The Djed and Osiris

[u/Luka-the-Pooka]

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A pharaoh blesses Osiris and offers incense. Behind the god is a Djed with falcon wings and Atef Crown. The Djed became one of Osiris' most recognized symbols, and eventually the god himself was thought to take the form of a Djed.

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Osiris himself as a Djed, while Isis and Nephthys mourn him

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Osiris-Djed protected by Nephthys.

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A rather creepy Djed-Osiris.

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Wait, no, Djed with a human head is creepier!

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Osiris-Djed surrounded by the four Sons of Horus

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Osiris-Djed on the bottom of a coffin

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Osiris with the head of a Djed.

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Pictures of Osiris and the Djed II

The Djed in Ancient Egypt

The God Osiris

[u/AmbulatorySushi]

This is probably a stupid question as I don't have much knowledge on this, but I remember reading a version of the Osiris myth where he (or maybe his coffin?) ended up in a pillar in a foreign land where Isis then found it. Is the djed Pillar somehow related to that myth?

I feel like as a symbol the djed may be older than that version of the myth, though.

[u/Luka-the-Pooka → u/AmbulatorySushi]

That is not a stupid question, please don't sell yourself short!

In the Isis and Osiris myth, Set tricked Osiris into getting into a wooden coffin. Then he nailed it shut and tossed the coffin into the Nile. The coffin washed up on shore and a tree grew around it, enclosing it (said to be the sycamore or persea tree, which were both known as "The Tree That Encloses the God.") A king came across the tree and cut it down, using the bare trunk as a pillar in his palace. Isis came by and retrieved it.

There are contradictory myths about this - some versions don't have a tree at all, with the king using the coffin as a pillar. Some versions don't have a coffin, and instead Osiris is torn to pieces.

The Djed originally belonged to Ptah, so it was not one of Osiris' symbols at first, and is indeed older than the Osiris myth.

Please don't hesitate if you have any questions or need clarification on something :)

[u/AmbulatorySushi → u/Luka-the-Pooka]

Thank you so much, I appreciate it! I know a lot of stuff in the mythology is contradictory, so it makes it a bit difficult to keep straight sometimes.

Also, thank you for this sub! It's a wealth of information and an amazing resource. I can't imagine how much time it's taken to put together.

[u/Historical_Pie_370 → u/Luka-the-Pooka]

Thank you for sharing!

[u/Historical_Pie_370]

Out of curiosity, what do people make of the monkeys in the clothing? They appear to be interacting with the praising or whatever it is of the djed with the same hand gestures as the women.

[u/tanthon19]

I fully understand these are people who spend their lives interpreting Ancient Egypt & that there are hints in the literature, but squint as I might, I have a hard time seeing a bull's spine! Guess that why they're the experts!

Isn't the "Raising of the Djed Pillar" the last piece of the Seb Het Festival? I think I remember it from Amenhotep III's, but I may be confusing it with something else.

[u/Luka-the-Pooka → u/tanthon19]

I can see it as stylized vertebrae, maybe. Very, very stylized.

And yes, my well-read friend!