Osiris

Green stood for new plant growth and rebirth, which fit a god of vegetation and resurrection. Egyptians painted Osiris green to show that death was not final, just as crops regrow each year. Some images make him black instead, a color for the fertile soil the Nile floods left behind.

Because he was king and judge of the dead, and the mummy wrapping showed that role. Artists often wrapped him from the chest down, with his hands holding the crook and flail of kingship. The look also recalls the myth in which Osiris became the first mummy after his murder.

His brother Set killed him, according to Egyptian myth. Set stands for disorder and illegitimate power. Isis then restored Osiris, who lived long enough to father Horus before becoming ruler of the dead, while Horus later claimed the throne. Versions of the story differ in the details.

Osiris rules the afterlife and judges the dead, while Anubis prepares bodies and guides souls. Anubis handled embalming, tomb protection, and led the dead to judgment. In early Egyptian belief, Anubis was the chief god of the dead, but Osiris later took over that top role.