In Egyptian mythology, Isis is the goddess of motherhood and magic.
Isis became famous through the Osiris myth, in which she searched for and restored the body of her murdered husband, Osiris. She then conceived and protected their son, Horus, making her the model of devoted motherhood and the mythological mother of Egypt’s kings.
Her magic was not merely symbolic. Egyptian stories describe Isis healing Horus, reviving Osiris, transforming herself, and acquiring secret knowledge from the sun god Ra. Magical spells often invoked her protection against illness, venom, childbirth dangers, and hostile spirits.
Isis is sometimes confused with Hathor because both could be shown with cow-horn headdresses and both had maternal and royal associations. Isis’s worship began in ancient Egypt and later spread widely through Nubia, Greece, and Rome. Her major cult centers included Behbeit el-Hagar and Philae, and her worship remained prominent into the Roman period.