The goddess Isis suckling her son Horus
Isis is a model loyal companion, wife, widow, and mother. She helped her husband Osiris create the foundations of human civilization on earth. When Osiris was slain by Seth, Isis did not rest until she had found his remains. With the help of her sister Nephthys and the god Anubis, she restored the body as a mummy. Using magic, she brought the body to life long enough to conceive their son, Horus. During her pregnancy and the first years of her child's life, she hid from Seth in the swamplands of Khemmis, a mythical island in the Delta. Various legends recount how the infant Horus (Heru-pa-khered in Egyptian, Harpocrates in Greek) survived scorpion stings thanks to his mother's knowledge of magic. He is represented as a child according to the conventions of Egyptian art: naked, a finger on his lips, and with a lock of hair falling from the side of his head.
This large granite statue is a time-honored depiction: the goddess is seated in a heiratic pose, offering her breast to the child seated on her lap. It was dedicated by the "divine worshipper" Shepenwepet II, daughter of King Piankhy.
The cult of Isis as the universal mother spread throughout the entire Mediterranean region during the Roman period. Her sanctuary in Philae was the last Egyptian temple closed under Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. This image of the goddess Isis breastfeeding her son was reproduced in thousands of bronze and faience copies.
How to get to the next stop:
Go down the staircase in front of the naos to the Osiris crypt, which leads to the other side of the Cour Carrée, under the passage opposite the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois. The large granite sarcophagus of King Ramesses III lies in the center of the crypt.
This large granite statue is a time-honored depiction: the goddess is seated in a heiratic pose, offering her breast to the child seated on her lap. It was dedicated by the "divine worshipper" Shepenwepet II, daughter of King Piankhy.
The cult of Isis as the universal mother spread throughout the entire Mediterranean region during the Roman period. Her sanctuary in Philae was the last Egyptian temple closed under Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. This image of the goddess Isis breastfeeding her son was reproduced in thousands of bronze and faience copies.
How to get to the next stop:
Go down the staircase in front of the naos to the Osiris crypt, which leads to the other side of the Cour Carrée, under the passage opposite the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois. The large granite sarcophagus of King Ramesses III lies in the center of the crypt.
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