The Tour · Chapter
The Night of Isis explained
Lucius, feeling deeply melancholic and unwell, wanders alone during the Feast of Isis in Sais.
What happens
Lucius, feeling deeply melancholic and unwell, wanders alone during the Feast of Isis in Sais. He encounters three hierodules who lead him to the temple where the veiled Isis statue looms. After leaving the temple, he finds Cora waiting by his barge and asks her to stay with him. Cora dances for him in the moonlight while he falls asleep. Later, Thrasyllus returns and confides in Cora his disillusionment with the wisdom of Egypt, yet retains hope to find a cure for Lucius in Memphis or Thebes.
Themes in this chapter
Grief and Healing
Lucius experiences profound melancholy and physical illness, seeking comfort from Cora and hoping for a cure from Thrasyllus's quest for wisdom.
Deception and Survival
Thrasyllus criticizes the priests of Isis for selling the hollow word 'Be a god unto yourself,' suggesting a veneer of wisdom hiding venality.
Characters to notice
- Publius Lucius Sabinus
Lucius is deeply melancholic and unwell, wanders alone during the Feast of Isis, visits the temple, and later asks Cora to stay with him.
- Cora
Cora chooses to stay near the barge rather than enjoy her night of liberty, dances for Lucius in the moonlight, and later speaks with Thrasyllus.
- Thrasyllus
Thrasyllus returns late at night and confides in Cora his disappointment with the wisdom of Egypt, but still hopes to find a cure for Lucius in Memphis or Thebes.
- Catullus
Uncle Catullus retires to his cabin during the Feast of Isis.
- Tarrar
Tarrar remains on the barge to sleep at his master's threshold.
Key passages
“I Am Who Have Been, Who Am And Who Shall Be; And No One Has Lifted My Veil.”
The inscription on the statue of Isis declares her eternal and mysterious nature, which remains hidden from all.
This inscription reflects the theme of hidden wisdom and the inscrutability of the divine.
“Great Isis hides behind her veil the worthlessness and venality of her priests, whose last remaining pride is to sell in great secrecy the word, 'Be a god unto yourself.'”
Thrasyllus believes the priests of Isis are corrupt and offer only a hollow, self-serving doctrine.
Thrasyllus's critique underscores the theme of deception and the search for genuine spiritual truth.