Manchester University Press
10 Magico-medical aspects of the mythology of Osiris
Abstract
Sources for the Osiris myth include a number of magical healing aspects that resonated throughout the ancient Egyptians' concepts of medicine. Osiris was the legitimate king of Egypt until he was assassinated and dismembered by Seth. Isis used her magical skill to gather his body parts, while Horus was suckled by the goddess Hathor, goddess of protection. The struggle between Seth and Horus had a conceptual influence on some of the principles of medicine in ancient Egypt, For example the gouging out of Horus's eye - “the Udjat” - and its crushing by Seth symbolised for the ancient Egyptians how to determine the dosage of medicine. The eye represented the moon, and its crushing symbolised a breakdown in the order of the universe. Thus, the myth of Osiris served several purposes for the ancient Egyptians. Its main function was to legitimise each king’s ascent to the throne of Egypt, but the myth also provided a divine model for magical healing rituals.
Abstract
Sources for the Osiris myth include a number of magical healing aspects that resonated throughout the ancient Egyptians' concepts of medicine. Osiris was the legitimate king of Egypt until he was assassinated and dismembered by Seth. Isis used her magical skill to gather his body parts, while Horus was suckled by the goddess Hathor, goddess of protection. The struggle between Seth and Horus had a conceptual influence on some of the principles of medicine in ancient Egypt, For example the gouging out of Horus's eye - “the Udjat” - and its crushing by Seth symbolised for the ancient Egyptians how to determine the dosage of medicine. The eye represented the moon, and its crushing symbolised a breakdown in the order of the universe. Thus, the myth of Osiris served several purposes for the ancient Egyptians. Its main function was to legitimise each king’s ascent to the throne of Egypt, but the myth also provided a divine model for magical healing rituals.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures x
- List of plates xviii
- List of tables xx
- Notes on contributors xxii
- Preface xxxi
- Rosalie David xxxiii
- My first meeting with Rosalie David xxxvi
-
Part I Pharaonic sacred landscapes
- 1 Go west 3
- 2 The Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara 19
- 3 The Manchester ‘funeral’ ostracon 32
- 4 The tomb of the ‘Two Brothers’ revisited 48
- 5 A review of the monuments of Unnefer, High Priest of Osiris at Abydos in the reign of Ramesses II 56
- 6 Thoughts on Seth the con-man 69
- 7 A Psamtek ushabti and a granite block from Sais (Sa el-Hager) 75
-
Part II Magico-medical practices in ancient Egypt
- 8 A most uncommon amulet 95
- 9 The sting of the scorpion 102
- 10 Magico-medical aspects of the mythology of Osiris 115
- 11 Trauma care, surgery and remedies in ancient Egypt 124
- 12 One and the same? 142
- 13 Bread and beer in ancient Egyptian medicine 157
- 14 On the function of ‘healing’ statues 169
- 15 Writings for good health in social context 183
- 16 Schistosomiasis, ancient and modern 197
- 17 An unusual funerary figurine of the early 18th Dynasty 210
-
Part III Understanding Egyptian mummies
- 18 The biology of ancient Egyptians and Nubians 245
- 19 Further thoughts on Tutankhamun’s death and embalming 256
- 20 Proving Herodotus and Diodorus? 265
- 21 Science in Egyptology 279
- 22 Slices of mummy 292
- 23 Life and death in the desert 302
- 24 An investigation into the evidence of age-related osteoporosis in three Egyptian mummies 321
- 25 The International Ancient Egyptian Mummy Tissue Bank 333
- 26 The enigma of the Red Shroud mummies 344
- 27 The evolution of imaging ancient Egyptian animal mummies at the University of Manchester, 1972–2014 361
- 28 Eaten by maggots 371
-
Part IV Science and experimental approaches in Egyptology
- 29 Scientific studies of pharaonic remains 387
- 30 Education, innovation and preservation 403
- 31 Making an ancient Egyptian contraceptive 416
- 32 Iron from the sky 424
- 33 A bag-style tunic found on the Manchester Museum mummy 1770 440
- 34 ‘Palmiform’ columns 451
- 35 Scientific evaluation of experiments in Egyptian archaeology 462
- 36 Snake busters 477
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures x
- List of plates xviii
- List of tables xx
- Notes on contributors xxii
- Preface xxxi
- Rosalie David xxxiii
- My first meeting with Rosalie David xxxvi
-
Part I Pharaonic sacred landscapes
- 1 Go west 3
- 2 The Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara 19
- 3 The Manchester ‘funeral’ ostracon 32
- 4 The tomb of the ‘Two Brothers’ revisited 48
- 5 A review of the monuments of Unnefer, High Priest of Osiris at Abydos in the reign of Ramesses II 56
- 6 Thoughts on Seth the con-man 69
- 7 A Psamtek ushabti and a granite block from Sais (Sa el-Hager) 75
-
Part II Magico-medical practices in ancient Egypt
- 8 A most uncommon amulet 95
- 9 The sting of the scorpion 102
- 10 Magico-medical aspects of the mythology of Osiris 115
- 11 Trauma care, surgery and remedies in ancient Egypt 124
- 12 One and the same? 142
- 13 Bread and beer in ancient Egyptian medicine 157
- 14 On the function of ‘healing’ statues 169
- 15 Writings for good health in social context 183
- 16 Schistosomiasis, ancient and modern 197
- 17 An unusual funerary figurine of the early 18th Dynasty 210
-
Part III Understanding Egyptian mummies
- 18 The biology of ancient Egyptians and Nubians 245
- 19 Further thoughts on Tutankhamun’s death and embalming 256
- 20 Proving Herodotus and Diodorus? 265
- 21 Science in Egyptology 279
- 22 Slices of mummy 292
- 23 Life and death in the desert 302
- 24 An investigation into the evidence of age-related osteoporosis in three Egyptian mummies 321
- 25 The International Ancient Egyptian Mummy Tissue Bank 333
- 26 The enigma of the Red Shroud mummies 344
- 27 The evolution of imaging ancient Egyptian animal mummies at the University of Manchester, 1972–2014 361
- 28 Eaten by maggots 371
-
Part IV Science and experimental approaches in Egyptology
- 29 Scientific studies of pharaonic remains 387
- 30 Education, innovation and preservation 403
- 31 Making an ancient Egyptian contraceptive 416
- 32 Iron from the sky 424
- 33 A bag-style tunic found on the Manchester Museum mummy 1770 440
- 34 ‘Palmiform’ columns 451
- 35 Scientific evaluation of experiments in Egyptian archaeology 462
- 36 Snake busters 477
