Ancient Egyptian gods “I”
Isis: This goddess is depicted in human form with her head surmounted by an emblem showing the hieroglyph of her name. She was especially popular in the Greek and Roman periods. Her name means “the seat.” Other names given to her were Weret-Hekau “Great of Magic” and Mut-netjer “Mother of the Gods.” It appears that her cult first appeared in the Delta region and as the Osirian mythology took hold she became regarded as the wife of Osiris. As the spouse of Osiris and also as the mother of Horus, she was able to gain quite a bit of authority and her status was elevated even further. She represented the connection between this world and the next and was both the mother goddess and the goddess of the dead. In the beginning she really did not have a huge cult center of her own but as Osiris was worshiped throughout the country, and because she now had association with him, this led to her popularity. She was known to have special magical powers as a protecting goddess. Isis has been attributed for having instituted marriage in the Nile Valley and for teaching agricultural techniques and medicine to the masses. In the Greco-Roman period she was the most important of the deities.After Osiris’ death, via Seth’s hand, Isis went on a journey to discover Osiris’ remains. She was able to find the remains due to the fragrance tamarisk which was scattered on Osiris’ coffin. She then hid the coffin but Seth discovered it and dismembered the body into 14 pieces. Isis was able to find all the pieces with the exception of the phallus which was eaten by a fish. As she put the body back together again, she became impregnated by the corpse. She then fled to Chemmis, where Wadjet, the god protector of Lower Egypt, saved her and her child Horus from Seth and his army. Eventually it appears that Seth attacked Horus by masking himself as a serpent and injecting poison. Isis had to call upon Re for assistance. Re sent Thoth to assist her and Horus was rescued.
To all Egyptians, Isis was the embodiment of selfless woman, a charmer, the one who endured, and also the loyal spouse. Her cult most likely sustained because she cultivated honor, valor, and devotion in people. The Greeks and Romans were also captivated by the mysteries of her rituals and by the exotic icon that she portrayed.