Imsety- Egyptian GodDeity"Son of Horus"

The Human Face Among Animals

Imsety was one of the Four Sons of Horus, the protective deities who guarded the canopic jars containing a mummy's preserved organs. His charge was the liver. What set Imsety apart was his appearance: while his brothers Hapy, Duamutef, and Qebehsenuef took the heads of baboon, jackal, and falcon, Imsety alone kept a human face. In earlier periods all four brothers bore human heads, and as the others acquired animal aspects during the New Kingdom, Imsety retained the original form.

The canopic jar containing the liver bore a lid shaped as Imsety's human head, carved from limestone or alabaster. Positioned to the south in the canopic chest, the jar was activated by funerary spells recited during mummification. Priests invoked Imsety's name and promised the deceased that the liver would be safeguarded through eternity. These formulas were inscribed on coffins, tomb walls, and the jars themselves.

Under the Wing of Isis

Each Son of Horus was paired with a protective goddess, and Imsety received Isis. Isis had searched for the dismembered body of Osiris, reassembled him, and through her magic restored him to a form of life. She knew what it meant to preserve a body against destruction. Her protection extended through Imsety to the liver he guarded, binding the canopic jar to the same power that had raised Osiris from the dead.

The Four Sons served in Osiris's court in the underworld, assisting in the judgment of the dead. Their presence at every burial placed a god over each organ: Imsety and his brothers standing watch so the body would hold together through the long passage of the Duat.