As they relate, Isis proceeded to her son Horus,
who was being reared in Buto,1 and bestowed the
chest in a place well out of the way ; but Typhon,
who was hunting by night in the light of the moon,
happened upon it. Recognizing the body he divided
it into fourteen parts2 and scattered them, each in
a different place. Isis learned of this and sought
for them again, sailing through the swamps in a boat
of papyrus.3 This is the reason why people sailing
in such boats are not harmed by the crocodiles, since
these creatures in their own way show either their
fear or their reverence for the goddess.
The traditional result of Osiris's dismemberment is
that there are many so-called tombs of Osiris in
Egypt4; for Isis held a funeral for each part when
she had found it. Others deny this and assert that
she caused effigies of him to be made and these she
distributed among the several cities, pretending that
she was giving them his body, in order that he might
receive divine honours in a greater number of
cities, and also that, if Typhon should succeed in
overpowering Horus, he might despair of ever finding
[p. 47]
the true tomb when so many were pointed out to
him, all of them called the tomb of Osiris.5
Of the parts of Osiris's body the only one which Isis
did not find was the male member,6 for the reason
that this had been at once tossed into the river, and the
lepidotus, the sea-bream. and the pike had fed upon
it7; and it is from these very fishes the Egyptians
are most scrupulous in abstaining. But Isis made a
replica of the member to take its place, and consecrated the phallus,8 in honour of which the Egyptians
even at the present day celebrate a festival.