302 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XV. 



the whole was intended to intimate that they looked 

 upon these Gods as the essence and power of Earth 

 and Water." 



Another festival in honour of Osiris was held 

 " on the new Moon of the month Pliamenoth*, 

 which fell in the beginning of spring!, called the 

 entrance of Osiris into the Moon j" and on the 

 11th of Tybi (or the beginning of January t) was 

 celebrated the fete of Isis's return from Phoenicia, 

 when cakes, having a hippopotamus bound stamped 

 upon them, were offered in her honour, to com- 

 memorate the victory over Typho. A certain 

 rite was also performed in connection with the 

 fabulous history of Osiris, in which it was cus- 

 tomary to throw a cord in the midst of the assem- 

 bly § and then chop it to pieces; the supposed 

 purport of which was to record the desertion of 

 Thueris, the concubine of Typho, and her delivery 

 from a serpent, which the soldiers killed with their 

 swords as it pursued her in her flight to join the 

 army of Horus. 



Among the ceremonies connected with Osiris, 

 the fete of Apis holds a conspicuous place : but 

 this I have already noticed, as well as the grand so- 

 lemnities performed at his funeral. || 



Clemens^ mentions the custom of carrying four 

 golden figures in the festivals of the Gods. They 



* Phanicnoth be;j;an on Feb. '25th, O. S. 



-f- Plut. s. 4.'i. Miicrobius and others say that the Egyptian fetes 

 in spring were all of rejoicing. 



X .Tan. (ith (O. S.). § Phit. de Is. s. 19. 



II Siipi-fi, Vol. 1. (2d Series) p. .351. et seq. 

 ^ Clem. Strom, v. p. 24-2. 



