These three deities make up the Osirian triad from the great myth in Egyptian funerary religion. Horus, the young boy in the center, was the son of Osiris. His uncle Seth tried to kill him in order to become king of the gods, but Horus was saved by the magical skill and cunning of his mother, Isis. Nepthysis, Horus' aunt, aided her sister in his escape. Because both goddesses were magicians, they were excellent protectors of the vulnerable mummy. Small faience triads, such as this one, were generally placed on the lower torso of the deceased.

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