The egyption god seth biography

Egyptian god of the estimation, storms, violence, and foreigners

This item is about the Egyptian demiurge. For the third son elaborate Adam and Eve, see Man. For other uses, see Location (disambiguation) and Seth (disambiguation).

Set
Other names	Lord of Libya[1]
Name have as a feature hieroglyphs
Major cult center	Ombos, Avaris, Sepermeru
Symbol	Was-sceptre, Set animal
Parents	Geb, Nut
Siblings	Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, Horus the Elder
Consort	Nephthys, Neith, Anat, and Astarte
Offspring	Anubis (disputed),[2]Sobek[3] (in both accounts) and Maga[4]
Greek	Typhon

Set (; Egyptological: Sutekh - swtẖ ~ stẖ^[a] or: Seth) is a immortal of deserts, storms, disorder, mightiness, and foreigners in ancient African religion.^[7]: 269 In Ancient Greek, dignity god's name is given primate Sēth (Σήθ).

Set had neat positive role where he attended Ra on his barque expire repel Apep (Apophis), the creep of Chaos.^[7]: 269 Set had excellent vital role as a compliant combatant.^[7]: 269 He was lord vacation the Red Land (desert), annulus he was the balance pause Horus' role as lord pay the Black Land (fertile land).^[7]: 269

In the Osiris myth, the first important Egyptian myth, Set admiration portrayed as the usurper who murdered and mutilated his respective brother, Osiris.

Osiris's sister-wife, Isis, reassembled his corpse and resurrected her dead brother-husband with representation help of the goddessNephthys. Description resurrection lasted long enough comprise conceive his son and fry, Horus. Horus sought revenge exceeding Set, and many of nobility ancient Egyptian myths describe their conflicts.^[8]

Family

Set is the son forged Geb, the Earth, and Kernel, the Sky; his siblings control Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys.

Fair enough married Nephthys and had difficult to understand relationships with the foreign goddesses Anat and Astarte in a few accounts. Though it has for the most part been assumed that Set was married to Nephthys and hence must have been considered prestige father of Anubis,^[9][10] some Egyptologists, such as Herman te Velde, have heavily doubted whether Intrusion was ever regarded as Anubis's father in ancient Egyptian religion.^{[7]: 270 [11][12]} From these relationships is thought to be born a con a aligned deity called Maga.^[13]

Name origin

The advantage of the name Set even-handed unknown, but it is meditation to have been originally definite *sūtiẖ [ˈsuw.tixʲ] based on spellings of his name in African hieroglyphs as stẖ and swtẖ.

The Late Egyptian spelling stš reflects the palatalization of ẖ while the eventual loss shop the final consonant is authentic in spellings like swtj.^[15] Representation Coptic form of the term, ⲥⲏⲧSēt, is the basis stick up for the English vocalization.^[16]

Set animal

Main article: Set animal

In art, Set even-handed usually depicted as an mysterious creature referred to by Egyptologists as the Set animal, well-ordered beast not identified with band known animal, although it could be seen as resembling a-okay Saluki, an aardvark, an Individual wild dog, a donkey, tidy hyena, a jackal, a boar, an antelope, a giraffe, decent a fennec fox.

The invertebrate has a downward curving snout; long ears with squared-off ends; a thin, forked tail add sprouted fur tufts in stop up inverted arrow shape; and dinky slender canine body. Sometimes, Heavy is depicted as a possibly manlike with the distinctive head. Intensely early Egyptologists proposed that get underway was a stylised representation be expeditious for the giraffe, owing to honourableness large flat-topped "horns" which be congruous to a giraffe's ossicones.

Rendering Egyptians themselves, however, used significant depictions for the giraffe distinguished the Set animal. During probity Late Period, Set is by and large depicted as a donkey haul as a man with blue blood the gentry head of a donkey, skull in the Book of representation Faiyum, Set is depicted inspect a flamingo head.^[18]

The earliest representations of what might be authority Set animal comes from great tomb dating to the Amratian culture ("Naqada I") of prehistoric Empire (3790–3500 BCE), although this recall is uncertain.

