Den Of Osiris

Egyptian Book of the Dead Papyrus

The Egyptian Myth of Osiris

Cast of Characters

Osiris
     --He is the god of Life and Renewal, born of Nut, the Mother Sky Goddess called The Vault of Heaven and Geb, the Earth God.
Seth
     --the other son of sky and earth, the evil and envious brother.
Isis
     --daughter of sky and earth, the sister and wife of Osiris, mother of Horus. She is the Moon goddess.
Nephthys
     --second daughter of sky and earth, wife of Seth but slept with Osiris.
Horus
     --Son of Isis and Osiris, depicted as a hawk, represents Light, battles Darkness(Seth).
Thoth
     --scribe of the gods, chronicler of truth, author of the Book of the Dead.
Anubis
     --the jackal headed god who opens the way for the departed and helps in the chthonic transformation process. He actually presided over the mummification of Osiris(the central god of ressurection). more...

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Enter the Den to Find:

Masks
Shaman's Tools
Spirit Figures
Ritual Paraphernalia

Enter

Osiris, the magnanimous god-king of Egypt, traveled to other lands to bestow gifts while Isis, the beautiful god-queen, ruled. When he returned, Seth, his envious brother, had plotted his downfall. Seth tricked Osiris into climbing into a sarcophagus which was sealed and cast into the Nile. It floated to the Mediterranean and all the way to the shores of Byblos in Syria where a Tamarisk tree of great proportion grew around it. The King admired the tree and had it made into a magnificent pillar in the center of his palace.

Isis searched for her husband all the way to Biblos and entered the royal place as a nursemaid. She was seen doing magic ritual over the Djed pillar with the infant prince and confessed her true identity and mission. The King granted Isis the pillar from which she revived Osiris enough to conceive a son, Horus. But upon their return to Egypt, Seth, in a rage, tore Osiris to bits which were strewn along the Nile. Isis found all his body parts except his penis which was swallowed by a fish. Nephthys, Thoth, Horus and Isis helped reassemble Osiris enough to enter the Underworld. Isis raised Horus in the sanctuary of the Nile delta. As a child he was stung by a scorpion and was saved by the intervention of the supreme sun god, Ra. Isis learned Ra's secret name and thereby attained great powers. Horus was instructed in warfare by his father in the Underworld. A great battle of light and darkness was fought between Horus and Seth. Horus sacrificed his left eye, and Seth his left testicle. Eventually Horus prevailed over Seth and became the ruler of upper and lower Egypt. His father, Osiris, is symbolically resurrected each year with the flooding of the Nile thus ensuring the spring renewal, the greening of the desert and fertility for Egypt.

Osiris is revered for bringing civilization to the primitive Egyptians. He taught them farming, observance of laws, and recognition of the gods. He is called the king of eternity, the lord of everlastingness, the ruler of the two lands from the womb of the goddess. Osiris is ruler of the dead. The Book of the Dead is a ritual text dedicated to the resurrection of the deceased represented by Osiris. He presides over the weighing of hearts, the accounting of good and evil deeds and the final judgement of souls.

The Great Hymn to Aten
by Pharaoh Akhenaten, circa 1350 BC

     Let your holy Light shine from the height of heaven O living Aten, source of all life! From Eastern horizon risen and streaming, you have flooded the world with your beauty.

     The herds are at peace in their pastures, trees and the vegetation grow green; Birds start from their nests, wings wide spread to worship your Person.

     When the new one descends from the womb to draw breath the day of his birth, You open his mouth, you shape his nature, and you supply all his necessities.

     How various is the world you have created, each thing mysterious, sacred to sight O sole God, beside whom is no other!

     You fashioned earth to your heart's desire, while you were still alone, Filled it with man and the family of creatures, each kind on the ground, those who go upon feet, he on high soaring on wings, The far lands of Khor and Kush, and the rich black land of Egypt.

     You are the one God, shining forth from you possible incarnations as Aten, the Living Sun, Revealed like a king in glory, risen in light, now distant, now bending nearby. You create the numberless things of this world from yourself, who are One alone-- cities, towns fields, the roadway, the River; And each eye looks back and beholds you to learn from the day's light perfection.

     Lift up the creatures of earth for your Son who came forth from your Body of Fire!

Khufu Pyramid, view from top
(click and drag in image, left or right, up or down)

Khafre Pyramid

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Imagine an Egyptian tomb in the Underworld. Lots of Egyptian Iconography. The room has some aspects of a cave. This is the showroom for masks shaman's ritual tools and medicine vessels. Even though Osiris hangs out in the Underworld, judging the dead, he is the God of Resurrection, symbolized by the rising Nile River, that will fertilize the land.

