Basilisk or Cockatrice is the king of snake. It's the mystic creature from European and Middle Eastern Folklore. It was told to be a half snake, half chicken mystic creature. The legend of its birth was developed and added from many people from many century. Venerable Bede was the first person that said it was born from yolk-less egg. Then other authors added more story about laying in Sirius days by 7 years old rooster and hatch by a toad.
According to legend, there are 2 species for this creature. One is the kind that burn everything in the way that they go and another kind, the famous one, can kill everything by just looking. Both kind can weak plant, rot fruits from distance, pollute water that it drank for centuries and shatter the stone by its breath. Its poison was so dreadful that if a man who riding a horse try to kill it with the spear, the poison which conduct through weapon will kill both the man and his horse.
The ways to kill Basilisk are to hold mirror for it to see its own reflection, the fight with the weasel, the animal that immune to Basilisk glance and if it was bitten it will retreat to eat rue plant that wasn't weak with Basilisk breath and come back to fight with Basilisk again. The arch enemy of Basilisk is a cock because if Basilisk hear its crow, it will die immediately.
Although from the description, it suppose to be giant snake but for some place like Cyrene that was record by Pliny the Elder in Natural's History in 79 AD, Basilisk is just a small snake not more than 12 fingers in length but its venom is deadly.
Basilisk's corp was used for keep spider away by hanging it in the building just like the temple of Apollo and Diana. It's also the guardian city of Basel in Swiss.
It was also become part of ingredient for alchemy until 17th century. Theophilus Presbyter mentioned in his book about creating Basilisk in order to get copper for Spanish Gold. Hermes Trismegistus said that Basilisk's ash had ability to convert silver into gold
To see more about what the symbol of Basilisk is, please visit Symbolic Collection.
Jan 6, 2010
Jan 3, 2010
Egptian God: Osiris
Osiris or Usiris are actually Greek name. His name in Egyptian language are Asar, Aser, Ausir, Wesir, Usir, Usire and Ausare.
He is the most famous God of the Egyptian Religion. He was widely worshiped until Christian era. He is some kind of culture hero since some legend believe that he is the one who invented and taught people about agriculture, winery, build first temple and he is also the commander of the army of the ghost.
He is the Lord of The Far World or Lord of The Death but he also the god who granted all life and sprouting crops and fertile flood of Nile. He was highly worshiped for this since he isn't just the God of Grain but he is grain himself. Since Egyptian consider the Blessed Dead as 'The Living One' so Osiris also was called 'King of The Living' too. He was highly worshiped after Old Kingdom era, from the standard offering that was changed from Anubis to Osiris.
Every Pharaoh believed they will unite with Osiris in death for when Osiris rose from the death, they would rise as well. But in the era of New Kingdom, everyone believed that they will unite with Osiris if they perform the ritual faithfully.
His appearance is mummy with Atef crown (similar to white crown of the Egyptian but has 2 feathers at each side) and sometime have wheat sprouting from his body. He also carried crook and frail. His skin is green, the color of rebirth or black, the color of black soil of river Nile. He is the only god from Egyptian religion that didn't carry Ankh, the symbol of life.
Osiris is the son of Nut, goddess of cosmic space and sky, and Seb, god of the earth. He married to his sister Isis,goddess of fertility. They have Horus, the god of sky and protector of the dead as a son after Osiris rose from dead.
There are many legend of him. Some said that after he taught everything to people( like bake, brew, art of sculpture, musical and theatrical) he decided to travel around the world and give his knowledge to his sister and wife, Isis, to take care Egypt.
Another legend, may be the most famous one, Osiris was killed by his brother and rival Seth who filled with envy. At first Seth put Osiris body into a chest and throw it away in river Nile. The chest washed up on the shore and stuck in the huge tree. King Byblos turned it into the pillar for his palace where Isis, who searching for Osiris' body, found the chest and retrieved Osiris' body.
So this time, While Isis was away, Seth cut Osiris' body into many pieces and scattered them throughout the Egypt. Isis journeyed through out the Egypt to search for every pieces of the body with the help of Anubis. After they found them, Anubis had mummification him by the act of embalming and Isis changed into a kite and fanned breath into Osiris. Thus Osiris rose from death and become the very first mummy.
Abydos is the city that was believed that Osiris' head was found so it became his center of worship.
After he rose from death, he was recognized as 'Kheti-Amentu' which means 'Foremost of the Westerners'.
