King Osiris and Lord Sarapis

Abstract Osiris and Sarapis find their common origin in the funeral field. The articulation between the two gods has been demonstrated through another osirian form, Osiris-Apis. However, the two gods are not separated from each other following the cultural context of evocation. According to the bilingual funeral documentation of Greco-Roman Egypt, they appear jointly: Osiris can be pictured and listed, Sarapis only called. From these specific sources, it is possible to understand the link between Osiris and Sarapis, in particular through their divine sovereignty. This royal function is particularly linked with the osirian rites of Khoiak, the celebration of the divine burial of Osiris, and the renewal of his sovereign power over the world. Nevertheless, if “King Osiris” and “Lord Sarapis” are jointly present and can reach each other through some common ways, the relationships established between them in Coptos, Abydos and Terenouthis, appear as factors of separation. The living and the dead wished to reach the eternity, following Osiris’ example, or requested the divine justice; but using Egyptian or Greek vocabulary, they could not unite them. Osiris and Sarapis are jointly present, but always separated, because their cultural expressions reveal two dynamics opposed.