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Cry Me A River -- Isis Regenerates the River Nile!
The Ultimate Love Story
The 15th day of August is a national holiday in many
countries, commemorating the Ascension of the Virgin
Mary to the heavens, after her death. On the very same
day—15 August, the Egyptians have been commemorating,
since ancient times, a very similar festival that relates
to the (symbolic) death of the Ancient Egyptian Virgin
Mother—called Bride of the Nile.
In the Ancient Egyptian context, the Bride of the Nile
is Auset (Isis)—the Virgin Mother—and the River Nile is
her soul mate—Ausar (Osiris). On 15 August, the Ancient
Egyptian festival commemorates the end of the 50-day
rainy period in Ethiopia, which causes the annual flooding
of the Nile.
The Egyptians associate the beginning of the annual
flood season with Auset (Isis), who began to weep after
her soul-mate, namely Ausar (Osiris), ascended to heaven 40 days after his death. Egyptians
associated Auset’s first teardrop
with the beginning of the rise of the
Nile. Auset continued to weep,
wishing for the lifeless Ausar to rise
again. The Weeping Widow became
for the Egyptians the Lady of Sorrow.
One of the most compelling
parts of this Egyptian popular
folktale is how these two symbols
relate to the flood season in Egypt. The beauty here is
that Auset (Isis) is wishing for Ausar (symbolizing the
water) to rise from his coma, and the water of the Nile is
consequently rising as a result of her weeping.
Auset (Isis) therefore recreates/regenerates Ausar
from her tears every year. Her tears are blood-red in color,
which is the same color of the flood-waters, since this water
comes as a result of the rainy season in Ethiopia, which
erodes the silt of the Ethiopian highlands, and carries it
towards Egypt along the Blue Nile and other tributaries.
So, Auset’s tears represent this reddish color of the water
during the flood season. In essence, Auset (Isis) is crying
a river—so to speak. The Christian faithfuls follow the
same Ancient Egyptian traditions in their presentations
of the statues of Mary with bloody teardrops coming out
of her eyes.
In this popular Egyptian allegory, Auset (Isis) finished
her crying over her soul mate, Ausar (Osiris), in
about the middle of August, which means that Auset has
cried all the tears she had. It is at this point in time that
the Egyptians (both ancient and modern) hold a festival,
signifying the last teardrop from Auset (Isis), which will
cause the peak of the flood level. It is during this celebration
that the Egyptians throw an effigy of Auset into the waters, to symbolize that Auset drowned in her own tears—the River Nile itself.
The waters of Osiris have covered the fertile Mother Earth. She disappears from sight.
But the waters will soon start receding and the fertile earth -- Isis will emerge again -- on September 7/8 -- which is Isis' Birthday -- the very same day in the Christian calander celebrating Mary's Birthday. Happy Birthday Mary Isis -- One and the Same!
