Hi David,

Plutarch's story of Isis and Osiris tells that the box that Osiris was enclosed inside of floated out to the Delta to the far north. In this location a large tree grew up around the box and this tree was later used by a King to support the roof of his palace. The body of Osiris up to this point had not been cut up by Typhon.

In the context of a celestial metaphor, given that the box and the tree that grew up around it were positioned in the far north, I don't think this story was intended to relate to celestial objects in the southern sky, such as Orion. My interpretation of this is that the tree around the boxed body of Osiris represents the axis mundi which is a symbolic pivot-post around which the northern circumpolar stars rotate. (The Great Mooring Post was imo probably related to this.)

Later in Plurarch's account, the body of Osiris is cut into pieces, which are then scattered up and down the Nile. This accords with the traditional AE perception of the Nile and it's provinces (at least during the Late Period) as corresponding to the different parts of a human body.

In Plutarch's account On Isis and Osiris part XXI, Horus -- not Osiris -- is linked with Orion.

Ken





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2007 11:13AM by Ken B.