Nichols 1 Chad Nichols Professor Coelho ENGLT 345 31 October 2012 Isis and Demeter: Sisters in Divine Spirit.

The Egyptia goddess !sis is o e of the "ost #ell$% o# &great "other' goddesses of the a cie t #orld( Greece)s *e"eter is a other( ! spite of the "i or differe ces bet#ee the t#o+ they are asto ishi gly si"ilar i traits a d associatio s, !sis) search for Osiris) body after -et %ills hi" a d sets the sarcophag.s afloat closely parallels *e"eter)s search for her da.ghter Persepho e+ #ho has bee abd.cted by /ades a d ta%e to the 0 der#orld1 both goddesses ha2e chthonic 3pertai i g to the 0 der#orld4 associatio s1 a d both ha2e so$called &"ystery$c.lts' that ha2e e2ol2ed aro. d the"( ! the story &Osiris+ !sis+ a d /or.s' fro" *o a 5ose berg)s boo% World Mythology+

Osiris is the brother a d belo2ed h.sba d of !sis, /e is s.bse6.e tly tric%ed by the chtho ic deity -et+ his 7ealo.s brother+ i to layi g do# i a or ate sarcophag.s( -et)s "i io s the do# the lid a d co2er it i lead to s.ffocate hi"+ before setti g the coffi afloat o the Nile( -i"ilarly+ fro" the /o"eric Hymn to Demeter i the te8tboo%+ #e see *e"eter)s belo2ed da.ghter Persepho e l.red a#ay fro" her ha d"aide s by a i tricate flo#er( O ce she gets far e o.gh a#ay a chas" ope s+ allo#i g her . cle /ades 3a other chtho ic god4 to abd.ct her a d ta%e her to his real"+ the la d of the dead( ! both of these cases+ the goddess) lo2ed o e 3h.sba d+ da.ghter4 is ta%e fro" her 3%illed a d set afloat+ %id apped i to the #orld of the dead4 by a god #ith 0 der#orld associatio s 3-et g.ards 5a)s barge as it sails thro.gh the La d of the *ead each ight4 or spheres of co trol 3/ades is the r.ler of the Gree% 0 der#orld4( ail

Nichols 2 9fter their loss+ each of these goddesses set o.t o a 7o.r ey across their separate #orlds+ tra2eli g i disg.ise as older #o"e ( ! this "a er+ they each try to fi d o.t #hat happe ed

a d to locate their lo2ed o es( !sis fi ally co"es to :yblos+ #here she fi ds the tree that has gro# aro. d her h.sba d)s coffi a d "eets the ha d"aide s of ;.ee 9starte at a #ell( !sis ta%es ser2ice #ith the 6.ee as .rse"aid to her so + after the ha d"aide s report the &stra ger #ho ca tra sfer her o# perf."e to the hair a d s%i of other people' 35ose berg+ p(1<4( -he .rses the boy by day+ b.t by ight she holds hi" o2er the fire to b.r a#ay &the "ortal parts of its body' 3Pl.tarch+ Isis and Osiris4( The 6.ee e2e t.ally disco2ers this a d i terr.pts the rit.al before her so ca be gra ted i""ortality( This 7o.r ey is parallelled i that of *e"eter after she aba do s her ho"e i Oly"p.s, after disco2eri g that /ades too% her da.ghter+ &she desce ded .po earth+ a d co""e ced a #eary pilgri"age a"o g "a %i d(' 3An Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek and Roman Mythology+ ed( by =a"es /a"pto :elto + p( >>4 E2e t.ally+ *e"eter 3i her disg.ise of a old #o"a 4 ca"e to Ele.sis i 9ttica+ #here she too% ser2ice #ith the royal fa"ily of the co. try after "eeti g the 6.ee )s da.ghters at a #ell( *e"eter beca"e a .rse to the 6.ee )s so + a d 3as #ith her Egyptia co. terpart4+ &laid hi" secretly i the fire i order to re der hi" i""ortal a d e8e"pt fro" old age' 3:elto + p( ><4( 9gai + 7.st as #ith the 6.ee of :yblos+ the 6.ee of 9ttica i terr.pted the rit.al before the goddess co.ld gra t i""ortality to the child( 9s ca be see + the parallels are agai stri%i g, both goddesses disg.ise their tr.e at.re1 both co d.ct a e8te si2e search1 both e d .p sitti g at a #ell i a dista t la d1 both are "et by #o"e #ith co ectio s to the 6.ee s of those la ds1 both are ta%e o as .rses to the 6.ee )s

