Osiris’s tragedy ended with his body torn apart by his vindictive brother, Seth. Yet, his loyal wife Isis refused to surrender. Through her magnificent magic, she revived him to conceive their son, Horus. In the desolate Delta marshes, she hid her child in absolute secrecy. There, he gathered strength far from his uncle’s tyranny, awaiting the day of reckoning.
When the young falcon grew strong, Egyptian mythology’s greatest epic ignited. Horus was no mere power-seeker; he claimed a usurped right. Standing courageously before the divine tribunal, his eloquence captivated attendees as he demanded his father’s throne. This sparked a bitter conflict lasting eighty years.
This was no fleeting fight, but a cosmic clash between “Truth,” embodied by Horus, and “Brute Force,” represented by Seth. They engaged in terrifying combat.
Horus lost his eye, later healed by god Thoth to become a lunar symbol, while Seth suffered agonizing wounds. Throughout this struggle, Isis stood as an impenetrable fortress behind her son, harnessing cunning magic to thwart Seth’s schemes.
Though the sun god Ra initially favored Seth, admiring his mighty power, the scales of justice ultimately prevailed. The gods pronounced their historic verdict, declaring Horus’s victory and crowning him the rightful heir to the earth’s throne, launching a new era of stability. Seth was not annihilated; rather, he ascended to the sky as thunder and storms. This brilliantly reflected the ancient Egyptian belief that the universe requires a balance of opposing forces. Thus, the conflict ended, immortalizing its supreme message: tyranny does not rule the world; the ultimate word forever belongs to sincerity and truth.
“Justice is the lord of power. Kingship must go to Horus. You are the good king, and my heart rejoices when you illuminate the earth with your brilliance. O north wind, blow westward! Bring joy to the heart of Osiris with the news that his son will take his place.”
Amjad Refai is the director of the Arabic Programme at the University of Hong Kong
