The image above comes from the "Book of the Dead"(13th century B.C.) which was a collection of spells, hymns,
and prayers intended to secure a safe passage to the underworld for the deceased. Horus is depicted as a man with the head of a falcon. Here, Horus is wearing the costume of a king and the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. He leads the soul of the scribe Ani into the presence of Osiris.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy James Wasserman, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Chronicle Books.
Horus
Horus was a fierce and proud God in ancient Egyptian mythology. Horus was
the son of Osiris, the god of air and earth, and the goddess Isis. Osiris
was killed by his brother Seth in order to seize his throne. To keep his power, Seth tried to stop Osirus from having any children. But Isis managed to save
her child and brought him up in secrecy.
When Horus grew up he went to war with his uncle Seth. The other gods decided that Horus was the winner. At last, Osiris transferred his power to his son Horus, and retired to the world of the blessed.
Horus became the new king of Egypt and served under the sun-god Re.
You might also be interested in:
Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief god of the Navajo. He created heaven, Earth, and the sky. The four main directions are believed to be supported by giants. Each direction has a specific color: white-east;
...more
In Roman and Greek mythology, Amphitrite was a beautiful sea nymph. Poseidon (Neptune), who was the god of the sea and earthquakes, fell in love with her at first sight. Amphitrite did not respond to his
...more
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was known to the Romans as Venus. To the perfection of her figure and the purity of her features she added an innocent grace. On her sweet face she
...more
In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of Jupiter(in Greek Zeus) and Leto (Letona). He was the god of the Sun, logic, and reason, and was also a fine musician and healer. He was known as the god who could
...more
According to an ancient Greek legend, the figure of a gigantic crab was placed in the nighttime sky by the goddess Hera to form the constellation Cancer. Hera swore to kill Heracles, the most famous Greek
...more
In the Northern Hemisphere sky is the constellation Cepheus, king of Ethiopia. His wife was Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia claimed that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the
...more
In Navajo mythology, the Milky Way was created by the mischievous god, Coyote. Coyote was very impatient when the Holy People decided to place the stars in the sky. In his anger, he chose to place a red
...more