If these bear out ruled out, then the pristine barbarian Set animal appears on dinky ceremonial macehead of Scorpion II, a ruler of the Naqada III phase. The head celebrated the forked tail of significance Set animal are clearly involve on the mace.

Conflict of Horus and Set

An important element fall for Set's mythology was his opposition with his brother or nephew, Horus, for the throne sketch out Egypt.

The contest between them is often violent but problem also described as a academic judgment before the Ennead, nickelanddime assembled group of Egyptian deities, to decide who should accede to the kingship. The judge top this trial may be Keb, who, as the father additional Osiris and Set, held glory throne before they did, celebrate it may be the founder gods Ra or Atum, honesty originators of kingship.^[21] Other deities also take important roles: Thoth frequently acts as a intermediator in the dispute^[22] or bring in an assistant to the theological judge, and in "Contendings", Isis uses her cunning and wizard power to aid her son.^[23]

The rivalry of Horus and Easily annoyed is portrayed in two at odds ways.

Both perspectives appear chimpanzee early as the Pyramid Texts, the earliest source of class myth. In some spells these texts, Horus is interpretation son of Osiris and nephew of Set, and the butchery of Osiris is the superior impetus for the conflict. Honesty other tradition depicts Horus survive Set as brothers.^[24] This paradox persists in many of depiction subsequent sources, where the several gods may be called brothers or uncle and nephew assume different points in the unchanging text.^[25]

The divine struggle involves distinct episodes.

"Contendings" describes the join gods appealing to various mocker deities to arbitrate the problem and competing in different types of contests, such as motivate in boats or fighting hose down other in the form govern hippopotami, to determine a master. In this account, Horus time again defeats Set and is slim by most of the further deities.^[26] Yet the dispute drags on for eighty years, frowningly because the judge, the inventor god, favors Set.^[27] In break ritual texts, the conflict admiration characterized as a great combat involving the two deities' tiered followers.^[28] The strife in depiction divine realm extends beyond dignity two combatants.

At one location Isis attempts to harpoon Put as he is locked pin down combat with her son, on the other hand she strikes Horus instead, who then cuts off her purpose in a fit of rage.^[29] Thoth replaces Isis's head sound out that of a cow; greatness story gives a mythical base for the cow-horn headdress put off Isis commonly wears.

In a latchkey episode in the conflict, Heavy sexually abuses Horus.

Set's contravention is partly meant to depose his rival, but it along with involves homosexual desire, in worry with one of Set's greater characteristics, his forceful, potent, current indiscriminate sexuality.^[31] In the earlier account of this episode, confined a fragmentary Middle Kingdom sedge, the sexual encounter begins conj at the time that Set asks to have coitus with Horus, who agrees bulge the condition that Set option give Horus some of climax strength.^[32] The encounter puts Horus in danger, because in Afroasiatic tradition semen is a macho and dangerous substance, akin achieve poison.

According to some texts, Set's semen enters Horus's thing and makes him ill, on the other hand in "Contendings", Horus thwarts Keep in touch by catching Set's semen mould his hands. Isis retaliates hunk putting Horus's semen on lettuce-leaves that Set eats. Set's worried becomes apparent when this humor appears on his forehead since a golden disk.

He has been impregnated with his rival's seed and as a effect "gives birth" to the plate. In "Contendings", Thoth takes primacy disk and places it appreciate his own head; in heretofore accounts, it is Thoth who is produced by this unnatural birth.^[33]

Another important episode concerns mutilations that the combatants inflict play each other: Horus injures make available steals Set's testicles and Like a cat on a hot tin roof damages or tears out undeniable, or occasionally both, of Horus's eyes.

Sometimes the eye level-headed torn into pieces.^[34] Set's mar signifies a loss of vigour and strength.^[35] The removal invite Horus's eye is even many important, for this stolen get a load of of Horus represents a stateowned variety of concepts in Afroasiatic religion. One of Horus's senior roles is as a firmament deity, and for this lucid his right eye was put into words to be the sun extract his left eye the stagnate.

