The Golden Ass

by

Apuleius

Isis Character Analysis

Isis is an Egyptian goddess and the wife of the god Osiris. She appears to Lucius in a dream (while he’s still a donkey), taking pity on him and telling him how he can acquire roses that will allow him to turn back into a man. Isis’s vision proves correct, and so in gratitude, Lucius continues to serve Isis. The book ends with Lucius becoming a happy, devout member of the cult of Isis. Despite all the tribulations Lucius goes through over the course of The Golden Ass, the happy ending with Isis suggests that loyalty and persistence are sometimes rewarded.

Isis Quotes in The Golden Ass

The The Golden Ass quotes below are all either spoken by Isis or refer to Isis . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
).
Book 1 Quotes

Okay, let me weave together various sorts of tales, using the Milesian mode as a loom, if you will. Witty and dulcet tones are going to stroke your too-kind ears—as long as you don't turn a spurning nose up at an Egyptian papyrus scrawled over with an acute pen from the Nile. I’ll make you wonder at human forms and fortunes transfigured, torn apart but then mended back into their original state.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Isis
Page Number: 1
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 11 Quotes

Lo, I come to your aid, Lucius, moved by your pleas—I, the mother of the universe, queen of all the elements, the original off-spring of eternity, loftiest of the gods, queen of the shades, foremost of the heavenly beings, single form of gods and goddesses alike.

Related Characters: Isis (speaker), Lucius, Osiris
Related Symbols: Donkey, Roses
Page Number: 251
Explanation and Analysis:

Soon, shaved to the skin again, I went joyfully about the duties of this venerable priesthood, founded in the time of Sulla. I did not cloak or conceal my baldness, wherever I went and whomever I met.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Isis , Osiris
Related Symbols: Donkey, Roses
Page Number: 272
Explanation and Analysis:
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Isis Quotes in The Golden Ass

The The Golden Ass quotes below are all either spoken by Isis or refer to Isis . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
).
Book 1 Quotes

Okay, let me weave together various sorts of tales, using the Milesian mode as a loom, if you will. Witty and dulcet tones are going to stroke your too-kind ears—as long as you don't turn a spurning nose up at an Egyptian papyrus scrawled over with an acute pen from the Nile. I’ll make you wonder at human forms and fortunes transfigured, torn apart but then mended back into their original state.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Isis
Page Number: 1
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 11 Quotes

Lo, I come to your aid, Lucius, moved by your pleas—I, the mother of the universe, queen of all the elements, the original off-spring of eternity, loftiest of the gods, queen of the shades, foremost of the heavenly beings, single form of gods and goddesses alike.

Related Characters: Isis (speaker), Lucius, Osiris
Related Symbols: Donkey, Roses
Page Number: 251
Explanation and Analysis:

Soon, shaved to the skin again, I went joyfully about the duties of this venerable priesthood, founded in the time of Sulla. I did not cloak or conceal my baldness, wherever I went and whomever I met.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Isis , Osiris
Related Symbols: Donkey, Roses
Page Number: 272
Explanation and Analysis: