The Ridpath Library of Universal Literature: A Biographical and Bibliographical Summary of the World's Most Eminent Authors, Including the Choicest Extracts and Masterpieces from Their Writings, Volume 15
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ...M. Lefebvre recognizes in the name " Osiris" the meaning of " the infernal abode," or "the nocturnal residence of the sacred eye;" for in the duel of Set and Horus he sees a mythical account of the daily setting of the sun. " Osiris himself--the sun at his setting--became a centre round which the other ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ...M. Lefebvre recognizes in the name " Osiris" the meaning of " the infernal abode," or "the nocturnal residence of the sacred eye;" for in the duel of Set and Horus he sees a mythical account of the daily setting of the sun. " Osiris himself--the sun at his setting--became a centre round which the other incidents of the war of the gods gradually crystallized." Osiris is also the Earth. It would be difficult either to prove or disprove this contention, and the usual divergency of opinion as to the meaning and etymology of the word " Osiris" has always prevailed. Plutarch identifies Osiris with Hades; "both," says M. Lefebvre, " originally meant the dwelling--and came to mean the god--of the dead." In the same spirit Anubis, the jackal (a beast still degraded as a-ghost by the Egyptians), is explained as " the circle of the horizon," or " the portal of the land of darkness," the gate kept--as Homer would say--by Hades, the mighty warden. Whether it is more natural that men should represent the circle of the horizon as a jackal, or that a jackal totem should survive as a god, mythologists will decide for themselves. The jackal, by a myth which cannot be called pious, was said to have eaten his father Osiris. Thus, throughout the whole realm of Egyptian myths, when we find beast-gods, blasphemous fables, apparent nature-myths, such as are familiar in Australia, South Africa, or among the Eskimo, we may imagine that they are the symbols of noble ideas, deemed appropriate by priestly fancy. Thus the hieroglyphic name of Ptah, for example, shows a little figure carrying something on his head; and this denotes " Him who raised the heaven above the earth." But is this image derived from un point de vue philosophiquc, or is it borrowed from a tale like that...
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