Also called Sarapis, Osiris-Apis, Osorapis.
Their story
Serapis was shaped under Ptolemy I from the Memphite cult of Osiris-Apis, the dead Apis bull joined with Osiris. He was given a Greek form, bearded like Zeus or Hades, with a grain basket on his head, so that both Greeks and Egyptians could honour him. His Serapeum in Alexandria was one of the great temples of the ancient world until its destruction in 391 CE. Plutarch and Tacitus both tell how his statue was brought to Alexandria from Sinope after a dream of the king.
Best times to give to them
- Khoiak
- times of illness
What they like being given
- bread
- grain
- water
- incense
- fruit
How to honour them
- Honour him with Isis, as was common across the Roman world.
- Ask for healing or a meaningful dream before sleep.
How they can help you
- healing
- dreams
- abundance
- bridging traditions
Symbols
- bearded man with curly hair
- modius grain basket on the head
- three-headed dog Cerberus
Serapis is a Ptolemaic creation, blending Egyptian and Greek ideas, and his cult spread across the Roman Empire alongside that of Isis.
Sources
- Plutarch, De Iside et Osiride 28
- Tacitus, Histories 4.83-84
- Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt
More Egyptian gods
- Osiris Lord of the afterlife and new growth
- Horus The falcon, protector of the rightful king
- Ra The sun who sails the sky
- Thoth Scribe of the gods, lord of wisdom
- Anubis Guardian and guide of the dead
- Khonsu The Traveller, the moon who heals
- Amun The hidden king of the gods at Thebes
- Ptah Creator by word and patron of craftsmen