I Found Another Osiris

[sdi]

Hyginus, in his De Astronomia, tells us the myths associated with various constellations; in his discussion of the constellation Βοώτης Bootes "ox-driver," tells us the story of Ἰκάριος Ikarios. Evidently, Ikarios was just and pious and so Dionusos taught him how to grow grapes and make wine from them. Once he had mastered this, he loaded up his ox-cart with wine and went around giving wine to the shepherds of Attike. Becoming drunk, they supposed that he had given them poison, and so they killed him and buried his body under a tree. When he never came home, his daughter Ἠριγόνη Erigone "Becoming Spring" worried, and after Ikarios's dog, Μαῖρα Maira "Sparkling," who had traveled with him, came home howling and whining, her worry turned to grief. The dog led her to his master's body, and the poor girl hung herself on the tree under which he was buried, and the dog lied down and died with her. Dionusus, pitying the three unjust deaths, placed them among the stars as the constellations Bootes, Virgo "maiden," and the star Προκύων Prokuon "guide-dog" (woof woof).

This seems to me to be yet-another dim memory of the Osiris myth, with Ikarios being Osiris, Erigone being Isis, and Maira being the dogs who guided Isis to Anoubis (who, in turn, helped her find the pieces of Osiris), making it another argument in favor of my Upuat/Procyon theory.

I think it's interesting that Erigone (= Isis) is the daughter of Ikarios (= Osiris), rather than his wife; this bears similarities to Kore (= Osiris) being the daughter of Demeter (= Isis) or Danae (= Isis) being the daughter of Akrisios (= Seth) and the illicit lover of Proitos (= Osiris). I guess the Egyptians had a high opinion of romantic love, while the Greeks had a high opinion of filial love.

Comments

[kallianeira]

And do the Egyptian myths lack the constant Greek theme of the gods as adulterous philanderers?

[sdi]

Ha, no, there's adultery and incest and bestiality and fratricide aplenty there, too! As far as I can tell, that's where the Greeks got it from.