The Legend of Egypt’s Sacred Family

Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog.

I recently visited Egypt, so I have written the story of the Sacred Family. The Sacred Family consisted of three deities – Osiris, Isis and Horus, father, mother and son respectively. They were worshipped by the ancient Egyptians in numerous temples and monuments. Here, I have written their story from Isis’ point of view.

Image source: https://www.mygodpictures.com/osirisisis-and-horus/

How did Isis feel when her husband was murdered, when Horus trained for the most vital battle of his life and when the time finally came for him to fight?

Read on to find out.

Isis’ Records

A terrible loss has befallen me today. Because of this, the whole kingdom shall suffer. My brother-in-law, Set assassinated my husband! How dare that traitor just barge into our beautiful palace, kill my husband Osiris, and sit on the royal throne?

I immediately rushed to draw my sword, but a woman is not permitted to fight a battle, especially against a man, in the kingdom of Egypt.

Osiris has been blasted into millions of pieces by that renegade Set and I have been banished from my position as Queen of Egypt. I must seek guidance from Amun-Ra, God of the Sun, on how to resurrect Osiris.

I can only hope that he’ll help me save my husband, and consequently, all of Egypt. 

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I finally met Amun-Ra and he gave me much hope. The possibility of saving Osiris, of bringing him back to life, seems very high.

As I have recorded previously, Osiris has been broken into millions of pieces and Amun-Ra has given me wings to search for them and put Osiris’ body back together.  I shall start today, and hopefully my work will be completed by the next feast of Opet.

Image source: https://isiopolis.com/2013/12/01/why-does-isis-have-wings/

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Today is a day of joy and faith for the subjects of Egypt. After almost a year of searching, I, Queen Isis have found all the pieces of Osiris. Tomorrow, as all of Egypt watches, he shall be brought back to life. Nephthys, my beloved sister, who aided me while I was searching, shall accompany me to this delightful ceremony. I’m pleased that Osiris will finally be saved.

However, his resurrection will not be complete until his death is avenged. We must have a son who will take revenge on Set and restore harmony in Egypt. I have decided what I shall name him.

Horus, the falcon-headed god of protection shall be born this year to save us.

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It has been a long time since I last wrote. Osiris’ and my son shall be born in a month’s time. Only 30 days left! Once Horus is ready, I will see to it that he is trained well enough to take on Set and defeat him. But for now, I must wait.

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Horus is only a young and vulnerable boy now, not ready for training. However, I see a spark in him. He is brave and diligent and seeks a chance to avenge his father. In some time, he shall become one of the greatest heroes in history.

Image source: http://www.egyptianmyths.net/mythisis.htm

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Horus’ training has begun. Maat, goddess of order, is teaching him the rules of warfare, while our best warriors train him in archery. I am personally training him in the art of the spear fighting and it won’t be long before he is ready. That despicable Set better watch out!

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Horus has married Hathor, goddess of love, joy and music. She is sure to bring Horus luck when he confronts Set. She has already given us some vital news: Set knows that Horus is seeking revenge, and that coward has taken the form of a hippopotamus and is in hiding underwater to escape Horus’ wrath.

Image source: http://canacopegdl.com/keyword/horus-hathor.html

The time has come for Horus to fight what will be the greatest battle ever witnessed – a battle against Set to fully resurrect and avenge his father.

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We are sailing down the Nile, searching for any sign of Set. So far, this has proved unsuccessful but we must persevere. Hathor and I are here with Horus, to help him. Hathor is polishing his spear and sharpening its blade while she watches the water below for any sign of movement.

Wait! Horus has spotted something!

In the distance, there’s a grey dot just below the surface. We are rowing as quickly as possible towards it but…. Amun-Ra please help us!

We are here, and yes, that is Set! Horus has grabbed his spear and is lunging at that monster… that was a deft blow and it hit Set’s leg.

Image source: https://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/leg/leg07.htm

Oh! I should have known that Set would not be defeated so easily. He’s beginning to fight back…. Horus is holding his own….aah! No! Horus has been hit in the eye – this can’t be happening! Horus is failing, letting Set gain the upper hand.

I have to help him but Hathor isn’t letting me go. I must do something!

Wait…it’s alright! Horus is fighting back, valiantly swinging his spear as Set trembles at his might. He has utilised a trick I taught him years ago and now he has managed to disarm Set. Set is trying to flee, but he’s cornered. Horus has struck Set’s leg, and Set is screaming in pain.

