Brief overview of Serapis

When the Greeks came to power in Egypt, they wanted a deity who could be worshipped by Greeks and Egyptians alike. The Greeks invented a deity who they said was equivalent to the popular bull deity, Apis; however, Serapis was associated with other deities as well, including Pluto, Osiris, and Dionysis[1]. The identity of Serapis wasn’t fixed, and while he took on some of the traits of these gods—including the one they had in common, which was an association with death—Pluto, Osiris, and Dionysis retained their own identities. Because Serapis was seen as a “savior god,"[2] he became popular among people of every class of society.[3]

[1] Serapis Under the Early Ptolemies, John E. Stambaugh.
[2] Serapis Under the Early Ptolemies, John E. Stambaugh, page 2.
[3] Serapis Under the Early Ptolemies, John E. Stambaugh, page 98.