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Osiris (Greek, also Usiris, the Egyptian name is Aser or Ausare) is the Egyptian god of Death and the Afterworld. The origin of Osiris' name is a mystery, which forms an obstacle to knowing the pronunciation of its hieroglyphic form. The majority of current thinking is that the Egyptian name is pronounced aser where the a is the letter ayin (i.e. a short 'a' pronounced from the back of the throat as if swallowing).
Osiris was the Egyptian god of the underworld, as well as a fertility and agricultural deity. He is one of the most important of the Ancient Egyptian deities. He is a life-death-rebirth deity, one of the Ennead, and was the representation of the constellation Orion. In myth, he was eventually buried in the city of Abydos, of which he was the patron deity.
As part of the Ennead, Osiris was said to be the first born child of Nuit and Geb, the sky and earth. With Isis, his wife, and sister, he was the father of Horus. Babi was described as his first-born son. Some legends hold that Nepthys, another sister of his, disguised herself as Isis, and seduced Osiris into having sex with her, resulting in the birth of Anubis. In later times, the importance of Osiris grew, and he was combined with Ptah-Seker to create Ptah-Seker-Osiris. Also he identified with Heryshaf.
In Duat, the underworld, Osiris weighed the hearts of the dead men against the feather of Truth. Hearts weighted down by sin were devoured by Ammit and those who were light enough were sent to Aaru (some authors read the weighting in the other direction, sins and lies not being as heavy (i.e. worthy) as truth). One of the greatest tales of Egyptian mythology, the Legend of Osiris and Isis, concerns how it was that Osiris came to be god of the underworld, and how Horus was born.
In art, Osiris was usually depicted as a mummified man, with a beard, and the symbols of kingship - the crown, flail, and crozier. Usually, he also was depicted as having green skin, a reference to his being lord over the dead.
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