One more strike and he’ll be unable to move. Yes! Horus has done it!

Horus has a cut in his arm and an eye has been taken out by Set. But these are mere trifles. My son, Horus, god of protection, the falcon-headed one, has destroyed Set, completed Osiris’ resurrection and rescued Egypt from a tyrant’s rule!

Horus will return victorious from this struggle and the people of Egypt shall bask in his reflected glory.

All shall kneel before Horus, King of Egypt!

The Story of Karna – A Story of True Friendship

Image courtesy: http://www.indiaheritagedesk.com/event/music-dance-rashmirathi-a-story-of-karna/

Karna, a key character in the Mahabharata (a well-known Indian epic), is a tragic hero with a unique story. He faced many difficult decisions, and people have differing opinions on whether what he did was right or wrong. Here is a short summary of his story, and what I think about it.

Karna was a charioteer’s son and his family was very poor. Despite this, Karna was very skilled in archery. One day, an archery contest was held by the royal family of Hastinapur in celebration of the Pandavas and Kauravas (princes and heirs to the throne) completing their training under their teacher, Guru Drona. Karna knew he had a chance of winning and entered the contest, in which Arjuna impressed the onlookers by shooting blindfolded, and creating fire and rain with arrows. Drona remarked that none of the participants could match Arjuna in archery. Then, Karna stood up and did everything that Arjuna had just done, equally well. Drona, astonished that somebody was as proficient in archery as Arjuna, asked Karna to compete against Arjuna and prove how dextrous he really was. That was when Karna’s father, pleased that his son could match the gifted Arjuna, rushed out of the crowd to congratulate Karna and hug him.

There was an uproar when people realised that Karna was a charioteer’s son, and he was immediately disqualified because of his caste. It was then that Duryodhana stepped forward and announced that this was unfair. Duryodhana was the oldest Kaurava and hated the Pandavas as the oldest Pandava, Yudhishtra was the heir to the Hastinapur throne. He always tried to bring about their downfall with his cunning plans. However, he thought that Karna being discriminated against was unfair as Karna was as capable as Arjuna was. So, feeling bad for Karna, Duryodhana made him the King of Anga so he too could compete in this contest for royalty. Karna felt grateful to Duryodhana and soon became his closest friend.

Many years later, the Kauravas, who wanted Hastinapur for themselves, waged war against the Pandavas, the rightful heirs to the throne. This was also when Karna realised that he was the oldest Pandava brother. He had, in effect, been abandoned at birth and adopted by a charioteer. So, why did he fight on Duryodhana’s side, against his own brothers who were on the side of righteousness?

There are many opinions on this. Karna had to choose between two important things – being righteous (Dharma) and being a true friend. Personally, I think Karna did the right thing. Duryodhana was a true friend – he helped Karna during his time of trouble – and I feel that Karna was right to repay his kindness in this manner even if it meant fighting for the wrong cause.

Let’s continue with the story.

The war went on for many days. Karna decided to confront Arjuna, whose charioteer was none other than Lord Krishna himself. When Karna’s chariot got stuck in the mud, his charioteer Shalya refused to alight from the chariot and lift the wheel out. So, Karna had to step down and try to free the wheel. At that moment, when Karna was completely defenceless, Krishna ordered Arjuna to shoot and kill Karna. That is how Karna died.

Why was he killed in such an unfair way when it was a rule in warfare to never assault an unarmed warrior? Here is Krishna’s explanation of this incident – so many times, when Duryodhana was unjust (like when his army assaulted an unarmed and lone Abhimanyu), did Karna try to stop him? No. Karna always supported Duryodhana, even when he knew that Duryodhana was wrong and unjust. And hence, Karna deserved everything that happened to him.

But I say – wasn’t Karna just doing his duty as a friend – fulfilling his Dharma as a friend? Karna was a true friend – come what may, he was always loyal to Duryodhana. Maybe he gave his loyalty wrongly, but he knew that he owed Duryodhana for his kindness and so he fought on Duryodhana’s side throughout.

And wasn’t what Krishna did also unfair? Was what happened to Karna really fair? Was it righteous

Whatever the answer to these questions, Karna is now considered a great tragic hero and his is one of the greatest stories of friendship. When he was given a choice between being a true friend and following the path of righteousness, he chose being a true friend. What would you choose?