Claim: Isis is an Egyptian goddess.

Isis -LRB- -LSB- ˈaɪsɪs -RSB- Ἶσις -LSB- îː.sis -RSB- ; original Egyptian pronunciation more likely `` Aset '' or `` Iset '' -RRB- is a goddess from the polytheistic pantheon of Egypt . She was first worshiped in ancient Egyptian religion , and later her worship spread throughout the Roman Empire and the greater Greco-Roman world . Isis is still widely worshiped by many pagans today in diverse religious contexts ; including a number of distinct pagan religions , the modern Goddess movement , and interfaith organizations such as the Fellowship of Isis .   Isis was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the patroness of nature and magic . She was the friend of slaves , sinners , artisans and the downtrodden , but she also listened to the prayers of the wealthy , maidens , aristocrats and rulers . Isis is often depicted as the mother of Horus , the falcon-headed deity associated with king and kingship -LRB- although in some traditions Horus 's mother was Hathor -RRB- . Isis is also known as protector of the dead and goddess of children .   The name Isis means `` Throne '' . Her headdress is a throne . As the personification of the throne , she was an important representation of the pharaoh 's power . The pharaoh was depicted as her child , who sat on the throne she provided . Her cult was popular throughout Egypt , but her most important temples were at Behbeit El Hagar in the Nile delta , and , beginning in the reign with Nectanebo I -LRB- 380 -- 362 BCE -RRB- , on the island of Philae in Upper Egypt .   In the typical form of her myth , Isis was the first daughter of Geb , god of the Earth , and Nut , goddess of the Sky , and she was born on the fourth intercalary day . She married her brother , Osiris , and she conceived Horus with him . Isis was instrumental in the resurrection of Osiris when he was murdered by Set . Using her magical skills , she restored his body to life after having gathered the body parts that had been strewn about the earth by Set .   This myth became very important during the Greco-Roman period . For example , it was believed that the Nile River flooded every year because of the tears of sorrow which Isis wept for Osiris . Osiris 's death and rebirth was relived each year through rituals . The worship of Isis eventually spread throughout the Greco-Roman world , continuing until the suppression of paganism in the Christian era . The popular motif of Isis suckling her son Horus , however , lived on in a Christianized context as the popular image of Mary suckling her infant son Jesus from the fifth century onward .