Gods & Goddesses ISIS << Bronze statuette of Isis nursing Horus (E12548). Late Period (664-332 B.C.). One of the most popular goddesses in ancient Egypt, Isis was the sister-wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. Her role as divine mother and wife associated her closely with royal women. She is usually depicted as a woman bearing the hieroglyphic sign for "throne" on her head. Together with her sister Nepthys, she collected the pieces of her murdered husband, Osiris, and mummified them, then revived him and bore a child, Horus, with him. Osiris had been killed by his evil brother Seth in a fight over the rule of Egypt. Isis and Nepthys often appear together in funerary scenes acting out the roles of mourners and protectors of the deceased. Isis sometimes wears the horned sundisk crown also seen on the goddess Hathor.

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