House of Eset and Set

Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys

On November 29, 2009 the Lamentation of Isis and Nephthys with a Litany to Osiris took place. It was a two part re-enactment ritual which combined ritual with a portrayal of the Lamentations in the first half, and a Litany for the revivification for Osiris in the second half in which the actions and involvement of the audience completed the ritual. It was unanimously felt that the ritual had reached the Neteru, and was a confirmed success by events that happened since that time. The Lamentations were taken from M. Lichtheim’s Ancient Egyptian Literature which included her translation of the Papyrus Berlin 3008. The litany was taken from J.L. Foster’s translation of the Papyrus of Ani.


The Lamentations were performed on a calendar date that closely matches the date, by calculations done of ancient calendars, for the Festival for Osiris. There were other activities that the ancestors would have done during these calendar days. The raising of the Djed pillar, the symbolic backbone of Osiris, and re-enactments of moral and significant parts of their religious stories, that the priesthood would like the populace to know. These festivals were more than just celebrations for the sake of celebrations of abundance. It was through re-enactments that taught the populace about Maat and Heka.



The Lamentations and Litany ritual will be done again in the future. With more knowledge gained about the Osirian Festival, the ritual may be modified to keep with the underlying goal of making the work and the praise that we do for the Neteru as accurate to secular texts and as accurate to what is in our hearts, as possible. Ritual and Praise done with true intent and with pure hearts would always be welcome to the Neteru. - Anat