Horus

Mythology

The most famous myth: Osiris, just king of Egypt, was murdered by his envious brother Seth who dismembered his body and scattered the pieces. Isis, faithful wife of Osiris, gathered the pieces, magically resurrected Osiris briefly to conceive a son: Horus. Osiris then descended to be eternal king of the underworld, while Isis raised Horus secretly in the marshes of the Delta for him to grow up to recover the throne and avenge his father.

When Horus reached adulthood, he confronted Seth in cosmic battle — multiple combats described in the Egyptian myths, with multiple Olympic gods judging the litigation. In one of the combats, Seth tore out Horus's left eye, divided it, scattered the pieces. Thoth recovered the pieces and magically healed the eye, returning it to Horus — origin of the Eye of Horus (Wadjet/Udyat) symbol of restoration and divine protection. Horus finally won the litigation and was confirmed as legitimate king of Egypt; Seth was banished. From this myth comes the fundamental Egyptian theology: each living pharaoh is incarnation of Horus (king of the surface), and each deceased pharaoh becomes Osiris (king of the lower realm).

Symbolism

Iconography: head of falcon on a male body. Sometimes simply represented as falcon or as solar disk crowning the head. His two eyes have specific significance: the right eye is the solar (Eye of Ra in some interpretations); the left eye is the lunar (the Eye of Horus or Wadjet, the wounded and healed). Symbols: winged solar disk (one of the most universal Egyptian symbols), was sceptre, ankh, double crown (combined of Upper and Lower Egypt — Horus is unifier of the lands).

Multiple aspects of Horus: Horus the Elder (Heru-ur, ancient sky god), Horus son of Isis (the most popular, who avenged his father), Horus of the Horizons (Heru-akhty, identified with Ra), Horus child (Harpocrates, particularly venerated in Hellenistic Egypt as protective child god). Each Egyptian local cult emphasised different aspects.

In modern esoteric tradition, Horus represents: 1) Triumph of light over darkness (Horus over Seth). 2) Restoration of the wound (his recovered eye). 3) Just sovereign authority (legitimate king who recovers the throne usurped). 4) Spiritual vigilance (the falcon eye that sees from above with sharp acuity). 5) Solar protection. Aleister Crowley declared in 1904 that humanity had entered the "aeon of Horus" — new age of energetic vigilant consciousness, replacing earlier aeons of Isis (mother) and Osiris (martyred father).