i fa t so 1 both try to co fer i""ortality o the child b.t are i terr.pted by o less tha the 6.ee herself+ #ho i perfor"ed( either story f.lly tr.sts the goddess or . dersta ds the rit.al bei g

Nichols 3 /ereafter+ ho#e2er+ lies the first sig ifica t differe ce( ?here !sis has achie2ed her 6.est a d retrie2ed the body of Osiris fro" the tree i the royal ho.se of :yblos+ *e"eter has )t yet reco2ered her da.ghter( 9fter lea2i g Ele.sis+ she is so depressed that+ as the Hymn to Demeter tells .s i li es 305$30@+ she #ithdra#s her di2i e i fl.e ce fro" the earth, &O to the ".ch$ o.rishi g earth she bro.ght a year "ost dreadf.l a d harsh for "e 1 o seed i the earth spro.ted+ for fair$#reathed *e"eter co cealed it( ! 2ai the o8e dre# "a y c.r2ed plo#s o2er the fields+ a d i 2ai did ".ch #hite barley fall i to the gro. d(' 9s ca be see + *e"eter is a ".ch a grier goddess tha !sis+ #ho "erely &fell .po the bo8 #ith lo.d cries of "o.r i g' 35ose berg+ p(1<4 #he she retrie2ed it fro" the tree i :yblos( *e"eter)s #rath early ca.sed the e8ti ctio of "a %i d thro.gh star2atio , the o ly thi g that co.ld sa2e h."a %i d #o.ld be the ret.r of Persepho e fro" /ades) real"( ! order to sa2e the race of Aa + Be.s se t /er"es to co 2i ce /ades to release Persepho e fro" the 0 der#orld( /o#e2er+ d.e to the po"egra ate seeds she had eate + it t.r ed o.t that Persepho e ".st ret.r to /ades for o e$third of the year+ th.s starti g the cycle of seaso s as *e"eter grie2es a d re7oices by t.r s( 9ltho.gh the si"ilarities are )t as close+ #e ca still see li%e characteristics i !sis) "yths, after !sis retrie2es her h.sba d)s sarcophag.s fro" :yblos+ -et fi ds it agai #hile !sis is a#ay a d+ i #rath+ tears Osiris) body pieces+ a d scatters the" across Egypt( !sis fi ds a d reasse"bles the"+ the .ses "agic lear ed fro" her father to res.rrect Osiris( /o#e2er+ Osiris+ ha2i g bee dead+ has o e foot still i the 0 der#orld+ so to spea%( /e gi2es r.le of Egypt o2er to his so /or.s+ a d beco"es the r.ler of the 0 der#orld he so rece tly #as a reside t of( Laid o.t+ #e see the rese"bla ce, both lo2ed o es ha2e co"e bac% fro" the la d of the

Nichols 4 dead+ either bodily or thro.gh res.rrectio 1 a d both ha2e beco"e r.lers of their respecti2e 0 der#orlds 3Persepho e as 6.ee + Osiris as %i g4+ a d ".st spe d sig ifica t portio s of their ti"e there( Ta%e together+ these si"ilarities lead to a other, both !sis a d *e"eter ta%e o their o# chtho ic associatio s d.e to their co ectio to death a d rebirth 3!sis thro.gh her "agic

