were two dogs, a hawk, and an Ibis; which, like the number 4, had a mysterious meaning. The dogs represented the two hemispheres, the hawk the Sun, and the Ibis the Moon; but he does not state if this was usual at all festivals, or confined to those in honour of particular Deities. Many fêtes were held at different seasons of the year; for, as Herodotus observes, far from being contented with one festival, the Egyptians celebrate annually a very great number of which that of Diana (Pasht), kept at the city of Bubastis, holds the first rank, and is performed with the greatest pomp. Next to it is that of Isis, at Busiris, a city situated in the middle of the Delta, with a very large temple, consecrated to that Goddess, the Ceres of the Greeks. The third in importance is the fête of Minerva (Neith), held at Saïs; the fourth, of the Sun at Heliopolis; the fifth, of Latona in the city of Buto; and the sixth is that performed at Papremis, in honour of Mars. In going to celebrate the festival of Diana at Bubastis, it was customary to repair thither by water; and parties of men and women were crowded together on that occasion in numerous boats, without distinction of age or sex. During the whole of the journey, several women played on crotalat, and some men on the flute; others accompanying them with the voice and the clapping of hands, as was usual at musical parties in Egypt. * Herodot. ii. 59. et seq. + Vide Vol. II. p. 318.; and Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 279. Whenever they approached a town, the boats were brought near to it; and while the singing continued, some of the women, in the most abusive manner, scoffed at those on the shore as they passed by them. Arrived at Bubastis, they performed the rites of the festival by the sacrifice of a great number of victims; and the quantity of wine consumed on the occasion was said to be more than during all the rest of the year. The number of persons present was reckoned by the inhabitants of the place to be 700,000, without including children; and it is probable that the appearance presented by this concourse of people, the scenes which occurred, and the picturesque groups they presented, were not altogether unlike those witnessed at the modern fêtes of Tanta and Dessook in the Delta, in honour of the Sayd el Beddawee, and Shekh Ibrahim e' Dessookee. The number stated by the historian is beyond all probability, notwithstanding the population of ancient Egypt, and cannot fail to call to mind the 70,000 pilgrims, reported by the Moslems to be annually present at Mekkeh. The mode adopted (as they believe) for keeping up that exact number is very ingenious; every deficiency being supplied by a mysterious complement of angels, who obligingly present themselves for the purpose; and some contrivance of the kind may have suggested itself to the ancient Egyptians, at the festival of Bubastis. The fête of Isis was performed with great mag nificence. The votaries of the Goddess prepared themselves beforehand by fasting and prayers, after which they proceeded to sacrifice an ox. When slain, the thighs and upper part of the haunches, the shoulders, and neck were cut off; and the body was filled with unleavened cakes of pure flour, with honey, dried raisins, figs, incense, myrrh, and other odorific substances. It was then burnt, and a quantity of oil was poured on the fire during the process. In the mean time those present scourged themselves in honour of Osiris, uttering lamentations* around the burnt offering; and this part of the ceremony being concluded, they partook of the remains of the sacrifice. This festival was celebrated at Busiris, to commemorate the death of Osiris, who was reported to have been buried there in common with other places, and whose tomb gave the name to the city. It was probably on this occasion that the branch of absinthium, mentioned by Pliny †, was carried by the priests of Isis; and dogs were made to head the procession, to commemorate the recovery of his body.+ Another festival of Isis was held at harvest time, when the Egyptians throughout the country offered the first-fruits of the earth, and with doleful lamentations presented them at her altar. On this occasion she seems to answer to the Ceres of the Greeks, * Vide Plut. de Is. s. 14. Coptos, the city of mourning. This calls to mind the small figures mentioned in note §, p. 300. as has been observed by Herodotus *; and the multiplicity of names she bore may account for the different capacities in which she was worshipped, and remove the difficulty any change appears to present in the wife and sister of Osiris. One similarity is observable between this last and the fête celebrated at Busiris that the votaries presented their offerings in the guise of mourners †; and the first-fruits had probably a direct reference to Osiris, in connection with one of those allegories which represented him as the beneficent property of the Nile.§ I will not pretend to decide whether the festivals mentioned by Greek writers in honour of Isis or Osiris really appertained to them. It is highly probable that the Greeks and Romans, who visited Egypt, having little acquaintance with the Deities of that country, ascribed to those two many of the festivals which were celebrated in honour of Khem and other Gods ; and it is evident that the Egyptians themselves often aided in confirming strangers in the erroneous notions they entertained, especially on the subject of religion. And so confirmed were the Greeks in their mistaken opinions, that they would with difficulty have listened to any one who informed them that Anubis had not the head of a dog, and Amun that of a ram, or that the cow was the emblem of Athor rather than of Isis. In the absence, however, of such authority as * Herodot. ii. 59. + Conf. Deut. xxvi. 14. "I have eaten thereof in my mourning." + Vide suprà, p. 294., note. § Vide suprà, Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 329. 337. &c. Vide suprà, Vol. I. (2d Series) p. 260. 290. 379. 381. &c. that which has satisfied us respecting the lastmentioned points, we must for the present content ourselves with the statements of Plutarch and other writers respecting the festivals of Isis and Osiris. We must conclude that they were solemnized at the periods they mention, and for the reasons assigned by them, connected with the seasons of the year, or the relation supposed to subsist between the allegorical history of his adventures and natural phænomena. But we cannot believe that the Paamylia, mentioned by Plutarch, were a festival in honour of Osiris, which, he says, resembled the Phallaphoria, or Priapeia of the Greeks.* And though a plausible reason seems to be assigned for its institution, it is evident that the phallic figures of the Egyptian temples represent Khem, the generative principle, who bore no analogy to Osiris; and there is no appearance of these two Deities having been confounded, even in the latest times, on the monuments of Egypt. Such opinions seem to have been introduced by the Greeks, who were ignorant of the religion of the Egyptians, and who endeavoured to account for all they heard, or saw represented, by some reference to the works of nature, compelling every thing to form part of their favourite explanation of a fanciful fable. But, in justice to Plutarch, it must be observed, that he gives those statements as the vulgar interpretations of the fabulous story of Isis and Osiris, without the sanction of his own authority or belief; and he * Plut. de Is. s. 12. and 18. |
