Isis, goddess of motherhood and magic, is one of the most well-known goddesses from ancient Egypt. She rose to prominence as a member of the Ennead of Heliopolis. Isis was the sister-wife of the god Osiris, responsible for creating the afterlife for him and others to well in, and the mother of Horus, the divine equivalent of the pharaoh, linking her closely with ideas of kingship and succession. She was the most powerful magic worker in the Egyptian pantheon, which meant that she was called on for many purposes, such as healing and protection. Here are seven must-know facts about the Egyptian goddess Isis.
1. Isis’ Symbol was a Throne
While we know the goddess as Isis, this is the Greek form of her name. The ancient Egyptian word may have been closer to “Eset,” which can be roughly translated to “Queen of Thrones.” In hieroglyphics, the symbols include a throne image, which the goddess also wears on her head as a sign of her identity. Isis was most commonly depicted as a woman with the typical attributes of a goddess, including a sheath dress, a staff of papyrus in one hand, and an ankh sign in the other. Her original headdress was the throne sign used in writing her name, though she adopted other headdresses over time, such as the sun disk between cow horns.
2. Isis’ Importance and Popularity Changed Over Time
Egyptian religion was never monolithic but a collection of deities and beliefs from different parts of the country. Gods rose and fell in popularity based on which areas of the country were most powerful. Isis is unknown from the Pre-Dynastic period, and the first references to her date from the 5th dynasty as a member of the Ennead of Heliopolis, the first nine Egyptian gods descended from the creator god. She rose in popularity quickly, and by the New Kingdom, she had adopted the characteristics of goddesses that had previously been important, such as the goddess Hathor. Under the Ptolemies, she was associated with the Greek goddess Artemis and became a sky goddess. When Egypt came under the influence of the Roman emperors, her worship spread throughout the Roman Empire.
3. Isis Plays an Important Role in the Osiris Myth
The Egyptian goddess Isis plays an important role in the Osiris myth, one of the foundational myths of the ancient Egyptians dating to the Old Kingdom. According to the myth, Osiris and his wife Isis were the first rulers of the world. Together, they taught the wayward men and women of the world how to live a civilized and productive life. But Osiris’ brother Seth was jealous and plotted to kill his brother, chopping up his body and distributing it around Egypt.
With the help of her sister Nephthys, Isis was able to retrieve the pieces of Osiris’ body and reanimate it so that she could impregnate herself with their son Horus. But the life she gave Osiris was only a half-life, and she could not restore him to the world of the living. Instead, she used her magic to create the Duat for Osiris to dwell in, where he was joined by others who died. Thus, the afterlife was created for all.
4. Isis Was a Mother Goddess & Goddess of Egyptian Kingship
The other most important story about Isis in ancient Egyptian religion was raising her son Horus and protecting him from Seth. She gave birth to him in secret in the Delta marshlands, and images of Isis nursing Horus were popular in Egyptian art. Once he was grown, Horus challenged Seth to win the rulership of the world that his father had previously held. Horus was the divine king, and the pharaoh was seen as his incarnation on earth. Meanwhile, Isis was the wife of King Osiris and the mother of King Horus. So, while the pharaoh identified with Horus, the women in his family identified with Isis.
5. Isis Was a Powerful Magic Worker
It was the magic of Isis that created the Duat, but this was only one example of her magical prowess. Isis was thought to have magical powers greater than that of all the other Egyptian deities. Isis is said to have tricked the god Ra into giving her more power. She collected some of Ra’s own drool and used it to create a serpent that she placed upon Ra’s daily path. The snake bit Ra, and he was unable to heal himself because the snake was made from him. He eventually called Isis to heal him, and she only agreed to do so if Ra told her his true name. This knowledge gave Isis enormous power in the universe.
Because she was so powerful, Isis was called on for many reasons in Egyptian society, including as a magical healer and a protector. In addition to the throne, her symbols included the sistrum rattle, a musical instrument used to ward off evil spirits, and the tyet, a knot-like symbol that represents “welfare” or “life.”
6. Egyptians Built Many Temples in Her Honor
Ancient Egyptians built a series of temples in order to worship Isis. One was near the Nile delta at Behbeit el-Hagar. Another was constructed on the island of Philae between 380 and 362 BCE, known as the Philae Temple of Isis. She had temples in Rome from at last the 1st century BCE. Amazingly, a temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis was even excavated by archaeologists in the ruins of Pompeii, which was remarkably well-preserved.
7. The Egyptian Goddess Isis Might Have Influenced Christianity
In Egyptian mythology, Isis conceived a child through magical means. She also had a particularly close, devotional relationship with her only child, a son who became a great ruler. Naturally, this has led historians to speculate if Isis came to inspire the Virgin Mary of the Christian Bible, who came many centuries later.
Originally published: August 17, 2022. Last update: February 24, 2025, by Jessica Suess.
