SOURCE: "Mythology in Ancient Egypt," in Mythologies of the Ancient World, edited by Samuel Noah Kramer, Anchor Books, 1961, pp. 15-92.

In the following essay, Anthes discusses the interconnected Egyptian myths of Osiris, Isis, and Horus, with specific consideration of the ceremonies that developed around these narratives.

[The] myth of Osiris must be discussed. The most significant of the Egyptian myths, it was not only popular with the Egyptians, but has even been known in Europe for over two thousand years. Naturally, the story of the good king who was murdered by his covetous brother, his faithful widow who protected their son from the outside world and who brought him up in solitude, and the boy who eventually avenged his father and regained his kingdom appealed to people since everybody was ready to identify himself and his experiences with one or another of its features. The survival of the...