Isis

Isis (Greek version, Egyptian is Aset) is the goddess of motherhood and fertility in ancient Egypt. She is a life-death-rebirth deity (see Legend of Osiris and Isis), as well as one of the Ennead. Later, she acquired the goddess Sopdet.

Originally, she was a goddess of royalty (her hieroglyph includes the word for "throne"). Later still (During the period of Greek dominance), she was the patron goddess of sailors.

She was a close companion of Arensnuphis.

Isis was the daughter of Nuit, goddess of the sky, and Seb, god of earth. She married with Osiris, her brother and the father of her son Horus. Osiris was murdered by Seth but she reassembled his body (leading to her associated with the underworld and the funerary cult) and impregnated herself with his body and gave birth to Horus in Khemnis[?], a swamp. In addition to Horus, Isis was the mother of Min (alternatively, they were lovers).

Together with her sister Nephthys they can be seen on the sides of coffins in human form, their wings outstreched protecting the dead. The sisters also had magical powers.

Isis helped her husband, killed by Seth, to come back to live and take over the rule in the land of the dead.

Isis is often symbolised by a cow, or also a cow's head or horns (illustrating a connection with Hathor). In art, she was depicted with her son, Horus, a crown and a vulture, and sometimes as a kite flying above Osiris' body.

Alternatively, Isis was identified as the scorpion goddess Serq or Selk.

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Isis is also the name of a place in Queensland (see Ipswich, Australia[?]) and also the name of the Thames in Oxford.