Isis
Isis and Our Lady of the Milk (web)
Reference page: Repertory of Cults and Myths
Origins of the Myth
Egyptian goddess Isis is sister and wife of Osiris and mother of the sun god Oro. The cult of her spread in the Greco-Roman world probably around the III, II century. BC and was associated with that of Demeter. In fact, there are many affinities that bind the two goddesses: both are linked to mysteriofic cults; Isis is sometimes represented in the form of a cow and Demeter, to escape Poseidon, transforms herself into a cow; while Demeter goes in search of her daughter Persephone kidnapped by Pluto, Isis goes in search of Osiris killed by Set, the god of shadow.
The similarities with Demeter and above all the affinity of her cult with that of all the other female divinities considered "the great mothers" (Cybele, Gaia, Rhea, Era) meant that around Isis that religious syncretism was soon formed, concerning the female divinities, which have already been mentioned.
In honor of Isis, in Rome, the Isie were celebrated, which lasted from 28 October to 5 November. Also in Rome, on 268 March, on the occasion of the resumption of navigation, the Isidis Navigium took place, during which a small sacred boat, loaded with spices, was pushed into the sea as a propitiatory sign. A very similar ceremony took place in the Greek Corinth, where there was a temple dedicated to Isis Pelagia [Ciaceri Emanuele: Culti e Miti dell'Antica Sicilia p. XNUMX].
Isidis Navigium: Fresco in the Archaeological Museum of Naples
The cult of Isis in Sicily
In Sicily the cult of Isis was associated with that of Serapis, in addition to that of Demeter e Persephone.
A Taormina, under the church of S. Pancrazio, the remains of a temple dedicated to Isis and Serapis are still visible. That the temple was dedicated to the two Egyptian deities is corroborated by the discovery, not far from the temple, of two inscriptions with dedications to the two deities (one in Latin and the other in Greek) and a statue of Isis currently conserved in the Archaeological Museum of Palermo; of the two inscriptions, the one in Greek is conserved in the antiquarian of Taormina.
A SIRACUSA and Catania bronze coins depicting both Isis and Serapis have been found and inscriptions with dedications to the two divinities were also found in Syracuse [Emanuele Ciaceri: Culti e Miti dell'Antica Sicilia p. 262].
Main center of the cult of Isis in Sicily was Catania where, in addition to the bronze coins, many terracotta statuettes depicting Isis and figures associated with her cult have been found.
Traces of the cult of Isis would also be a Palermo, where, in the National Archaeological Museum, a marble statue is kept which in the 25th century was erroneously restored and attributed to the goddess Flora [Flora is an Italic divinity, personification of spring, protector of flowers and youth]. In reality it is a Hellenic statue of the second century. BC which represents the Egyptian goddess [Filippo Coarelli and Mario Torelli: Sicily “Guide Archeologiche Laterza” p. XNUMX].
A stone inscription attesting the presence of the cult in Lilibeo was found in 2008. The inscription has now been integrated and reassembled in its entirety with a second large fragment which was kept since 1903 in the warehouses of the Whitaker Museum on the island of Mozia.
Religious syncretism
The arrival of Christianity meant that the syncretic context formed around Isis also affected the Madonna, the great Mother of Christians. It is no coincidence that the cult of Isis was particularly flourishing at the beginning of Christianity, also in consideration of the fact that, like most of the mysteriophilic religions, that of Isis was a "religion of salvation", as the Christian religion later became. Some aspects of her cult and those of other syncretic deities were absorbed into the cult of Mary.
The syncretic link that linked the Christian religion to the cult of Isis explains why, in the fourth century (therefore in full swing it was Christian), the Roman feast of Isidis Navigium was still flourishing, unlike the other pagan feasts that were, instead, disappearing.
Ciaceri [Cults and Myths of Ancient Sicily p. 267] recalls an ancient tradition in Catania according to which, in ancient times, a pagan festival was celebrated in honor of a statue of a woman holding a child to her breast; and in fact, in Egypt, Isis was often depicted with her son Oro in her arms, as if to anticipate the typical Christian figure of the Madonna and Child.
