The Road of Trials

I awoke to the sound of voices. At first, I thought it was my family and friends, worrying over my injuries. Then I realized that they were not familiar to me, for they were in many languages, most of which I could not recognize. It was an easy mistake — thinking that I knew them — for I heard my own name repeated over and over. Now, I began to wonder why I could recognize my name but nothing else amidst the clamor of noise. I tried to open my eyes but all around me seemed a light so bright that I closed them again quickly. The voices continued babbling. I struggled to stay awake but sleep soon took hold of me and I dreamed again.

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It was dark inside the sarcophagus. Osiris realized now that it had been a mistake to trust his brother. But in his drunken stupor, Osiris had nothing but love for Set. He had gotten into the box, ready to prove how easy it would be to lift the stone cover. He was sure he could have done it with just one hand. But the challenge was not a test of strength. The powerful magic of the box had frozen his body just as the alcohol had slowed his mind. His beloved wife Isis was preoccupied and she would not return for hours. Set had seemed so brotherly lately so she had no reason to be suspicious.

Osiris relaxed, knowing that his wife would find him and save him eventually. Set could not really mean to kill him. This was likely just another of his mischiefs, revenge for some unspoken grudge. They were family, after all, and Set would remember the love they shared and all would be forgiven. But then molten lead began to fill the box. Osiris could feel the hot metal flowing in from the sides. It would not kill him immediately but it would damage his body significantly. Given enough time, his body would rot and his spirit would be forced to give up its vessel. He laughed to himself, remembering the other times Set had tried to kill him and failed. This time was surely no different than the others. Isis would find them, and with Set’s wife, Nephthys, convince them to make peace.

His confidence in his brother’s love began to wane as the lead finally filled the box. Sadness filled him completely when he felt the waters of the Nile around the sarcophagus. After a short time, his soul left his body. His ghost was lost without a proper burial as his body slowly moved downstream, finally washing up on a riverbank in the land of Byblos. Many years passed and the course of the river shifted, leaving the box on dry land as a tree began to grow around him. And still many more years passed as the tree grew into a mighty cedar. Osiris’ spirit continued to wander the banks of the Nile. One day, the tree was cut and hewn into a pillar for a great palace. And it was there that Isis, who had never stopped searching, finally discovered him.

She had spent many years searching for her husband’s body. She knew that his spirit could not rest without a funeral. Nephthys convinced Set to allow her to search for the body, since the search kept her busy, thus delaying her inevitable revenge. Set himself was convinced that she would never find Osiris’ body. But here it was, she knew it, hidden inside this beautiful pillar. Her sorrow was so great, having found her husband’s body but unable to retrieve it. So, she went amongst the queen’s servants and dressed them and combed their hair. She found their company refreshing, since none knew she was once the Queen of Egypt.

The Queen of Byblos noticed a change with her maidens, many of whom seemed more beautiful than before and smelled of an exotic perfume. She inquired to them of this change and was introduced to Isis. She begged Isis to become the infant prince’s nurse. At first, Isis refused. But upon seeing the boy, she changed her mind. She had no son of her own but had always wanted one, so she took charge of the boy immediately. Every night she performed a secret ritual with fire, burning away his mortality and weaknesses. One night, the king discovered this, and in a panic rushed to put out the fire. Frustrated that her plan to make the boy immortal was ruined, Isis revealed herself and the purpose of her sojourn in his palace. The king apologized and gave her permission to take the sarcophagus, even if it meant destroying the pillar. Isis promised she could extract the box without damaging the wood around it, which she did.

She took the sarcophagus back to Egypt and there she breathed some of her life into Osiris. He came back from death long enough to impregnate her before his ruined body was once again lifeless. She put his body into the box again and hid it amongst the reeds. As she was discussing funeral arrangements with her sister, Nephthys, Set discovered the familiar sarcophagus. He flew into a rage and ripped his brother’s body into pieces and scattered them across Egypt. Nephthys chastised her husband and helped Isis to find the pieces of Osiris. And, together with Anubis, they brought Osiris back to life. But because he was once dead, he could no longer stay amongst the living. So Anubis yielded the throne of the Underworld to him, knowing he would be a good and just king of the dead.