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Egyptian

Serapis

The Great God · The Saviour · Lord of All

01Identity

Serapis in Egyptian tradition

A triple-headed Cerberus sits at the feet of Serapis, who appears in statues with long hair and a beard, seated on a throne like Pluto. He is the Greek form of Osiris-Apis, the combination of Osiris and Apis, the sacred bull worshipped at Memphis. The cult of Sarapis developed from the cult of Apis and was encouraged by the Hellenistic kings of Egypt.

Serapis belongs to the Egyptian Underworld and was identified by the Greeks with Hades. He was also regarded as a heaven-god, since the soul of the dead Apis bull was believed to rise to heaven and unite with Osiris. He was linked with the riches beneath the earth, and could cure diseases. In later development, he became a solar deity and a state god. His worship spread beyond Egypt, where he became the chief god of the Egyptian gods.

Top questions

The quick answers

  • Who is Serapis?

    Serapis is an Egyptian deity associated with the underworld and the dead; fertility and agricultural abundance; healing; salvation and protection; and oracles and dreams.
    Source

    Source

    • Egyptian Mythology
    • Religion in Roman Egypt: Assimilation and Resistance
    • The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

  • What is Serapis the god of?

    Serapis is associated with the underworld and the dead; fertility and agricultural abundance; healing; salvation and protection; and oracles and dreams.
    Source

    Source

    • Egyptian Mythology
    • Religion in Roman Egypt: Assimilation and Resistance
    • The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

  • What family links are recorded for Serapis?

    Spouse: Isis.
02Family

Serapis’s family, at a glance

Serapis

with Isis

03The names

The names Serapis answers to

Sarapis

An alternate Greek spelling of Serapis

SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

Osiris-Apis

The Egyptian syncretic source-name combining Osiris and the Apis bull

SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

Osorapis

A Greek form of the Osiris-Apis name

SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

Aserapis

A Latinized variant of the deity’s name

SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

04Related stories

Where Serapis is mentioned

Mentioned in

Stories elsewhere on MythSource that mention Serapis, each on that figure’s page.

Continue the road

More of Serapis’s family, sourced

IsisSpouse