Priestess of Isis

A historical novel of initiation from one of the great popularizers of Western esotericism. Set in the last days of Pompeii, Schuré's tale follows a Roman drawn into the forbidden mysteries of Isis.

Priestess of Isis unfolds in the final days before the eruption of Vesuvius. Ombricius, a proud Roman tribune, is captivated by Alcyone, a priestess of Isis, and to win her must undergo initiation into a religion outlawed by Rome. Set against the temptations of the Hecate-worshipping Hedonia Metella, the story becomes a drama of the soul torn between light and shadow. Schuré draws on his deep knowledge of Egyptian and Greek mystery religion to render the ancient world from the inside, in the romantic-esoteric mode that made his work beloved by a generation of seekers.

• Author: Édouard Schuré
• Publisher: Ibis Press (Nicolas-Hays)
• Published: 2004
• Pages: 318

About the Author — Édouard Schuré

French philosopher, novelist, and writer on esoteric subjects (1841–1929), best known for The Great Initiates, his survey of the founders of the world's mystery traditions. A friend of Rudolf Steiner and a central figure in the late-nineteenth-century occult revival, he devoted much of his work to dramatizing the inner history of the mysteries.