Editing Osiris (section)

==Early mythology==
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2024}}
The Pyramid Texts describe early conceptions of an afterlife in terms of eternal travelling with the sun god amongst the stars. Amongst these mortuary texts, at the beginning of the [[Fourth Dynasty of Egypt|Fourth Dynasty]], is found: ''"An offering the king gives and [[Anubis]]"''. By the end of the Fifth Dynasty, the formula in all tombs becomes "''An offering the king gives and Osiris''".<ref>"Architecture of the Afterlife: Understanding Egypt's pyramid tombs", Ann Macy Roth, Archaeology Odyssey, Spring 1998</ref>

===Father of Horus===
[[Image:La Tombe de Horemheb cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|The gods Osiris, [[Anubis]], and [[Horus]]. Wall painting in the tomb of [[Horemheb]] ([[KV57]]).|left]]
[[File:Sokar-Osiris.svg|thumb|316x316px|The syncretized god Seker-Osiris. His iconography combines that of Osiris (atef-crown, crook and flail) and Seker (hawk head, was-sceptre).]]
Osiris is the mythological father of the god [[Horus]], whose conception is described in the [[Osiris myth]] (a central myth in [[Egyptian mythology|ancient Egyptian belief]]). The myth describes Osiris as having been killed by his brother [[Set (deity)|Set]], who wanted Osiris' throne. His wife, [[Isis]], finds the body of Osiris and hides it in the reeds where it is found and dismembered by Set. Isis retrieves and joins the fragmented pieces of Osiris, then briefly revives him by use of magic. This spell gives her time to become pregnant by Osiris. Isis later gives birth to Horus. Since Horus was born after Osiris' resurrection, Horus became thought of as a representation of new beginnings and the vanquisher of the usurper Set.

''Ptah-Seker'' (who resulted from the identification of the creator god [[Ptah]] with [[Sokar|Seker]]) thus gradually became identified with Osiris, the two becoming '''Ptah-Seker-Osiris'''. As the sun was thought to spend the night in the underworld, and was subsequently "reborn" every morning, Ptah-Seker-Osiris was identified as king of the [[underworld]], god of the [[afterlife]], life, death, and regeneration. Osiris also has the aspect and form of Seker-Osiris.

===Ram god===
{{Hiero|[[Banebdjedet]] <br> (''b3-nb-ḏd'')|<hiero>E10-nb-Dd-Dd-t:niwt</hiero>|align=left|era=egypt}}
Osiris' soul, or rather his ''[[Egyptian soul|ba]]'', was occasionally worshipped in its own right, almost as if it were a distinct god, especially in the [[Nile Delta|Delta]] city of [[Mendes]]. This aspect of Osiris was referred to as ''[[Banebdjedet]]'', which is grammatically [[Grammatical gender|feminine]] (also spelt "''Banebded''" or "''Banebdjed''"), literally "the ''ba'' of the lord of the ''[[djed]]'', which roughly means ''The soul of the lord of the pillar''. The ''djed'', a type of pillar, was usually understood as the [[Vertebral column|backbone]] of Osiris.

The Nile supplying water, and Osiris (strongly connected to the vegetable regeneration) who died only to be resurrected, represented continuity and stability. As ''Banebdjed'', Osiris was given [[epithet]]s such as ''Lord of the Sky'' and ''Life of the ([[solar deity|sun god]]) [[Ra]]''. ''Ba'' does not mean "soul" in the western sense, and has to do with power, reputation, force of character, especially in the case of a god.

Since the ''ba'' was associated with power, and also happened to be a word for [[Ram (sheep)|ram]] in [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]], Banebdjed was depicted as a ram, or as Ram-headed. A living, sacred ram was kept at Mendes and worshipped as the incarnation of the god, and upon death, the rams were mummified and buried in a ram-specific [[necropolis]]. Banebdjed was consequently said to be Horus' father, as Banebdjed was an aspect of Osiris.

Regarding the association of Osiris with the ram, the god's traditional [[crook and flail]] are the instruments of the shepherd, which has suggested to some scholars also an origin for Osiris in herding tribes of the upper Nile.