Every destination needs a journey. Every journey needs a beginning. And every beginning needs those very first steps. Starting something new is never easy. But what if, this time, you’re starting again?
It’s funny isn’t it? For as long as I can remember, I’ve spoken of this moment. I could spend hours outlining the details of my plan to anyone that would dare to ask. As time passed by, I convinced myself that would be enough. It was forever on the horizon; nothing more than a tantalising glimpse into a future I knew would never come to pass. But despite everything, and despite myself, we find ourselves at the start of something new. And yet, in the face of my vision finally forming a reality, those very same words that once ignited the spark of an idea, have simply, abandoned me.
In a not too distant past, words were my greatest asset. At the apex of my abilities, I made what many might call a living from harnessing their power. Over time however, events would come to overtake me, diminishing my output. Eventually, the writing became nothing more than a conversation topic and a hope for very few followup questions. I promised myself it wouldn’t be the end and this project wouldn’t be a lie. Starting something new is never easy. But how was I meant to start again?
Why The Osiris Diaries?
I could simply say the name is a celebration of my passion for Egypt’s ancient past. And that would be the easy answer. But the truth is more complex.
Throughout my studies of the Egyptian past, I focused on story telling through the influence of the natural world. Their world order, like almost any civilisation, was built around their environment. Against all the odds, they brought life to the desert, flourishing into something timeless. Spanning thousands of years, the people of ancient Egypt translated their experiences into a cultural narrative, manifesting in the mythology that lives on today in our global consciousness. They embraced who they were and remembered where they came from.
Of these stories, the Osiris myth survived the ages, becoming one of the most influential stories of the Egyptian past. From the early years of the Egyptian kingdom until the days of the classical Graeco-Roman writers, this story united people in the belief that anyone could reach the afterlife. Even after the fall of the Egyptian religion, the story of Osiris survived as one of the major western impressions of ancient Egypt; a story so potent it has survived for nearly 4,500 years.
Egyptian Creation: Osiris, Isis and Horus
At the beginning of time there was Geb, god of the sky, and Nut, goddess of the earth. Together they had four children, Osiris, Isis, Set and Nepthys. As the oldest, Osiris became the king of Egypt, marrying his sister Isis. He ruled with absolute surety over the people on earth, while commanding respect from the gods.
Set, fuelled by jealousy and a lust for greater power, transformed himself into a monster and murdered Osiris. His body was cut into pieces and spread across the land of Egypt. Set, taking his sister Nepthys as his queen, claimed the empty throne, and with it, the Egyptian crown.
Overcome with grief over the death of her husband, Isis decided to use her magical powers to resurrect Osiris just long enough for them to have a child. Together with her sister Nepthys, Isis located each part of the body and breathed new life into her husband. Together again, Isis soon became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Horus. Osiris soon was able to descend into the underworld, ruling for eternity as the lord of that land.
Upon reaching adulthood, Horus would come to challenge his uncle for the throne, to take his place as the rightful king. Competing against each other, Set used underhand tactics to break Horus, however the contest would end in a draw, with the gods uncertain of who deserved the crown.
As the last great king of Egypt, the gods consulted with Osiris in the underworld, who declared that his son is the only rightful heir to the throne, arguing that no one should take the throne through murder. Using his great allies of the sun and stars, Osiris descended the world into darkness before finally, the gods announced Horus would claim his birthright and take his position as king of Egypt.
The universal appeal of the story exists from it’s basic elements of humanity: love, family, and respect, alongside jealousy, betrayal and a lust for power. Through the major theme of order vs disorder, in itself an integral part of Egyptian thought, it creates the timeless story of good vs evil. The resulting conflict ends with the restoration of Maat, translated roughly to mean cosmic and social order. The battle between order and chaos, light and dark, or good and evil to restore balance forms the foundations to some of the greatest stories ever told. It’s no wonder that one of the oldest stories on earth contains hauntingly familiar elements to the narratives of storytellers from across history, including our contemporary world.
For the Egyptians, the Osiris myth formed the basis of their religion, while paying tribute to their own origins; it was the regional conflict in their early history that gave rise to the kingdom of ancient Egypt. It’s the combination of foundations and futures that drew me to Osiris. Progress, change and development require a respect of your own origins; you need to know who you are.
It was the hieroglyphic form of his name that inspired the logo for The Osiris Diaries. The eye in Egypt had connotations of Horus, as well as the sun god Ra, representing protection, power and health. The use of the eye in hieroglyphics (ir.t) translates as ‘to make/do’ or ‘one who does’. So to answer my original question, the story of Osiris reflects what I want for my own writing. Despite the darkness, Osiris was resurrected, bringing together the individual parts to form the whole. Everything has come together and serves as both an identity and my inspiration.
(Re)Starting the Journey
Overcoming the invented limitations of my own mind has been neither simple, nor easy. Reaching what is the concluding section of this inaugural entry is a milestone I truly believed was one step beyond my own capabilities. To pick up where I left off has been a daunting experience, but one that has ignited that same spark of excitement I remember so vividly from what feels like a lifetime ago.
Just like Isis herself, I wish to bring together each element of myself to form the one; to form The Osiris Diaries. Despite the seemingly unconnected subjects of my writing, there is a universal commonality that bonds them together. Whatever the substance, my words will focus around the two great powers of our world. The human experience exists through stories; people are defined by their own stories. The stories we choose to tell form the foundations for our future.
It took me a while, but I’m finally here. I fought through the darkness and found something wonderful. There may be a long road ahead, but the spark survived. For now, all I can say is welcome.
Welcome to The Osiris Diaries.
The Osiris Diaries 