ISIS or her more ancient Egyptian name ASET, seems like two different deities if you take a closer look. When the worship of ISIS rose in Greek and Roman days, ASET had already been forgotten for hundreds of years, at this time only a small group of priests still knew how to read the hieroglyphs of the temple walls. The Greek and Roman way of superimposing their cultural values on Egyptian culture affected the interpretation of the original ASET, depriving her of her Egyptian origin and turning her into a Roman deity. The most outstanding difference between them is in my opinion the fierceness and determination of Aset which we can find in the myths, along with her role as a funerary deity. This is not so with Isis who is a much more benevolent and one-size-fits-all kind of a deity.
This image shows an almost schematic picture of how Aset merged with Isis.
To the far left she is shown with her original hieroglyph, the throne above her head.
In the middle she wears the horned solar disc combined with the throne, now she is being merged with Het-hert.
Finally she is pictured as the Great Mother in the shape of a cowheaded female
crowned with the horned solar disc and two plumes.
is the ancient Egyptian deity, whose name is written with the hieroglyph for "throne" or "seat". As the personification of the Throne of Egypt who "made the kings", she was the King´s symbolical mother and as such of special significance to him. In the earliest days she was not a great and common mother deity. She is first mentioned in Dynasty IV, known in myth as part of the Ennead of Heliopolis. There she was the sister-spouse and mourner of Wesir (Gr: Osiris), mother of Heru (Gr: Horus) and sister of Nebt-Het (Gr: Nephtys) and Set, children of Geb and Nut of the Heliopolitan Ennead.
Aset was a funerary deity; together with her sister Nebt-Het (Gr: Nephtys) she is seen on coffins in the form of a kite with outstretched wings, protecting the deceased. She is also seen in the Hall of Judgment standing protectively behind the throne of Wesir (Osiris).
At certain points in history myths were 'edited' by the priesthood in efforts to strengthen a certain deity´s influence, and thereby themselves of course. The myth cycle of Isis, Osiris and Horus is hinted at in the Pyramid Texts (Old Kingdom), but it was heavily rewritten and added to by Plutharch (ca 46- ca 120).
In myth she appears fiercer than a mother goddess, strongwilled and quick to forward her motifs. She appears as the scorpion goddess Serket, as a protector and healer of poisonous bites, and as the star Sopdet (Sirius, Gr: Sothis) she heralds the lifegiving inundation. The ancient Egyptians called her the 'Eye of Re', giving her an association with the sun, which should be noted, as there are those who want to link her to the moon. While this might very well fit in with the Roman Isis, in ancient Egyptian religion Djehuty (Thoth) was the moon deity.
She was often called the "Mistress of Magic", or "Great of Heka" as she managed to trick Ra into telling her his secret name, thus getting access to great knowledge.
The most wellknown myth about Aset is the story of how, when her husband Wesir (Osiris) was murdered by his brother Set and his body thrown into the Nile, she mourned him and went searching for his body, accompanied by her sister Nebt-Het. When, after many adventures, She finally found him, She managed to bring him back to life and beget his son Heru who would in time win the throne back from his uncle Set.
In the Middle Kingdom her popularity rose among the common people, together with that of her husband ,Wesir (Osiris), due to concepts of the Afterlife changing, and in the New Kingdom Aset and Het-Hert (Gr: Hathor) began to merge. They were depicted in the same way, both wearing the horned solar disc, and could only be identified, not by their iconography, but by their hieroglyphs.
Her cult continued to develop throughout the New Kingdom, and into the Late period. Through time she incorporated most of the traits of the other great goddesses and also some gods. Her sufferings as a widow and lonely mother made it easy for not only women to identify with her. She was also greatly worshipped for her healing and protective powers. Love spells and amulets (the tyet knot) connected to Aset were frequently used. Her popularity grew and endured longer than any other Egyptian goddess into the Greek and Roman days when she became interpreted according to their cultural values and religious viewpoints.
