Isis

𓊨𓏏𓁐

Throne goddess of Egypt: mourner of Osiris, healer, and mother of Horus

Isis, called Aset in Egyptian, is the throne goddess of ancient Egypt: sister and wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. Devotees believe that when Osiris was killed, her grief and magic restored him, and that she hid their son until he could claim his father's throne. Her name is written with the throne sign, and "Isis" is its Greek form.

Egyptians called on her for healing, magic and protection of the dead. In Greco-Roman times sailors and those seeking a universal mother turned to her too. Her great temple stood on the island of Philae and stayed open into the sixth century. Her worship travelled across the Mediterranean as a mystery religion, whose rites were for initiates. Today Kemetic reconstructionists and other devotional groups honour her.

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Pluto Serapis and Persephone Isis Heraklion museum, 2015-02-23 12:50:12. Wikimedia Commons (CC0), Jebulon

How to recognise Isis

Throne headdressLook for a small throne hieroglyph on her head, the sign that writes her name and her clearest mark; it is a seat shape, not a crown of horns.
Sheath dressShe wears a long, close-fitting dress in the standard Egyptian image, sometimes shown in green.
Ankh and staffShe most often holds the ankh, the sign of life, and sometimes a plain slender staff.
Dark wig and vulture capHer hair is a dark wig, sometimes worn over a vulture cap that stresses her role as mother.
Tyet, the knot of IsisThis red, ankh-like knot is her emblem and often appears as a funerary amulet.
Outstretched wingsFeathered wings may spread around her in protection, but winged goddesses can also be Nut, so wings alone do not name her.
Horus on her lapIsis with the infant Horus (Harpocrates) seated on her lap is one of her most popular images, showing her as mother.

Names and titles

Throne GoddessHer name is the Egyptian word for 'throne', and she wears the throne sign
The Great MagicianHer magic was said to surpass that of every other deity
Queen of HeavenA title given to Isis in the Roman-era Metamorphoses of Apuleius
Protector of SailorsIn Alexandria and Rome she watched over seafarers; the Navigium Isidis opened the sailing season
The Tear That Woke the NileA tradition says her tears for Osiris made the Nile flood

Feast days

Navigium Isidis5 March, every year

The Navigium Isidis, the 'Vessel of Isis', opened the sailing season in the Roman world. Devotees honoured Isis as protector of seafarers. A ship dedicated to her was launched with prayers for safe voyages.
How it's celebrated. Our main account is Apuleius's, who describes a costumed procession carrying sacred emblems and a decorated ship from the temple to the shore. The ship was loaded with offerings and milk libations and set out to sea, and the people then cheered that ships could sail. It was kept at ports and rivers across the empire, and in Italy until at least 416. Little is recorded of its details beyond these sources.
Sources: Wikipedia: Navigium Isidis · The Avocado: Happy Navigium Isidis! · Shirley Twofeathers: Navigium Isidis (Apuleius excerpt)
Lychnapsia12 August, every year

The Lychnapsia was a Roman festival of lamps. Many scholars think it honoured Isis, possibly as a Roman form of Egyptian lamp festivals for her birthday. The evidence for the link is indirect.
How it's celebrated. Little is recorded of the ancient rites beyond the lighting of lamps. Egypt had many lamp festivals, and Isis's birthday was kept at the end of the year. Accounts differ on whether the lamps recall her birth or the lamp she carried while searching for Osiris. Some modern devotees light lamps or candles at home at sunset and speak their intentions.
Sources: Wikipedia: Lychnapsia · Journal of Roman Studies: The 'Lychnapsia Philocaliana' and the Birthday of Isis · Honouring the goddess Isis (Cosette Paneque)
Isia28 October, every year

The Isia was the autumn festival of Isis in the Roman calendar, remembered for her search for Osiris and his finding. The Hilaria is its closing day, so the two are one celebration.
How it's celebrated. The Calendar of Philocalus (354 CE) lists it from 28 October, and some scholars extend it to 3 November. Recorded elements include a 'finding' day (Heuresis) with circus races, a choir of 27 on 2 November, and the closing Hilaria. Very little is known of the rites themselves. Some modern devotees mark the season, though no full ancient pattern survives.
Sources: Wikipedia: November (Roman month) · Isiopolis: Isis and…Samhain? Really? · Brewminate: Cult Actions and Religious Ritual Patterns in Ancient Rome
Hilaria3 November, every year

The Hilaria ('Rejoicing') closed the Isia, the Roman autumn festival of Isis. Devotees kept it as the day Osiris, sought by Isis, was found and restored to life. It is the final day of that same celebration.
How it's celebrated. The Calendar of Philocalus marks it on 3 November, and Britannica reads it as the day of Osiris's resurrection. One scholar, as quoted by the Fellowship of Isis, says worshippers went down to the sea on the last night and shouted for joy that Osiris was found. Beyond this, few details are recorded. Rome also kept a separate Hilaria in March for Cybele and Attis.
Sources: Britannica: Hilaria · Fellowship of Isis: Juno Covella - November · Wikipedia: November (Roman month)
Night of the Drop (Leylet en-Nuqta)17 June, every year

Leylet en-Nuqta, the 'Night of the Drop', marks the night when Egyptians have held that a miraculous drop falls into the Nile and starts its yearly rise. Tradition links the drop to the tears of Isis for Osiris.
How it's celebrated. The date varies by source: 16, 17 or 18 June. Lane, as quoted by one source, gives 17 June. Budge noted that many Egyptians spent the night outdoors, often on the Nile's banks. One modern account says people left marked lumps of dough on the banks and read the cracks as omens of fate. Some modern devotees mark it with reflection, water blessings or rituals.
Sources: Sacred Texts: Egyptian Myth and Legend, The Tragedy of Osiris · Web-Holidays: Night of the Drop · Egyptian Wisdom Center: The Ancient Egyptian/Christian Holidays