Susan Brind Morrow says, in her study of the Pyramid Texts, that Horus and Anoubis are meant to refer to the two brightest stars in the sky, Sirius and Canopus, respectively. (And, of course, spiritual principles derived from these.) Indeed, she says that the word Canopus (Κάνωβος) is derived from Anoubis (Ἄνουβις), which is at least plausible to me; in Greek, they sound almost the same.
This is interesting since it ties into my interpretation of the Troia myth, where Helene is Osiris and Menelaus is Isis. See, Canopus is named after the pilot of Menelaus's flagship; when Menelaus returned from Troia, he was marooned for a long time in Egypt, and Canopus died there (and the Egyptian city of Canopus, built where he supposedly died, was named for him, cf. Strabon, Geography XVII i §17).
But Isis was also famously known for her boat—the festival of Navigium Isidis, one of the primary festivals in Rome, was all about this—in which she traveled with Anoubis, her bodyguard and attendant, while searching for the pieces of Osiris. This occurs at the same time in both myths (point 12, above).
The star Canopus, it should be noted, is the brightest star of the constellation Argo Navis, which is a ship. According to Plutarch, the Egyptians called it Osiris's boat (Isis and Osiris XXII), but he also says that Orion is sacred to Horos and Sirius to Isis; but if Morrow is correct in her translation, then it's clear Plutarch permuted the associations: the ship should be Isis's; Orion, Osiris's; and Sirius, Horos's.
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Date: 2025-05-01 11:16 pm (UTC)This is interesting since it ties into my interpretation of the Troia myth, where Helene is Osiris and Menelaus is Isis. See, Canopus is named after the pilot of Menelaus's flagship; when Menelaus returned from Troia, he was marooned for a long time in Egypt, and Canopus died there (and the Egyptian city of Canopus, built where he supposedly died, was named for him, cf. Strabon, Geography XVII i §17).
But Isis was also famously known for her boat—the festival of Navigium Isidis, one of the primary festivals in Rome, was all about this—in which she traveled with Anoubis, her bodyguard and attendant, while searching for the pieces of Osiris. This occurs at the same time in both myths (point 12, above).
The star Canopus, it should be noted, is the brightest star of the constellation Argo Navis, which is a ship. According to Plutarch, the Egyptians called it Osiris's boat (Isis and Osiris XXII), but he also says that Orion is sacred to Horos and Sirius to Isis; but if Morrow is correct in her translation, then it's clear Plutarch permuted the associations: the ship should be Isis's; Orion, Osiris's; and Sirius, Horos's.