0:00:07.086,0:00:10.556 It was a feast like Egypt [br]had never seen before. 0:00:10.556,0:00:14.126 The warrior god Set and his wife, [br]the goddess Nephtys, 0:00:14.126,0:00:17.056 decorated an extravagant hall [br]for the occasion, 0:00:17.056,0:00:20.120 with a beautiful wooden chest [br]as the centerpiece. 0:00:20.120,0:00:24.530 They invited all the most important gods,[br]dozens of lesser deities, 0:00:24.530,0:00:26.560 and foreign monarchs. 0:00:26.560,0:00:32.792 But no one caused as big a stir as Set [br]and Nephtys’s older brother Osiris, 0:00:32.792,0:00:37.770 the god who ruled all of Egypt [br]and had brought prosperity to everyone. 0:00:37.770,0:00:39.640 Set announced a game— 0:00:39.640,0:00:43.957 whoever could fit perfectly in the chest[br]could have it as a gift. 0:00:43.957,0:00:47.777 One by one, the guests clambered in,[br]but no one fit. 0:00:47.777,0:00:50.117 Finally, it was Osiris’s turn. 0:00:50.117,0:00:53.987 As he lay down, everyone could see[br]it was a perfect fit— 0:00:53.987,0:00:57.227 another win for the god [br]who could do no wrong. 0:00:57.227,0:01:03.319 Then Set slammed the lid down [br]with Osiris still inside, sealed it shut, 0:01:03.319,0:01:05.779 and tossed it into the Nile. 0:01:05.779,0:01:07.889 The chest was a coffin. 0:01:07.889,0:01:11.159 Set had constructed it specifically [br]to trap his brother 0:01:11.159,0:01:14.329 and planned the party to lure him into it. 0:01:14.329,0:01:17.789 Set had long been jealous [br]of his brother’s successful reign, 0:01:17.789,0:01:22.406 and hoped to replace [br]him as the ruler of all Egypt. 0:01:22.406,0:01:26.176 The Nile bore the coffin out to sea [br]and it drifted for many days 0:01:26.176,0:01:31.315 before washing ashore near Byblos, [br]where a great cedar grew around it. 0:01:31.315,0:01:35.105 The essence of the god within [br]gave the tree a divine aura, 0:01:35.105,0:01:37.305 and when the king of Byblos noticed it, 0:01:37.305,0:01:40.665 he ordered the tree cut down[br]and brought to his palace. 0:01:40.665,0:01:42.095 Unbeknownst to him, 0:01:42.095,0:01:47.050 the coffin containing Egypt’s [br]most powerful god was still inside. 0:01:47.050,0:01:51.401 Set’s victory seemed complete, [br]but he hadn’t counted on his sisters. 0:01:51.401,0:01:54.461 Set’s wife Nephtys was also his sister, 0:01:54.461,0:01:57.413 while their other sister, [br]the goddess Isis, 0:01:57.413,0:01:59.433 was married to their brother Osiris. 0:01:59.433,0:02:02.288 Isis was determined to find Osiris, 0:02:02.288,0:02:05.828 and enlisted Nephtys’s help [br]behind Set’s back. 0:02:05.828,0:02:10.732 The two sisters took the shape [br]of falcons and travelled far and wide. 0:02:10.732,0:02:13.532 Some children who had seen [br]the coffin float by 0:02:13.532,0:02:16.152 pointed them to the palace of Byblos. 0:02:16.152,0:02:19.812 Isis adopted a new disguise [br]and approached the palace. 0:02:19.812,0:02:22.782 The queen was so charmed [br]by the disguised goddess 0:02:22.782,0:02:26.682 that she entrusted her [br]with nursing the baby prince. 0:02:26.682,0:02:31.147 Isis decided to make the child immortal [br]by bathing him in flame. 0:02:31.147,0:02:34.167 When the horrified queen [br]came upon this scene, 0:02:34.167,0:02:38.291 Isis revealed herself [br]and demanded the tree. 0:02:38.291,0:02:41.501 When she cut the coffin from the trunk[br]and opened it, 0:02:41.501,0:02:44.121 Osiris was dead inside. 0:02:44.121,0:02:48.389 Weeping, she carried his body [br]back to Egypt and hid it in a swamp, 0:02:48.389,0:02:51.719 while she set off in search [br]of a means of resurrecting him. 0:02:51.719,0:02:53.279 But while she was gone, 0:02:53.279,0:02:57.279 Set found the body [br]and cut into many pieces, 0:02:57.279,0:02:59.449 scattering them throughout Egypt. 0:02:59.449,0:03:04.113 Isis had lost Osiris for the second time,[br]but she did not give up. 0:03:04.113,0:03:08.563 She searched all over the land,[br]traveling in a boat of papyrus. 0:03:08.563,0:03:10.981 One by one, she tracked down [br]the parts 0:03:10.981,0:03:15.381 of her husband’s dismembered body[br]in every province of Egypt, 0:03:15.381,0:03:17.775 holding a funeral for each piece. 0:03:17.775,0:03:21.775 At long last, she had recovered[br]every piece but one— 0:03:21.775,0:03:26.629 his penis, [br]which a fish in the Nile had eaten. 0:03:26.629,0:03:31.063 Working with what she had, Isis [br]reconstructed and revived her husband. 0:03:31.063,0:03:34.553 But without his penis, [br]Osiris was incomplete. 0:03:34.553,0:03:36.583 He could not remain among the living, 0:03:36.583,0:03:40.696 could not return to his old position [br]as ruler of Egypt. 0:03:40.696,0:03:45.242 Instead, he would have to rule over Duat,[br]the realm of the dead. 0:03:45.242,0:03:51.697 Before he went, though, he and Isis [br]conceived a son to bear Osiris’s legacy— 0:03:51.697,0:03:53.818 and one day, avenge him.