The Apis bull, for instance, was regarded as the very incarnation of the god Osiris and also an emanation of the god Ptah.

One of the popular triads consisted of Osiris, his consort Isis, and their son Horus.​—PICTURE, Vol. 2, p. 529.

Osiris was the most popular of the Egyptian gods and was regarded as the son of the earth-god Geb and the sky-goddess Nut. It was said that Osiris became the husband of Isis and reigned as king over Egypt. The mythological accounts tell of Osiris’ being murdered by his brother Set and then being restored to life, becoming the judge and king of the dead. The relationship of Osiris and Isis and their respective characteristics strikingly correspond to the relationship and characteristics of the Babylonian Tammuz and Ishtar. Hence, numerous scholars consider them to be identical.

The mythological accounts portray the Egyptian deities as having human weaknesses and imperfections. They were said to have experienced anguish and fright and repeatedly found themselves in peril. The god Osiris was slain.

Nephthys was said to have got her brother Osiris, the husband of her sister Isis, drunk and then had relations with him.

According to one account, when Horus proceeded to avenge the death of his father Osiris, Set, who had murdered Osiris, changed himself into a serpent.