ‘opening of the mouth and eyes’ for the sake of resurrection of Osiris. After it, the festival of Kheker took place; it was a celebration of the resurrection of Osiris who became again the ruler of dead, ‘the First among the Western Ones’ (Khenti-Amentiu). Then, the statue of the god put in the barque-neshmet and returned to the temple. After the arrival to the temple, they organized a feast in honour of Osiris and his Ennead.
Bibliography
- Eaton K. The Festivals of Osiris and Sokar in the Month of Khoiak: The Evidence from Nineteenth Dynasty Royal Monuments at Abydos // SAK. 2006. Bd. 35. P. 75–101.
- Lavier M.-C. Les fêtes d'Osiris à Abydos au Moyen Empire et au Nouvel Empire // Égypte, Afrique & Orient. 1998. №10. P. 27–33.
- Mikhail L.B. Dramatic Aspects of the Osirisn Khoiak Festival. An Outline // GM. 1984. Vol. 81. P. 29–54.
Tags: Ancient Egypt, Alexandra V. Mironova, Articles, Festivals