As most of the world is celebrating Easter and the resurrection of their saviour, may we cast our minds to other saviours less well known but no less important this weekend.

Deities that have also been resurrected either in a literal or symbolic sense, include the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna and her counterpart Ishtar who was resurrected and ascended from the underworld.

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Persephone was also resurrected after returning from Hades. She was doomed to spend the eternity in the underworld after being abducted, but was eventually released by Hermes.

Probably the widest known of all resurrection deities is Osiris who was briefly brought back to life by Isis. Isis used a spell learned from her father so he could impregnate her with a child after his rebirth. When Osiris died again Isis hid his body in the desert. Months later, she gave birth to Horus. The Kings of Egypt were associated with Osiris in death, as Osiris rose from the dead they would, in union with him, inherit eternal life through a process of imitative magic.

Dionysus, who has some notable parallels with Jesus, was reborn when Zeus recreated him in his thigh after being torn apart and eaten by the Titans.

Others who have been resurrected in some shape or form include Odin, Baal, Krishna, Ra and Melqart, who was incidentally worshipped by Hannibal.

Mantrik

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