Category:  Gods & Goddesses

Note from Francesca : This book relates many interesting stories about the Ancient Egyptian gods. Amongst those featured are the Daily Voyage of Ra through the sky, the mythical story of Osiris and Isis, the battle of Horus with his uncle Seth, the destruction of mankind by Hathor, the secret name of Ra, the book of Toth and the famous Tale of Two Brothers. There is a useful glossary of Ancient Egyptian gods. The book is clearly written with concise and brief explanations. It is a good general reference to the myths and legends of Ancient Egypt.

Du site de l'éditeur : Au-delà de tout ce qui a été écrit sur la Déesse Lointaine, la recherche entreprise par l’auteur sur le mythe de cette divinité a pour objectif d’appréhender la version spécifique du mythe à Philae, chaque sanctuaire développant des concepts et ensembles de concepts propres, ne serait-ce qu’en fonction de la divinité à laquelle il était dédié. Cette démarche s’effectue en deux temps : tout d’abord, l’auteur établit un corpus détaillé des références au mythe que l’on peut trouver, en précisant bien leur contexte. Dans un second temps, les différents formulaires qui apparaissent sont exposés, et le mythe «reconstruit» sur des bases nouvelles.

Reviewed by Francesca : This is a long overdue book that is much needed. Donaldson has taken a wonderful lengthy research and made it available to a wide range of readers, in this work. In Part One, he discusses the origins of the Isis and Osiris story, and continues by describing the evolution of Isis as a goddess, mother and protector. Chapters of this section cover vocation, worship and public penance ; Isiac priests and priestesses ; Isiac feasts and events in the ever-changing calendar ; and Isiac temples. In Part Two, he goes on with an explanation of each stage in the Isis Cult, and its evolution as Roman emperors succeeded each other is thoroughly analyzed. From the Late Republic to the Antonine Period, this book examines the development of the Isis cult in depth, covering the reigns of Antony, Cleopatra, Caesar, Augustus, Caligula, Domitian and Commodus.
Donaldson has put a lot of effort in finding the bibliographic material and the text shows this research. Although it does not have many photographs (it only has 6), the book will soon become a reference on the subject of Isis.
I encourage everyone to read this wonderful book. This is a definite must for anyone interested in Ancient Egyptian and/or Graeco-Roman religion.