Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

OSIRIS 235times as a supreme god and possibly syncretizedwith DIONYSOS.OrthiaMother goddess. Sparta. Locally worshiped andprobably soon syncretized with the more widelyrecognized maternal deities of Asia Minor such asKYBELE.OrunmilaGod of destiny. Yoruba [Nigeria, West Africa].He accompanied the creator god OLODUMARE atthe creation of the world and when the destiniesof mankind were decided. He is consulted in anoracular capacity at IFA and makes decisions onsuch matters as choice of sacrificial animals. He isalso a god of healing and in many householdsenjoys personal shrines which include palm nuts,fragments of ivory and sea shells.OsandeGuardian deity. Ovimbundu [central Angola,southwest Africa]. A benign elderly god whoforms an integral part of ancestor worship. Consideredto be the founder of each family lineage.OsanobuaCreator god. Edo [Benin, West Africa]. Thefather of the god OLOKUN, he is regarded as abenevolent deity controlling prosperity, healthand happiness.OSIRISORIGIN Egyptian. Chthonic god of the underworld,also a corn or vegetation god.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 3000 BC untilthe end of Egyptian history circa AD 400.SYNONYMS none, but many epithets are applied,reflecting the universality of his cult.CENTER(S) OF CULT many throughout Egypt butchiefly at Abydos (Ibdju) in Upper Egypt andBusiris (Djedu) in the Nile delta of LowerEgypt. Other important sanctuaries are locatedat Biga (Senmet) in Upper Egypt south ofAswan, and at the Karnak complex of Thebes.Outside Egypt there is a major sanctuary atPhilae in Greece.ART REFERENCES innumerable sculptures, stonereliefs, wall paintings and papyrus illustrations.LITERARY SOURCES Pyramid Texts; coffin textsincluding the Book of the Dead, etc.Osiris is among the most significant and widelyrevered deities of the Egyptian pantheon. Accordingto the genealogy drawn up by the priests atHeliopolis, he was born at Rosetau in the necropolis(gate of the underworld) of Memphis. Hisparents were GEB and NUT and he was the eldestof four siblings including his sister and consortISIS, his adversary SETH and younger sister NEPH-THYS. Isis bore the god HORUS having impregnatedherself with the semen of Osiris after hisdeath. Though Osiris is most closely linked withIsis, he is also associated with ANUBIS, the mortuarygod of embalming and the scorpion-likemortuary goddess SERKET.Osiris is depicted in human form but oftentightly wrapped in mummy linen with only hisarms free, He holds the crook and flail. Hiscrown, the atef, is distinctive, consisting of theconical white crown of Lower Egypt framed bytall plumes and rams’ horns. Often his skin is coloredgreen. Osiris was perceived as the counterpartin death of the sun god RE.As a grain god, Osiris was worshiped in theform of a sack filled with seed which sproutedgreen. He is also depicted by models with articulatedmembers which women paraded throughthe streets at festivals and manipulated to demon-