What is it about Gods that captures our attention so fully?

For years we’ve been reading of the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.  Even a few Irish and Scottish thrown in for good measure.  They are sexy and powerful.  Most often they are portrayed as spoiled, evil, or just don’t care.  Sometimes, it’s the love of a good woman (or man) that brings them down off the pedestal and humanizes them.

In Egypt, things are different.  The gods and goddess stories of Egypt are typically based on people who once truly did live on the earth and walked among the people.  Or at least, that’s what is believed.  Some say they are elaborate stories made to make pharaohs look more powerful in years to come, deified to something other than human, rather than someone who began as deified.  

I thought, since we all love a little “deity” in our stories, I thought I’d share part of my prologue to Visions of Fire & Ice

One of the most told stories in Egypt is of Osiris and Isis, their son Horus, and of the god of chaos, Set.  There are so many versions of this story  it’s akin to tales of the Fae, changing with each generation, or the morale needed to be shared.  The version that I found most interesting has ow been twisted into another form – one of pure fiction.  My fiction.  If you know your Egyptian lore, you can liken it to one of the many stories told.  This begins after the culimination of the 30 year war between Set and Horus.   I hope you enjoy!

Light pierced his lids, and, at last, Set opened his eyes. He sat on the banks of the Nile. The sand of the riverside was broken by reeds and papyrus plants, the surface of the water sparkling in the bright noonday sun. He dragged himself to his feet.

The entire pantheon of gods stood in a half moon around the beach.

Watching.

Judging.

His gaze trailed past them. Isis. Neferhemet,  beautiful woman, beautiful sister, wife of his brother. He took a moment to admire the graceful sway of her back, the curtain of ebony hair draping heavily past her shoulders, and the curve of her wide, voluptuous hips. Her gown accented firm round buttocks, the cloth clung, displaying shapely thighs. There was no goddess more beautiful. The envy of every woman, the desire of every man.

Isis turned to face him. A sigh escaped his lips. No matter how many times he saw her, her beauty stole his breath. Her beautiful round breasts begged for a man’s hand, and he itched to touch her. His gaze crept up that gorgeous body, till their eyes met.  No desire flickered in her eyes. Only anger.

He scanned the area. A body lay on the banks of the River Nile.

His body!

A slash of crimson revealed a long gash on his chest. No blood flowed; no living heart pumped the vital liquid. A wave of dizziness hit, and he struggled to stay on his feet.

This wasn’t possible.

Horus stood next to his mother, a mocking smile upon his lips.

Fury raged. The little bastard. How dare he ridicule a god of his stature? He charged. Set’s body, a mere ghost of itself, passed through the boy. The upstart’s derisive grin turned to laughter. Set stumbled then righted himself. Unease rippled through him, and he examined his body, or lack thereof. His Kha floated free, a powerless shadow of his former self. 

A spirit without a home.

 “Can’t you tell you are dead, Uncle?” 

Set snarled at his nephew. “Not for long.” He whipped around and stormed to his body, only to be propelled backward. He stumbled to the sand, humiliated and furious. Jerking to his feet, he sent a blast of his own Hekau toward the slaves preparing to service his remains. Nothing happened.

Laughter echoed in his ears again, and he turned to Horus.

“You shall pay for this.”

“Tell that to my mother.” The young god smirked.

Set turned his attention to his sister, currently giving instruction to the slaves. “What are you doing, Isis?”

“Ending this.” Her cold and brittle voice cut through him like a knife.

“How?” he asked incredulously.

“It’s over.” She glanced to her son, who tried unsuccessfully to hide his taunting grin.

Set held his temper, and a trickle of fear wavered through him as understanding dawned.

“Isis, please! Don’t do this!” He rushed to her side, grabbing at her arm, but his hand passed through her. 

No! He had to find a way to stop her.

Panicked, he struggled for an answer. Only one last weapon remained in his arsenal. Begging. Oh, yes, Horus would pay for this mess. Dismembering him like his father would be much too good for the upstart.

Set dropped to one knee. “I’m your brother. Please, you can’t destroy your own brother!”

“Enough.” Her voice reverberated through the desert, the sound echoing with thousands of voices through the vast sands of the desert. Her hands were fisted at her sides. “You should have thought of that before you killed my husband.”

“You know I didn’t kill him. Osiris is my own dear brother, from birth. I would never kill him. Besides, there’s no proof.”

“Silence!” The command rolled like thunder. She stood, haughty and proud, beautiful even in her fury.

“You went to war with my own son! By right of birth, the throne belongs to Horus. Unless you renounce your claim, you will suffer an eternity for your crimes.”

“But—”

“You shall reap your reward, brother.” She nodded, and the slaves dismembered his body, their knives quick and efficient. They sliced through sinew and tissue, removing organs and separating his limbs from his body. Only his Kha remained, his own spiritual essence.

Fear graduated to rage, his image wavering. His gaze swung to the pantheon of gods and goddesses, who turned their backs on him.

Something dark and twisted snapped deep inside him. How dare they betray him! “How dare you,” he roared in fury.

Isis ignored his impotent anger. She turned her back, raised her hands to the sky, and began an incantation. With arms stretched wide, her voice reverberated. Power crackled in the air. The words she spoke were an ancient language, older than the earth.

Older than time itself. Storm clouds roiled above; lightning rocketed across the sky like long electric fingers reaching for his soul. Wind whistled across the desert and lifted the sand, rolling it toward him. No, this couldn’t be happening. The desert belonged to him, not to her. It obeyed him! Unbelievably, the dust continued to whirl toward him, spinning and twisting dangerously closer and closer.

 “Stop this, Isis!” Desperation tinged his command, but it fell on deaf ears.

Her voice wailed, mixed with the wind, carrying it to the deepest recesses of the desert, calling to her dead husband. The sound of a woman in mourning. Her grief fed the spell, building it, strengthening it. She pivoted toward him. Her dark glittering eyes met his. When she spoke, her voice was a soft whisper. “It is time, Set. Time for you to go. Your Kha shall be locked for all eternity in the tomb of my husband. Your body shall be given to the insects and worms.”

Ignoring his continued begging, she turned to the east, her voice crisp and clear.

“Aker, Amaunet and Baal – hear my cry.”

Then she turned west.

“Meretseger, Sihkar and Qebehsenuef…”

She tipped her face to the sky, the sun kissing her cheek. The wind whipped her dark hair across her face, drying her tears, wrapping her in a cocoon of safety.

“Daumutef, Maat, and Sokar…”

She spread her arms wide and gathered the power she called from her brother and sister deities. Then her voice softened, tears flowed from her eyes.

“Osiris, feel my pain, lend me your strength, send me your power from the Netherworld.”

The music of her voice merged with the wind. Set could no longer separate her words from the vicious moans and screams of the storm whirling around him.

Shrieks tore from him, rumbled through him, a deafening roar to his soul. 

“I shall return. I’ll take another body! You will not stop me!”

Fingers of darkness clawed at his consciousness.   He had miscalculated. Fear clutched him. By the gods, she was serious! Pain ripped through him, shearing his Kha from his body for an eternity. His soul rent in two, swirling in the midst of the wind. His dark essence whirled into the canopic jar waiting at her feet. 

A silent scream shattered his mind.