left them as soothing traditions for the thoughts and aspirations of
mankind to cherish. For by the time the adequacy of these theories of
knowledge began to be questioned they had made an insistent appeal, and
had come to be regarded as an essential prop to lend support to man's
conviction of the reality of a life beyond the grave. A web of moral
precept and the allurement of hope had been so woven around them that
no force was able to strip away this body of consolatory beliefs; and
they have persisted for all time, although the reasoning by which they
were originally built up has been demolished and forgotten several
millennia ago.

It is not known where Osiris was born. In other countries there are
homologous deities, such as Ea, Tammuz, Adonis, and Attis, which are
certainly manifestations of the same idea and sprung from the same
source. Certain recent writers assume that the germ of the
Osiris-conception was introduced into Egypt from abroad. But if so,
nothing is known for certain of its place of origin. In any case there
can be no doubt that the distinctive features of Osiris, his real
personality and character, were developed in Egypt.

For reasons which I have suggested already it is probable that the
significance of water in cultivation was not realized until cereals were
cultivated in some such place as Babylonia or Egypt. But there are very
definite legends of the Babylonian Ea coming from abroad by way of the
Persian Gulf.[52] The early history of Tammuz is veiled in obscurity.

Somewhere in South Western Asia or North Eastern Africa, probably within
a few years of the development of the art of agriculture, some
scientific theorist, interpreting the body of empirical knowledge
acquired by cultivating cereals, propounded the view that water was the
great life-giving element. This view eventually found expression in the
Osiris-group of legends.

This theory found specific application in the invention of libations and
incense. These practices in turn reacted upon the general body of
doctrine and gave it a more sharply defined form. The dead king also
became more real when he was represented by an actual embalmed body and
a life-like statue, sitting in state upon his throne and holding in his
hands the emblems of his high office.

Thus while, in the present state of knowledge, it would be unjustifiable
to claim that the Osiris-group of deities was invented in Egypt, and
certainly erroneous to attribute