Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. I — G. R. S. Mead (1906)
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2. And Isis [they say] on learning this, searched for them in a papyrus skiff (baris) sailing away through the marshes ; 6 whence those who sail in papyrus hulls are not injured by the crocodiles, either because they 6 fear or rather revere the Goddess.7
1 Generally supposed to stand for the city Buto, but may be some word-play. Can it be connected with Bootes, the Ploughman— the constellation Arcturus — the voyage being celestial ; that is, a movement of the world-soul or change of state in the individual soul ? Budge (p. 192) gives its Egyptian equivalent as Per-Uatchit, i.e. " House of the Eye."
2 Lit., from her feet.
3 Lit., vessel ; may also mean " celL"
4 Vulg., "hunting."
6 ?A.»J — a probable play on the St-t\f?t> (" tear to pieces ") above.
6 Sc. the crocodiles.
7 It is remarkable how that every now and then Plutarch inserts apparently the most naive superstitions without a word of
3. And it is because of this [they say] that many tombs of Osiris are spoken of in Egypt l — through her performing burial rites on meeting with each piece.
4. Some, however, say no ; but that making herself images [of them] she distributed these to each city,2 as though she were giving it the [whole] body, in order that it might have honours from the multitude, and that even if Typhon should get the better of Horus, he might renounce his search for the true tomb when many were spoken of and pointed out.
5. Now, the only one of the parts of Osiris which Isis did not find was that which causes awe ; for that it was cast straightway into the River, and the scalycoat,3 and the devourer,4 and the sharp-snout5 ate it up — which [they say] among fishes are considered specially expiate;6 and that Isis, making herself a counterfeit instead of it, consecrated the phallus; in honour of which the Egyptians keep festival even to this day.7
XIX. 1. Thereafter Osiris, coming to Horus out of explanation. They cannot be all simply irresponsible on dits. It is, perhaps, not without significance that the " chest " is first of all drifted to the Papyrus country, and that the baris of Isis should be made of papyrus. It seems almost as if it symbolised some " vehicle " that was safe from the " crocodile " of the deep. In other words, the skiffs are not paper boats and the crocodiles not alligators.
1 "And Egypt they say is the body" — to quote a refrain from Hippolytus concerning the " Gnostics."
2 Presumably of the fourteen sacred ones.
3 AeiriSwrJj/. * <f>aypov. 6 o£6pvyx°V-
6 Anthropologically, " taboo."
7 What these " fourteen parts " of Osiris may be is beyond the sphere of dogmatism. I would suggest that there may be along one line some connection with those seeds of life which have lately been called " permanent atoms " ; and along another line, that of the birth of the Christ-consciousness, there may be a series of powers derived from past incarnations.
the Invisible,1 worked through him and trained him for the fight.
2. He then put this test question to him: "What does he consider fairest ? " And when he said : " Helping father and mother in ill plight," — he asked a second: "What animal does he think most useful for those who go out to fight ? "
3. And when Horus said "Horse," he marvelled at him, and was quite puzzled why he did not say " Lion " rather than " Horse." 2
4. Accordingly Horus said : " ' Lion ' is a needful thing to one requiring help, but ' Horse ' [can] scatter in pieces the foe in flight and consume him utterly." 3
Thus hearing, Osiris rejoiced that Horus was fitly prepared.
5. And it is said that as many were changing over to the side of Horus, Thueris,4 Typhon's concubine, came too; and that a certain serpent pursuing after her was cut in pieces by those round Horus.5 And to-day on this account they cast down a small rope and cut it in pieces for all to see.6
6. The fight lasted for many days, and Horus won. Nevertheless, when I sis received Typhon in bonds, she did not make away with him. Far from it; she unbound him and let him go.
1 Hades.
2 The " Horse " may symbolise purified passion, and " Lion " a certain receptive power of the mind.
3 The white " Horse " was presumably opposed to the red " Ass " of Typhon, as the purified vehicle of the soul contrasted with the impure. " Lion " was one of the grades in the Mithriac Mysteries ; it was a sun-animal.
4 Eg. Ta-urt (Budge, op. cit., p. 193).