« The Meaning of Myths
‘I am Nature,’ declared the great goddess, ‘the universal Mother, mistress of all the elements, primordial child of time, sovereign of all things spiritual, queen of the dead, queen also of the immortals, the single manifestation of all gods and goddesses that are. My nod governs the shining heights of Heaven, the wholesome sea-breezes, the lamentable silences of the world below. Though I am worshipped in many aspects, known by countless names, and propitiated with all manner of different rites, yet the whole round earth venerates me.’ In these terms Isis reveals herself to Lucius Apuleius, The her Golden devotee, Ass, at the end of the ordeal described allegorically in his novel, which was written during the second century. Her pity was aroused and she had come to his aid, just as she might intervene on behalf of those who gave her worship in Phrygia, Greece, Ethiopia, or the Orient. It was insignificant that only ‘the Egyptians, who excel in all kind of ancient learning . . . call me by my correct name, Queen Isis. »
Extrait de
A Dictionary of World Mythology
