Horus is the “boy wonder” of the ancient Egyptian’s deity pantheon. King and Queen of the gods were Osiris and Isis respectively. One day the Osiris’ evil brother Seth in an attempt to further his position killed Osiris and chopped his body into 42 pieces scattering the pieces in each of Egypt’s provinces. His wife Isis managed to retrieve the pieces and reassemble Osiris. They then proceeded to mate and she gave birth to the Falcon god Horus.
Tasked to avenge his father Horus fought his uncle, Seth multiple times over the next 80 years before finally succeeding and condemning him to the underworld.
Horus came to represent power and the early pharaohs became the manifestation of Horus on earth. He appears with great regularity in carvings and tomb art typically bestowing his holy powers on the pharaoh.
We are on the Nile Cruise now and our first stop is Edfu to see one of the best preserved Ptolemaic temples dedicated to Horus. Built between 237BC and 57 BC its walls depict scenes from the battle between Horus and Seth.
That afternoon near sunset we stop at a bend in the Nile, Kom Ombo, where historically there have been large concentrations of crocodiles taking advantage of sluggish waters and abundant fish. Dedicated to both Horus and the crocodile god, Sobek this pretty little 2000 year old temple is famous for the mummification of crocodiles.
That night on the boat was an Egyptian dress up affair.
