ISIS
The Eternal Goddess of Egypt and Rome
By Lesley Jackson
“Isis has the gift of universality. She is neither confined nor contained. Isis can respond to the various demands and expectations of each time and locality and can constantly be reinterpreted whilst retaining her important Egyptian soul and origins. Isis is infinitely adaptable; like a web of energy connecting many nodes she can embrace and encompass all, and each new addition strengthens and expands her web.” - Lesley Jackson
Isis: The Eternal Goddess of Egypt and Rome is a thought-provoking study of one of the most enduring and enigmatic ancient goddesses. The Egyptians knew her as Aset and wrote her name with the hieroglyph of a stylised throne, emphasising her association with royalty and kingship. Isis was the wife and sister of Osiris: mother of Horus and sister of the mysterious goddess Nephthys; she was also known as a great magician, healer and associated with events of cosmic significance.
Throughout the millennia of her worship she held many roles, evidenced by the many temples, symbols and writings left behind by her devotees. Her worship spread beyond Egypt before the Greek conquest, as diplomats, merchants and other travellers who spent time in Egypt spread her cult overseas. From the Isis of the Old Kingdom of Egypt through to the All-Goddess of the Greco-Roman period and beyond, the worship of Isis grew in importance and diversified. She gained powers from the strong Greek influence in Egypt but also kept all those she already had. becoming a beneficial Goddess of nature, a Saviour and, to many, the sole Goddess.
In this extensive work author Lesley Jackson draws on the primary written sources of information on Isis, being the texts of the Ancient Egyptians and those of the Classical writers, to present the most comprehensive presentation of her worship to date. Her beginnings, her birth, her place of origin, her names, her attributes, her iconography, her relationships, her symbols (including the ankh, tyet, sistrum and situla) and the development of her cult are all carefully considered.
Other books by Lesley Jackson include Hathor: A Reintroduction to an Ancient Egyptian Goddess, Sekhmet and Bastet: The Feline Powers of Egypt, Thoth: The History of the Ancient Egyptian God of Wisdom, and The Cobra Goddess & The Chaos Serpent.
2020, 318 pages. Paperback & Kindle editions available.
ISBN 978-1-910191-21-7
Isis: The Eternal Goddess of Egypt and Rome
Introducing Isis
The Origin of Isis and Her many names
Iconography
Animals associated with Isis
The Osiris Myths
The Horus Myths
Nephthys
The Power of Two
Relationships with Other Gods
Assimilating Egyptian Goddesses
Interaction with Non Egyptian Goddesses
Kingship and Isis
The Great Magician
Isis and the Afterlife
The Healing Powers of Isis
Protect and Save
The Element of Water
Greco-Roman Additions to the Character of Isis
The Dark Side of Isis
Worship in the Pharaonic Period
The Cult of Isis
Festivals for Isis
The Temples of Isis
Out of Egypt
Christianity and Beyond
The Continuing Journey of Isis
Temples of Isis in Egypt and Nubia
Evidence of Isis outside Egypt
Bibliography
Index
Lesley Jackson has a lifelong interest in archaeology, ancient history and sacred myth and a fascination with the mysterious geographical, be they lost worlds, otherworlds or the sacred places of this world. She is a devotee of the Egyptian deities and since being blessed with early retirement has devoted much of her time to researching and writing about them.
Lesley is the author of Thoth: The History of the Ancient Egyptian God of Wisdom, Hathor: A Reintroduction to an Ancient Egyptian Goddess, Isis: The Eternal Goddess of Egypt and Rome, Sekhmet and Bastet: The Feline Powers of Egypt, and The Cobra Goddess & the Chaos Serpent in Ancient Egypt, all published by Avalonia. She has written a number of articles about Egyptian religion, some of which have been published in Pagan Dawn and Nile Magazine.
Despite the strong call of Egypt she is a Northerner at heart, preferring cooler climes and wooded landscapes. She lives in the East Riding of Yorkshire, close to the lost world of Doggerland.