Later in Ptolemy Dynasty, Pharaohs decided to present god that would be acceptable to both Egyptian and Greek. At first, Pharaohs thought about Amon but the Greeks don't really respect god with animal headed figure. So they turned their interest into Apis, a bull that might represent a king that become god after death which were taken in Osiris. With this strong connection to Osiris, this new God was name 'Aser-hapi' or 'Osiris-Apis' and later became 'Serapis'.
Serapis sculpture in Alexandria was resembled to Hades or Pluto. They are the Lord of The Dead with sceptre to show their position of being ruler and serpent at the base of the statue is the symbol of royalty in Egypt; Uraeus, they decided where human souls will be stay after they died by enthrone with modius, they have Cerberus (Anubis for Greek and Roman), the Gate Keeper of the Underworld at their service, resting at his feet.
Osiris was worshiped until 6th century around the upper part of Nile when Justinian l decided to destroy all sanctuaries.
He is the most famous God of the Egyptian Religion. He was widely worshiped until Christian era. He is some kind of culture hero since some legend believe that he is the one who invented and taught people about agriculture, winery, build first temple and he is also the commander of the army of the ghost.
He is the Lord of The Far World or Lord of The Death but he also the god who granted all life and sprouting crops and fertile flood of Nile. He was highly worshiped for this since he isn't just the God of Grain but he is grain himself. Since Egyptian consider the Blessed Dead as 'The Living One' so Osiris also was called 'King of The Living' too. He was highly worshiped after Old Kingdom era, from the standard offering that was changed from Anubis to Osiris.
Every Pharaoh believed they will unite with Osiris in death for when Osiris rose from the death, they would rise as well. But in the era of New Kingdom, everyone believed that they will unite with Osiris if they perform the ritual faithfully.
His appearance is mummy with Atef crown (similar to white crown of the Egyptian but has 2 feathers at each side) and sometime have wheat sprouting from his body. He also carried crook and frail. His skin is green, the color of rebirth or black, the color of black soil of river Nile. He is the only god from Egyptian religion that didn't carry Ankh, the symbol of life.
Osiris is the son of Nut, goddess of cosmic space and sky, and Seb, god of the earth. He married to his sister Isis,goddess of fertility. They have Horus, the god of sky and protector of the dead as a son after Osiris rose from dead.
There are many legend of him. Some said that after he taught everything to people( like bake, brew, art of sculpture, musical and theatrical) he decided to travel around the world and give his knowledge to his sister and wife, Isis, to take care Egypt.
Another legend, may be the most famous one, Osiris was killed by his brother and rival Seth who filled with envy. At first Seth put Osiris body into a chest and throw it away in river Nile. The chest washed up on the shore and stuck in the huge tree. King Byblos turned it into the pillar for his palace where Isis, who searching for Osiris' body, found the chest and retrieved Osiris' body.
So this time, While Isis was away, Seth cut Osiris' body into many pieces and scattered them throughout the Egypt. Isis journeyed through out the Egypt to search for every pieces of the body with the help of Anubis. After they found them, Anubis had mummification him by the act of embalming and Isis changed into a kite and fanned breath into Osiris. Thus Osiris rose from death and become the very first mummy.
Abydos is the city that was believed that Osiris' head was found so it became his center of worship.
After he rose from death, he was recognized as 'Kheti-Amentu' which means 'Foremost of the Westerners'.
Later in Ptolemy Dynasty, Pharaohs decided to present god that would be acceptable to both Egyptian and Greek. At first, Pharaohs thought about Amon but the Greeks don't really respect god with animal headed figure. So they turned their interest into Apis, a bull that might represent a king that become god after death which were taken in Osiris. With this strong connection to Osiris, this new God was name 'Aser-hapi' or 'Osiris-Apis' and later became 'Serapis'.
Serapis sculpture in Alexandria was resembled to Hades or Pluto. They are the Lord of The Dead with sceptre to show their position of being ruler and serpent at the base of the statue is the symbol of royalty in Egypt; Uraeus, they decided where human souls will be stay after they died by enthrone with modius, they have Cerberus (Anubis for Greek and Roman), the Gate Keeper of the Underworld at their service, resting at his feet.
Osiris was worshiped until 6th century around the upper part of Nile when Justinian l decided to destroy all sanctuaries.
Osiris' Hieroglyphs
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