a d *e"eter thro.gh the seaso al correspo de cy4( This the"e of death a d rebirth has ca.sed both deities to beco"e ob7ects of their o# so$called &"ystery c.lts'( 9ltho.gh 3by defi itio 4 the core practices of a "ystery c.lt is . % o# + there are e2ertheless certai rites that are less #ell$g.arded( ! both the !sia a d Ele.si ia "ysteries+ there are processio als to the sea "ade .p of cost."ed #orshippers( ! the !sia traditio + the #orshippers the bless a papyr.s boat li%e the o e !sis .sed d.ri g her search for Osiris) body a d the later search for his body parts 3The C lt of Isis! http,CC###(. r2(co"Cc.lt.reCisis(php41 i the Ele.si ia traditio + ho#e2er+ i itiates carry s.c%li g pigs to the shore for sacrifice 3Ed#ard 9( :each + The Ele sinian Mysteries4( The Ele.si ia processio al the ret.r s to the te"ple carryi g sacred ob7ects belie2ed to ha2e bee co secrated by their goddesses *e"eter a d Persepho e( These processio als are tho.ght to represe t the 7o.r ey each goddess "ade d.ri g their respecti2e searches( ! the Ele.si ia c.lt+ there is a ree act"e t of the abd.ctio a d ret.r of Persepho e+ a d i the !sia there is o e of the death a d res.rrectio of Osiris( There is s.spected to be a ree act"e t of !sis) desce t i to the 0 der#orld to bri g her h.sba d bac% as #ell( -o"e scholars i sist that *io ys.s #as part of the Ele.si ia rites 3The Ele sinian Mysteries! by Ed#ard 9( :each4( !f so+ there #o.ld be yet a other poi t of co sa g.i ity bet#ee the goddesses, !sis+ Osiris a d /or.s are a sort of &di2i e tri ity' 3The C lt of Isis! http,CC###(. r2(co"Cc.lt.reCisis(php 4 $ #ith the additio of *io ys.s+ he+ *e"eter+ a d Persepho e for" a other &holy tri ity'+ albeit a "irror$i"age to the Egyptia ( ! fact+ there are

Nichols 5 so "a y si"ilarities bet#ee the "ysteries of !sis a d those of *e"eter that there is so"e s.spicio that the c.lt of *e"eter i Greece origi ally deri2ed+ i #hole or i part+ fro" Egypt 3:each+ The Ele sinian Mysteries4( ! co cl.sio + it is easy to see the li%e ess bet#ee these t#o a cie t+ po#erf.l+ #ell$ lo2ed goddesses despite their differe ces( Dro" their chtho ic correspo de cies+ thro.gh their searches for their belo2ed h.sba d or da.ghter+ to their secreti2e "ystery$c.lts+ *e"eter a d !sis ha2e "ore si"ilarities tha they ha2e co trasts( ?hether o e belie2es that !sis #as diff.sed to Greece thro.gh trade a d co 6.est+ or that the t#o goddesses e2ol2ed alo g parallel li es a d #ere o ly later associated #ith o e a other+ there ca be o do.bt that they tr.ly are -isters i *i2i e -pirit(

Nichols E ?or%s Cited :each+ Ed#ard 9" The Ele sinian Mysteries+ http,CC.sers(erols(co"C beachCele.sis(ht"l :elto + =a"es /a"pto + editor( An Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek and Roman Mythology+ F200@ :ora+ Cha dra"ita( The Egyptian God #et $#eth% 3http,CC###(b.GGle(co"CarticlesCegyptia $god$set$seth(ht"l4 *e2i ey+ Aargaret a d Th.ry+ E2a( &/y" to *e"eter' a d &!sis a d Osiris'+ O8fordHs Introd ction to Mythology& Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths $Third Edition% /ill+ =( Gods of Ancient Egypt& #et $#eth% 3http,CCa cie tegypto li e(co(.%Cset(ht"l4+ 2010 5ya + Ierri( The Mystery C lt of Isis 0rs.s( The C lt of Isis! http,CC###(. r2(co"Cc.lt.reCisis(php