In ancient Egyptian religion the “sahu” was the incorruptible soul, but the god Sahu (or Sah – “the hidden one”) was also the personification of the constellation Orion. His consort Sopdet (or Sothis), represented the star Sirius (the “dog star”) and his son, Sopdu represented Venus.
According to ancient Egyptian myths, Sahu (Orion) was swallowed by the underworld at dawn, but arose again every night. Clearly, he was a stellar not solar god.
Sahu was associated with the god Osiris because every year Sopdet (Sirius) appeared again after a seventy day absence just before the inundation which was associated with the resurrection of Osiris. This association was strengthened by the association of Sopdet with the goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris. However, the pyramid texts suggest that Sahu was the father of the gods (including Osiris) yet state that his wife Sopdet was the daughter of Osiris.
Bibliography
- Budge, E Wallis (1904) The Gods of the Egyptians
- Goodenough, Simon (1997) Egyptian Mythology
- Pinch, Geraldine (2002) Handbook Egyptian Mythology
- Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003) The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt
Copyright J Hill 2016