In the primordial age of the world, when the gods walked among the reeds of the Nile and the desert sands held the secrets of the first breath, the land of Egypt flourished under the wise and benevolent rule of Osiris. Osiris, the Great King, and his sister-wife Isis were the embodiments of harmony and life. However, shadow always follows the light, and the envy of their brother Set, the god of storms and chaos, grew like a canker in the dark. Set conceived a plot of unparalleled cruelty to seize the throne. He fashioned a magnificent chest of cedar and gold, built exactly to the proportions of Osiris's body. At a grand banquet, Set announced that the chest would belong to whoever could fit within it perfectly. When Osiris, unsuspecting and noble, stepped into the casket, Set and his conspirators slammed the lid shut, sealed it with molten lead, and cast it into the churning waters of the Nile.
Isis, upon hearing the news, was consumed by a grief that shook the foundations of the heavens. She sheared her hair, donned the garments of mourning, and set out to find the body of her beloved. The Nile carried the heavy chest out into the Great Green Sea, the Mediterranean, where the currents bore it toward the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos. There, the chest came to rest against the roots of a young tamarisk tree. In the presence of the divine remains of Osiris, the tree grew with supernatural speed, expanding its trunk until it had completely encased the chest within its wood. The tree became so magnificent and its fragrance so intoxicating that King Malcander of Byblos ordered it to be cut down to serve as the central pillar for the roof of his grand palace.
Guided by the whispers of the wind and her own divine intuition, Isis eventually arrived at the shores of Byblos. She did not arrive as a goddess wreathed in light, but as a weary, sorrowful traveler. She sat by a public fountain near the palace, silent and still. When the handmaidens of Queen Astarte came to the fountain to draw water, Isis did not reveal her identity, but she approached them with a grace that was undeniable. She braided their hair with such intricacy that it looked like woven gold and breathed upon them a fragrance so celestial that it lingered on their skin like a memory of paradise. When the handmaidens returned to the palace, the Queen was struck by the wonderful scent and the exquisite beauty of their hair. Upon learning of the mysterious woman by the well, Queen Astarte summoned Isis to the palace and, seeing her gentle demeanor, asked her to serve as the nursemaid for her infant son, the young prince.
Isis accepted the role, finding a strange solace in the care of the mortal child. By day, she performed her duties with diligence, but by night, her mind was fixed on the great tamarisk pillar that held the heart of her world. She knew that the child she cared for was destined for the frailty of old age and the coldness of the grave, and in her growing affection for the prince, she decided to bestow upon him the greatest gift a goddess could offer: immortality. Each night, when the palace was hushed and the torches burned low, Isis would build a sacred fire in the center of the royal nursery. Through the power of her magic, she would place the infant prince into the heart of the flames to burn away his mortal dross, purging the elements of his earthly heritage so that he might live forever among the stars.
While the child lay in the fire, unhurt and glowing with a burgeoning divine light, Isis would transform herself into a swallow. In this form, she would fly around the great tamarisk pillar, chirping a mournful, piercing song that told of her lost husband and the long years of her wandering. This ritual continued for many nights, and the prince grew stronger and more radiant than any human child had ever been. However, the Queen became suspicious of the nursemaid's secretive behavior. One night, Astarte hid behind the heavy tapestries of the nursery, watching and waiting. When she saw Isis place her son into the roaring fire, the Queen let out a shriek of terror and rushed forward to snatch the child from the embers. In doing so, she broke the spell. The process of deification was interrupted, and the prince was destined to remain a mortal man, losing the chance for eternal life.