Ancient Egyptian Religion · deity

Horus

also: Horus · Hr

deitythe skykingshipthe sun (as Horakhty)the falconthe protector of the pharaoh

The falcon god of the sky and of kingship; son of Osiris and Isis; he avenges his father by defeating Set. The living pharaoh is Horus; the dead pharaoh becomes Osiris.

The Falcon God Horus · Unknown (Egyptian workshop) · Ptolemaic period (approx. 305-30 BCE) · Walters Art Museum (via Wikimedia Commons) · Public domain

The account

Who they are

Horus is the falcon god of the sky and of kingship [S4]. In the Osiris cycle, he is the son of Osiris and Isis, born after Osiris's murder, and his life's task is to avenge his father by defeating Set and reclaiming the throne [S3][S4]. The great myth of Horus vs. Set is a long, episodic struggle (preserved in the 'Contendings of Horus and Set') in which the two cousins fight for the throne of Egypt, judged by the Ennead [S4]. Horus wins, and becomes the king of the unified Egypt [S4]. The living pharaoh is identified with Horus (Horus 'so-and-so' is the pharaoh's name); the dead pharaoh becomes Osiris [S4]. There is also an 'elder' Horus (Harsomatus / the son of the first Horus) in some genealogies [S4]. The 'Eye of Horus' (the wedjat) is the broken-and-restored eye that Horus lost to Set and regained — a symbol of healing and protection [S4].

Worth knowing

Falcon god of the sky and kingship [S4].
Son of Osiris and Isis; avenges his father against Set [S3][S4].
The living pharaoh is Horus; the dead pharaoh becomes Osiris [S4].
The 'Eye of Horus' (wedjat) is a symbol of healing [S4].

Uncertainties & variants

The 'two Horuses' (the sky-falcon and the son of Osiris) are sometimes treated as the same god and sometimes as distinct; the sources are not consistent [S4].

Relationships (9)

Connections

Family & kinship

PARENT_OFOsiris — Osiris (with Isis) is the parent of Horus.[S3] [S4]

PARENT_OFIsis — Isis is the parent of Horus.[S3] [S4]

PARENT_OFHorus the Elder (Harsomatus) — (In some genealogies) Horus the Elder (Harsomatus) is the parent of the younger Horus.[S4]

Conflict & enmity

ENEMY_OFSet (Seth) — Horus and Set are the great enemies, fighting for the throne.[S4]

FOUGHTSet (Seth) — Horus and Set fight in the 'Contendings' for the throne of Egypt.[S4]

Alliances & rule

ALLY_OFIsis — Isis protects and supports Horus in his quest against Set.[S3] [S4]

ALLY_OFAnubis — Anubis protects the young Horus and the throne.[S4]

ASSOCIATED_WITHPschent (the Double Crown) — The Pschent is the crown of the pharaoh, the living Horus.[S1]

ASSOCIATED_WITHPschent (the Double Crown) — The Double Crown is the emblem of the pharaoh as Horus.[S1]

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Myths featuring Horus

3 stories

The Murder of Osiris

Set, jealous of his brother Osiris (the rightful king), lured him to a banquet. Set brought a coffin that he had measured to Osiris's exact size; when Osiris lay down in it, Set seized him, wrapped him in the coffin, sealed it with lead, and threw it into the Nile. The chest washed down-river and out to sea, washing up in Byblos, where a tamarisk tree grew around it [S3][S4].

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Isis Restores Osiris

Isis (with the help of Nephthys) searched for the scattered pieces of Osiris's body. She found all the pieces except the genitals (which had been eaten by a fish in the Nile). She reassembled the body, used her magic to restore Osiris to life, and through their union conceived Horus [S3][S4]. Anubis mummified the body, making Osiris the first mummy [S3][S4].

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The Contendings of Horus and Set

Horus (the son of Osiris) and Set (the murderer) fight for the throne of Egypt. The 'Contendings' is a long, episodic struggle in which the two cousins fight, each claiming the throne, and the Ennead (the nine gods) judges between them. Horus ultimately wins, and becomes the king of the unified Egypt [S4].

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Artifacts of Horus

Objects they wielded, forged, or were bound to

INTERPRETIVE CLASSIFICATION · FULL PROFILE IN THE DIVINE VAULT

Pschent (the Double Crown)

A · LegendaryAssociated

Artworks

Depictions

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