Osiris

Osiris was a principal deity in ancient Egypt, governing fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, resurrection, and vegetation. Depicted with green skin, a pharaoh's beard, partial mummy wrappings, an atef crown, and holding a crook and flail, he was among the first gods associated with mummification.

After being murdered and dismembered by his brother Set, Osiris was restored when his sister-wife Isis, with Nephthys's help, collected and wrapped his body parts (except his genitalia), enabling his resurrection. His worship flourished until Egyptian religion declined during Rome's Christianization.

In the pantheon, Osiris was the eldest child of earth god Geb and sky goddess Nut, husband to Isis, and brother to Set, Nephthys, and Horus the Elder. His posthumously conceived son was Horus the Younger. Through association with Iah, he gained lunar aspects.

As "Lord of Silence" and "Foremost of the Westerners," Osiris ruled the underworld and judged the dead. While Old Kingdom pharaohs primarily identified with Ra after death, later kings became associated with Osiris, seeking eternal life through this connection.

Osiris symbolized natural cycles—vegetation growth, the Nile's flooding, and the rising of Orion and Sirius at the new year. The earliest evidence of his worship dates to the Fifth Dynasty, though he was likely venerated earlier.

Some Egyptologists theorize Osiris originated as a Predynastic ruler, possibly a Delta shepherd whose beneficial reign led to deification—supported by his shepherd's implements which were originally insignia of the Delta god Andjety.