Osiris & Tammuz

The stories of Osiris, and Tammuz are excellent examples of resurrection stories that are older than that featured in Christianity, –despite the popular belief amongst those of the Christian faith that their religion invented the idea.

Osiris – Osiris is one of the very oldest Egyptian gods for whom records actually exist. His story of resurrection is thus; after being killed and dismembered by Set, his limbs were tossed into the Nile. Osiris’s wife Isis was  much grieved, and with the help of her sister, managed to retrieve all of his limbs, except for his penis, which was eaten by a large fish. Isis then fashioned a phallus out of gold, and once she had completely reassembled Osiris, she brought him back to life with magic. However, Osiris was only actually living for one night, in which he and his wife Isis, conceived the god Horus.

Tammuz – Tammuz was a Babylonian and Sumerian deity; in Sumerian mythology, his name was Dumuzi –husband of Inanna, and was a shepherd. Inanna set off for the Underworld, or “Kur” which was ruled by her sister. Eventually, she reach the city of her sister goddess, and determined to take the kingdom for herself, sat upon her sister’s throne. At once, she was seized by denizens of the Underworld, and hung up on a nail as a corpse. Through the intervention of Enki, Inanna was released, but she had to find someone to take her place. None of the other gods would do it, but eventually, she found Dumuzi/Tammuz, sitting on her throne –she released her demons, and they chase him in order to drag Tammuz down to Kur to take her place. However, Tammuz receives assistance from Bililu, and the woman keeps him hidden, though Inanna finds out, and seeks revenge. Eventually, however, Geshtinana, arranges to take Dumuzi’s place, for six months of every year, while the other half, Dumuzi must spend in Kur.