Link to The Crypt

The Rosetta Stone
In the summer of 1799, a fragment of black basalt tablet inscribed in three different scripts---ancient Greek, hieroglyphic, and demotic, a cursive form of ancient Egyptian---was found along the Rosetta branch of the Nile, east of Alexandria, by a French engineer. After Napoleon's surrender of Egypt to the British in180l, what became known as the Rosetta Stone was brought to London; yet it was largely the work of a French linguist, Francois Champollion, that in 1822 succeeded in using the Greek text to decipher the other two inscriptions and make it possible to read hieroglyphic texts. Since then, the stone has stood as a symbol of the decipherment of cryptic ancient scripts.

Plant Spirit Mask.
Underlying Balinese Hinduism is a deep animist connection to the forces of Nature. This is a unique carving, an evolution from traditional icons of Dewi Sri Rice Goddess, one of several we discovered in a hidden workshop of inspired masters. They represent the Green Man and Green Woman, part human, part plant--- creative abstractions of beautiful faces with vines, tendrils and dreamy forms. Hibiscus wood.

The Eye of Horus.
Sterling and Opalique stone. In the great battle of light and dark forces, Horus the sun god sacrificed his eye to save his father, Osiris, as King of the Underworld. Both Pendant and Pin. Exclusive design 3½" $150.

Huichol Offering Bowl
The Huichol Indians of Mexicos Sierra Madre Mountains craft exquisite beaded calabash bowls as offerings to the gods. This is an especially large fine authentic Nierka (magic mirror). $495

Rich Eye Pendant/Pin
Rich Eye Pendant/Pin with large Lapis Lazuli stone. Gold vermeil on sterling. $350. Particularly beautiful colored stone, our exclusive design, has the power to see.

Caravan Treasure Chests
Caravan Treasure Chests from Mauritania-Authentic old wooden vessels carried on Camel caravans across the Sahara Desert laden with gold and salt and precious goods. Original hardware.

Large 26"x13"-$1850.
Medium 10"x6"-$1200.
Small 7"x4"- $650.

Ceremonial Bowl - A

Ceremonial Bowl - B

Ceremonial Bowl from Irian Jaya. Asmat tribe. The vessel is used during special rituals for serving sagu, the sacred sweet potato so lovingly prepared by the Asmat.
Bowl A 22" has a spirit turtle head, stylized bird and gecko images.
Bowl B 24" has a human head representing a powerful ancestor, stylized fish markings.
Both $375.

Antique oil lamps
Antique oil lamps from the Himalayas. These are unusually good heirlooms of heavy bronze collected in the mountains from Sherpa people. Bird, Tiger, Elephant. Each $375.

Ethiopian Hand Crosses
We have a very limited supply of these brass emblematic devices carried by the wandering priest/healers in Gondar and Axum region. Sizes vary approx 6"-11". Some better pieces are made of silvered nickel. $48-$245.

Thai Charms
A sampling of our extensive collection of amulets and charms. L to R- Entwined Naga serpents, Rahu- The Monster that controls the world, Buddha Turtle with magical diagrams, Cross with Serpent, Male and Female Sexuality idols with mystical tattoos. Max 2½" bronze $24-32.

Naga Shield.
Power amulet worn on a headdress, bandolier or belt represents a venerable giant, an ancestor for protection. Etched conch shell. 3½" Nagaland. $48.

Shaman
Shaman
Pre-Colombian Shaman images in copper dipped in silver or gold. Left represents the shaman in flight, right depicts the shaman morphing into a dragon creature. Both are devices for traveling between the lower and upper worlds to actualize power and healing. Available as pins or pendants. Finely cast. South America. 1" $28.

Gauge Earrings
Gauge Earrings, vine and tendril design from Borneo. Hand carved buffalo horn. $64.

Contemplating Buddha Painting
In Bali the Buddha is associated with the god Shiva who meditates high in the Himalayas. The artist depicts the Buddha of Contentment, plump and contemplative, in two different textures- marble and temple design using air brush and stencil. Because the paintings captured the essence so well and so reasonably we commissioned several in blue, green, purple and brown shades, all gorgeous. May we suggest buying a set of two or three. Two sizes:

7”x10 Priced at $44
11’x14” Priced at $69

Star Pentangle
This magic star was carved in the mountains with triskelion and Celtic knots of infinity, in the style of old Ireland. Old Celtic culture stretched from Scandinavia to Ireland to France and beyond. The design has power. Rustic burnt wood with white wash, 12” $36.

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