What Is the Ancient Egyptian Myth Surrounding Sirius?

From Geb, the earth god, and Nut, the sky goddess came four children: Osiris, Isis, Set and Nepthys. Osiris is represented by the constellation Orion and so became King of Egypt, and he married his sister Isis who is represented by, or believed to descend from, Sirius. Osiris was a good king and commanded the respect of all who lived on the earth and the gods who dwelled in the netherworld.

However, Set was always jealous of Osiris, because he did not command the respect of those on earth or those in the netherworld. One day, Set transformed himself into a vicious monster and attacked Osiris, killing him. Set then cut Osiris into pieces and distributed them throughout the length and breadth of Egypt.

With Osiris dying, Set became king of Egypt, with his sister Nepthys as his wife. Nepthys, however, felt sorry for her sister Isis, who wept endlessly over losing her husband. Isis, who had great magical powers, decided to find her husband and bring him back to life long enough so that they could have a child. Together with Nepthys, Isis roamed the country, collecting the pieces of her husband’s body and reassembling them. Once she completed this task, she breathed the breath of life into his body and resurrected him. They were together again, and Isis became pregnant soon after.

The child born to Isis was named Horus, the Sun God. When he became an adult, Horus decided to make a case before the court of gods that he, not Set, was the rightful king of Egypt. A long period of argument followed, and Set challenged Horus to a contest. The winner would become king.