Sacred Fish

Donated to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts by Evelyn M. Pope in memory of her husband, Edward J. Pope, this bronze statue of a fish, adorned with the horned sun-disc crown typically associated with Isis or Hathor, features glass-inlaid eyes and represents the sacred fish linked to the myth of Osiris. The piece is thought to date from the 26th Dynasty or later, c. 664–332 B.C.

According to Ancient Egyptian mythology, after Osiris was murdered and dismembered by his jealous brother Seth, his wife Isis tirelessly sought to recover the scattered parts of his body to restore him. However, legend holds that Osiris’s phallus was lost in the waters of the Nile, where it was devoured by a fish—often identified as the oxyrhynchus fish, the lepidotus, or the phagrus. This aspect of the myth rendered these fish sacred in certain regions of Egypt, particularly in the city of Oxyrhynchus, where they were venerated and even mummified. The loss of Osiris’s phallus led Isis to fashion a golden replacement, allowing her to conceive their son, Horus, through divine means. The fish depicted in this statue likely symbolises this sacred connection to the mythos of Osiris and the cycle of death, rebirth, and divine transformation.

Cosmetic Vase in the form of Fish

By creating a statue of the fish, the Egyptians may have been acknowledging its role in the divine story, either as a sacred being linked to Osiris’s rebirth or as a reminder of the god’s suffering and ultimate resurrection through Isis’s magic. Despite the fish’s role in consuming part of Osiris, it may also have been seen as a protective or regenerative force. The Egyptians strongly associated water with fertility, rebirth, and the cyclical nature of life, which aligns with Osiris’s role as a god of resurrection and the afterlife. This fish, therefore, could have been a symbolic representation of those themes, perhaps even serving as an amulet or temple offering to invoke protection, renewal, or fertility.

Egyptian religious practices often involved the use of sacred statues in temples, tombs, and household shrines. This fish may have been created as a funerary object, meant to accompany the deceased and provide protection in the afterlife, or as an offering in a temple to honour Osiris, Isis, or the sacred fish cults.

Catfish Pendant

Fish amulet

Painted clay Tilapia fish

In essence, this fish statue is likely a reflection of the Egyptians’ deep reverence for mythology, their belief in the sacred power of animals, and their intricate religious practices surrounding death, rebirth, and divinity.

Relief of Osiris

Isis and Osiris

The myth of Isis and Osiris is one of the most enduring and profound narratives of Ancient Egypt, embodying themes of love, betrayal, death, and resurrection. Central to Egyptian religious beliefs for millennia, it tells the tragic yet hopeful story of Osiris, the rightful king of Egypt, his devoted wife Isis, and his envious brother Seth. This myth not only explains the cycle of life and death but also serves as a foundation for Egyptian notions of the afterlife.

Osiris was revered as a just and benevolent ruler, bringing order and civilisation to his people. However, his brother Seth, consumed by jealousy, devised a treacherous plot to usurp the throne. He tricked Osiris into lying inside a beautifully adorned coffin, which he then sealed and cast into the Nile. The coffin drifted to the shores of Byblos (in modern-day Lebanon), where it became embedded within the trunk of a tree, later used as a pillar in the palace of the local king.

Osiris with Isis and Nephthys

Isis, the epitome of devotion and perseverance, embarked on a relentless search for her husband. She eventually recovered his body and brought it back to Egypt, hiding it in the marshes. However, Seth soon discovered the corpse and, in his fury, dismembered Osiris into fourteen pieces, scattering them across the land. Unwilling to accept defeat, Isis set out once more, painstakingly gathering the severed parts of her beloved. She successfully recovered thirteen of them, but one vital piece—Osiris’ phallus—was lost forever, consumed by a fish in the Nile.

The loss of Osiris’ phallus is a particularly intriguing aspect of the myth, carrying deep symbolic and religious significance. According to various accounts, including Plutarch’s On Isis and Osiris, the missing organ was devoured by one or more fish, specifically the oxyrhynchus fish, the lepidotus fish, and the phagrus fish. This act rendered these species sacred in certain regions of Ancient Egypt, where they were deemed untouchable and thus forbidden as food. The fish, having inadvertently ingested part of Osiris’ divine body, became associated with the god’s story and were subsequently regarded with reverence.

Despite this loss, Isis, using her unparalleled magical abilities, reconstructed Osiris’ body and breathed life into him, allowing them to conceive a son, Horus. However, as Osiris was incomplete, he could no longer reign over the living. Instead, he descended to the Duat, the Egyptian underworld, where he became the ruler of the dead, presiding over the judgment of souls and the promise of eternal life. Meanwhile, Horus, born of divine conception, grew to challenge Seth and ultimately avenged his father, restoring order to Egypt.

Mirror of Isis with Horus as a baby

This myth, woven deeply into the religious fabric of Ancient Egypt, was more than a mere legend; it was a sacred narrative that explained the mysteries of death, resurrection, and the eternal cycle of nature. Osiris’ dismemberment and resurrection mirrored the annual flooding of the Nile, which brought both destruction and renewal to the land. The reverence for Isis and her unwavering determination underscored the vital role of feminine power and motherhood in Egyptian cosmology.

Summary:

Bronze fish adorned with sun-disc horned headdress, with inlaid glass eyes

Late Period, perhaps the 26th Dynasty or later, c. 664-332 B.C.

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. 2001.247