Osiris, la mort et la résurrection - Mythologie Egyptienne (Mai 2024)
Osiris, également appelé Usir, l'un des dieux les plus importants de l'Égypte ancienne. L'origine d'Osiris est obscure; il était un dieu local de Busiris, en Basse-Égypte, et pourrait avoir été une personnification de la fertilité chthonique (monde souterrain). Vers 2400 avant JC, cependant, Osiris a clairement joué un double rôle: il était à la fois un dieu de la fertilité et l'incarnation du roi mort et ressuscité. Ce double rôle a été à son tour combiné avec le concept égyptien de royauté divine: le roi à la mort est devenu Osiris, dieu des enfers; et le fils du roi mort, le roi vivant, a été identifié avec Horus, un dieu du ciel. Osiris et Horus étaient ainsi père et fils. La déesse Isis était la mère du roi et était donc la mère d'Horus et l'épouse d'Osiris. Le dieu Seth était considéré comme le meurtrier d'Osiris et l'adversaire d'Horus.
Quiz
Mythologie, légende et folklore
Quel était le nom de l'endroit où les anciens héros nordiques sont allés après la mort?
Selon la forme du mythe rapporté par l'auteur grec Plutarque, Osiris a été tué ou noyé par Seth, qui a déchiré le cadavre en 14 morceaux et les a jetés sur l'Égypte. Finalement, Isis et sa sœur Nephthys ont trouvé et enterré toutes les pièces, sauf le phallus, donnant ainsi une nouvelle vie à Osiris, qui est désormais resté dans le monde souterrain en tant que souverain et juge. Son fils Horus s'est battu avec succès contre Seth, vengeant Osiris et devenant le nouveau roi d'Égypte.
Osiris was not only ruler of the dead but also the power that granted all life from the underworld, from sprouting vegetation to the annual flood of the Nile River. From about 2000 bce onward it was believed that every man, not just the deceased kings, became associated with Osiris at death. This identification with Osiris, however, did not imply resurrection, for even Osiris did not rise from the dead. Instead, it signified the renewal of life both in the next world and through one’s descendants on Earth. In this universalized form Osiris’s cult spread throughout Egypt, often joining with the cults of local fertility and underworld deities.
The idea that rebirth in the next life could be gained by following Osiris was maintained through certain cult forms. In the Middle Kingdom (1938–c. 1630 bce) the god’s festivals consisted of processions and nocturnal rites and were celebrated at the temple of Abydos, where Osiris had assimilated the very ancient god of the dead, Khenty-Imentiu. This name, meaning “Foremost of the Westerners,” was adopted by Osiris as an epithet. Because the festivals took place in the open, public participation was permitted, and by the early 2nd millennium bce it had become fashionable to be buried along the processional road at Abydos or to erect a cenotaph there as a representative of the dead.
Osiris festivals symbolically reenacting the god’s fate were celebrated annually in various towns throughout Egypt. A central feature of the festivals during the late period was the construction of the “Osiris garden,” a mold in the shape of Osiris, filled with soil. The mold was moistened with the water of the Nile and sown with grain. Later, the sprouting grain symbolized the vital strength of Osiris.
At Memphis the holy bull, Apis, was linked with Osiris, becoming Osiris-Apis, which eventually became the name of the Hellenistic god Serapis. Greco-Roman authors connected Osiris with the god Dionysus. Osiris was also identified with Soker, an ancient Memphite god of the dead.
The oldest known depiction of Osiris dates to about 2300 bce, but representations of him are rare before the New Kingdom (1539–1075 bce), when he was shown in an archaizing form as a mummy with his arms crossed on his breast, one hand holding a crook, the other a flail. On his head was the atef-crown, composed of the white crown of Upper Egypt and two ostrich feathers.
