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It was a feast like Egypt 
had never seen before.

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The warrior god Set and his wife, 
the goddess Nephtys,

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decorated an extravagant hall 
for the occasion,

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with a beautiful wooden chest 
as the centerpiece.

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They invited all the most important gods,
dozens of lesser deities,

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and foreign monarchs.

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But no one caused as big a stir as Set 
and Nephtys’s older brother Osiris,

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the god who ruled all of Egypt 
and had brought prosperity to everyone.

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Set announced a game—

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whoever could fit perfectly in the chest
could have it as a gift.

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One by one, the guests clambered in,
but no one fit.

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Finally, it was Osiris’s turn.

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As he lay down, everyone could see
it was a perfect fit—

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another win for the god 
who could do no wrong.

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Then Set slammed the lid down 
with Osiris still inside, sealed it shut,

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and tossed it into the Nile.

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The chest was a coffin.

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Set had constructed it specifically 
to trap his brother

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and planned the party to lure him into it.

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Set had long been jealous 
of his brother’s successful reign,

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and hoped to replace 
him as the ruler of all Egypt.

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The Nile bore the coffin out to sea 
and it drifted for many days

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before washing ashore near Byblos, 
where a great cedar grew around it.

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The essence of the god within 
gave the tree a divine aura,

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and when the king of Byblos noticed it,

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he ordered the tree cut down
and brought to his palace.

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Unbeknownst to him,

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the coffin containing Egypt’s 
most powerful god was still inside.

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Set’s victory seemed complete, 
but he hadn’t counted on his sisters.

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Set’s wife Nephtys was also his sister,

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while their other sister, 
the goddess Isis,

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was married to their brother Osiris.

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Isis was determined to find Osiris,

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and enlisted Nephtys’s help 
behind Set’s back.

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The two sisters took the shape 
of falcons and travelled far and wide.

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Some children who had seen 
the coffin float by

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pointed them to the palace of Byblos.

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Isis adopted a new disguise 
and approached the palace.

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The queen was so charmed 
by the disguised goddess

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that she entrusted her 
with nursing the baby prince.

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Isis decided to make the child immortal 
by bathing him in flame.

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When the horrified queen 
came upon this scene,

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Isis revealed herself 
and demanded the tree.

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When she cut the coffin from the trunk
and opened it,

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Osiris was dead inside.

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Weeping, she carried his body 
back to Egypt and hid it in a swamp,

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while she set off in search 
of a means of resurrecting him.

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But while she was gone,

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Set found the body 
and cut it into many pieces,

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scattering them throughout Egypt.

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Isis had lost Osiris for the second time,
but she did not give up.

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She searched all over the land,
traveling in a boat of papyrus.

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One by one, she tracked down 
the parts

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of her husband’s dismembered body
in every province of Egypt,

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holding a funeral for each piece.

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At long last, she had recovered
every piece but one—

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his penis, 
which a fish in the Nile had eaten.

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Working with what she had, Isis 
reconstructed and revived her husband.

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But without his penis, 
Osiris was incomplete.

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He could not remain among the living,

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could not return to his old position 
as ruler of Egypt.

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Instead, he would have to rule over Duat,
the realm of the dead.

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Before he went, though, he and Isis 
conceived a son to bear Osiris’s legacy—

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and one day, avenge him.