Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Busiris
In Greek mythology, Busiris was a king of Egypt who sacrificed all visitors to the gods, hoping to avert a famine. Heracles defied him and broke his shackles at the last minute. The myth appears to be a corruption of a myth concerning Osiris' sacrifice by Seth, and subsequent resurrection.
Busiris' name was most likely derived from Osiris, who was in Egypt, and the annual sacrifice a metaphorical representation of the apparant freezing of the sun's path on its ecliptic during the two weeks after the solstice (its being bound), and its near sacrifice (i.e. the solstice itself).
He appears as the leader of a revolt in Lucian's True Story (2.23)
10-26-2009 08:16:03
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details