Embalming Osiris

The ancient Egyptian god Seth used several dastardly schemes to kill his brother and rival, Osiris. When he finally succeeded, Seth dismembered his brother's body and scattered the parts. With the help of the god Anubis, Osiris' wife Isis carefully collected all the dismembered parts of her husband's body and rejoined them. She then embalmed and mummified the body, as depicted here in an illustration from the Book of the Dead, an ancient papyrus scroll. With his body intact, Osiris' spirit survived, and he became the ruler of the underworld