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Horus

AlsoHorus

Falcon-Headed Sky God Who Avenged His Father and Became the Pharaoh Incarnate

Death and Resurrection · The Osiris Cycle
KingshipSkyRevenge

Who they are

Horus is the posthumous son of Osiris and Isis, the falcon-headed sky god, and the direct incarnation of pharaonic kingship — every living pharaoh was regarded as Horus made manifest, and became Osiris in death. Raised in secret by his mother in the marshes, he came of age to avenge his slain father on his uncle Set, and after eighty years of struggle and litigation in the divine court finally won back the throne of the living world. One of his eyes was torn out by Set in battle and then healed — and so the "Eye of Horus" (the wedjat) became Egypt's most important amulet, a sign of wholeness, healing, and protection. Horus's victory established the mythic foundation of Egyptian kingship: the pharaoh is not a mortal made king but a sky god reigning on earth, his legitimacy drawn from his defeat of chaos and his lawful inheritance from his slain father.

Primary sourcesThe Pyramid TextsThe "Contendings of Horus and Set" inscriptions at the Temple of EdfuThe Chester Beatty Papyrus

Key stories

The Eye of Horus

In a savage struggle with Set, Horus's left eye was torn out and shredded. The wisdom god Thoth (Hathor by one account) recovered the pieces one by one and healed and restored it, and this eye made whole again is the "Eye of Horus," the wedjat. It became ancient Egypt's most powerful amulet, a sign of healing, wholeness, and protection, seen everywhere on amulets, coffins, and offering lists. The six parts of the eye were even used as fraction signs. An eye lost and regained in violence became the whole civilization's token that what is broken can be repaired.

The Living Pharaoh

Horus defeated Set and inherited his father's throne, and this myth is the bedrock of the whole Egyptian idea of kingship: the living pharaoh is the incarnation of Horus, and the "Horus name" is the oldest of the pharaoh's five official titles; when a pharaoh dies he "becomes Osiris," and the accession of a new king is a new generation of Horus. The father-son, Osiris-Horus cycle embeds every succession into that myth of resurrection and inheritance. The pharaoh is therefore not authorized by a god — he is a god himself.

Relationships

Father
🌾Osiris
Mother
🪽Isis
Nemesis
🐗Set

Echoes today

Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.

The Eye of HorusThe wedjat eye is one of the most common Egyptian symbols; the pharmacy prescription sign "℞" is said by some to derive from it (disputed).

Appears in

The Contendings of Horus and SetThe Eye of HorusThe Contendings of Horus and SetHorus Takes the Throne
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