Christmas
It is also thought that the Christmas holiday itself is linked in its origins to the cult of Isis. One of the festivals celebrated in Alexandria in Egypt consisted, in fact, in exposing to the faithful, on the night between 24 and 25 December, a small statue probably representing Orus, the sun god son of Isis, who was greeted with exclamations which praised his birth, which took place from the virgin Isis [Ambrogio Donini: Brief history of religions p. 108]. It seems that similar ceremonies took place throughout the Mediterranean basin even before the Christian religion was established. The ceremonies generally took place during the winter solstice which, according to the Julian calendar, fell on December 25th. Early Christians celebrated Christmas on January 6. Only around 300 was it decided to adopt the date of December 25 to celebrate the birth of Christ, son of the Virgin Mary.
The reason why it was decided to replace the festival dedicated to the sun with the one dedicated to the birth of Jesus was probably an attempt to frustrate the popularity of the pagan festivals which opposed the affirmation of the Christian religion, especially since the sun festival was attended by even Christians. In the 25th century, the holiday of December 211th was still connected to the sun. St. Augustine, in fact, was forced to exhort Christians to celebrate Christmas not for the sun but for the one who had created it and Pope Leo the Great criticized the still widespread belief that Christmas was for the sun and not for Christ [John Ferguson: Religions in the Roman Empire p. XNUMX].
Isis and S. Agata
In Catania the cult of Isis was probably absorbed by that of St. Agatha, patroness of Catania, considered the protector of weavers, invoked against breast ailments and celebrated on February 5th. To support this hypothesis there would be the many similarities between the feast of St. Agatha and the ancient feasts in honor of Isis [Ciaceri Emanuele: Culti e Miti dell'Antica Sicilia p. 268].
Traces of the religious syncretism that binds S. Agata and Isis would be identifiable by observing the monument located in Piazza Duomo and which has become the symbol of Catania.
This monument, created in 1736 by Giovan Battista Vaccarini who was inspired by Bernini's fountain in Piazza della Minerva in Rome, represents a lava elephant holding on its back an Egyptian-style obelisk, in Siena granite, almost four meters high (' u Liotru', i.e. the elephant, as it is called by the people of Catania). The presence of hieroglyphics in the obelisk can be referred to the ancient cult of Isis. At the top of the obelisk there are also symbols: lilies, palm trees, the cross and the globe; the lilies and palms are attributed to St. Agatha, but the palms allude to the rays of the sun, and are also attributed to Isis. The base of the cross bears the inscription (which also appears on the cathedral of Catania):
“MSSHDEPL”: “Mentem Sanctam Spontaneam Honorem Deo Et Patriae Liberationem”
what does it mean:
“St. Agatha's mind is holy and spontaneous for the honor of God and the liberation of the country” [Giuseppe La Monica: Mysterious Sicily p. 68]
Photo: Ignazio Caloggero
Finally, note the presence of Minerva on the elephant's saddle cloth, which underlines the vision, in a syncretic key, of Isis, Minerva and S. Agata.
Photo: Ignazio Caloggero
An ancient oral tradition from Catania, reported by Pitrè, says that S. Agata was a beautiful weaver, a gentleman fell in love with her and asked her to marry her parents. Not intending to marry, she S. Agata said that she would marry the man only after finishing weaving a web. [Sicilian popular shows and festivals.p.194.]
However, the canvas was never completed because the Catanian virgin wove by day and undid the work done by night. Hence the saying:
The tila of S. Aita is common, it never ends,
ca lu jornu tissia and the scusia nights.
The link with the legend of Penelope, which is Christianized and sanctified here, is also evident.
Extract from the Book ” Cults of Ancient Sicily” by Ignazio Caloggero ISBN: 9788832060102 © 2022 Centro Studi Helios srl