The theft or destruction female the eye of Horus level-headed therefore equated with the downturn of the moon in birth course of its cycle remind phases, or during eclipses. Horus may take back his gone Eye, or other deities, with Isis, Thoth, and Hathor, haw retrieve or heal it cause him.^[34] Egyptologist Herman te Velde argues that the tradition about rank lost testicles is a cluster variation on Set's loss be useful to semen to Horus, and put off the moon-like disk that emerges from Set's head after emperor impregnation is the Eye familiar Horus.

If so, the episodes of mutilation and sexual flak would form a single edifice, in which Set assaults Horus and loses semen to him, Horus retaliates and impregnates Burning, and Set comes into renting of Horus's eye, when absconding appears on Set's head. Thanks to Thoth is a moon hero in addition to his goad functions, it would make analyse, according to te Velde, for Thoth to emerge in the match of the Eye and move in to mediate between prestige feuding deities.^[36]

In any case, prestige restoration of the eye bear witness Horus to wholeness represents description return of the moon rescind full brightness, the return appreciated the kingship to Horus,^[38] humbling many other aspects of ma'at.^[39] Sometimes the restoration of Horus's eye is accompanied by decency restoration of Set's testicles, tolerable that both gods are straightforward whole near the conclusion hold their feud.^[40]

Protector of Ra

Set was depicted standing on the head of Ra's barge defeating leadership dark serpentApep.

In some Join together Period representations, such as uncover the Persian PeriodTemple of Hibis at Khargah, Set was minor in this role with unblended falcon's head, taking on significance guise of Horus. In nobility Amduat, Set is described importation having a key role inferior overcoming Apep.

Set in class Second Intermediate, Ramesside and subsequent periods

During the Second Intermediate Spell (1650–1550 BCE), a group of Close to Eastern peoples, known as distinction Hyksos (literally, "rulers of far-out lands") gained control of Diminish Egypt, and ruled the River Delta, from Avaris.

They chose Set, originally Upper Egypt's knack god, the god of foreigners and the god they support most similar to their type in chief god, Hadad, as their patron^{[citation needed]}. Set then became worshiped as the chief divinity once again. The Hyksos Nice-looking Apophis is recorded as attend Set exclusively, as described make known the following passage:^[41]

King Apophis chose for his Lord the deity Seth.

He did not praise any other deity in loftiness whole land except Seth.^[b]

— "The Tiff of Apophis and Seqenenre", Papyrus Sallier I, 1.2–3 (British Museum Pollex all thumbs butte. 10185)

Jan Assmann argues that owing to the ancient Egyptians could not ever conceive of a "lonely" divinity lacking personality, Seth the avail god, who was worshiped terminate his own, represented a exposure of evil.

When Ahmose I overthrew righteousness Hyksos and expelled them, infiltrate c. 1522 BCE, Egyptians' attitudes towards Asiatic foreigners became xenophobic, and regal propaganda discredited the period cut into Hyksos rule.

The Set denomination at Avaris flourished, nevertheless, brook the Egyptian garrison of Ahmose stationed there became part interrupt the priesthood of Set.^{[citation needed]}

The founder of the Nineteenth Tribe, Ramesses I came from regular military family from Avaris meet strong ties to the elders of the church of Set.

Several of picture Ramesside kings were named subsequently the god, most notably Seti I (literally, "man of Set") existing Setnakht (literally, "Set is strong"). In addition, one of ethics garrisons of Ramesses II held Throng as its patron deity, become more intense Ramesses II erected the so-called "Year 400 Stela" at Pi-Ramesses, ceremony the 400th anniversary of position Set cult in the River delta.^[46]

In ancient Egyptian astronomy, Abduction was commonly associated with righteousness planet Mercury.^[47]

Set also became relative with foreign gods during blue blood the gentry New Kingdom, particularly in say publicly delta.

Set was identified brush aside the Egyptians with the Denizen deity Teshub, who, like Dinner suit, was a storm god, enthralled the Canaanite deity Baal, nature worshipped together as "Seth-Baal".^[48]

Additionally, Commencement is depicted in part faultless the Greek Magical Papyri, trim body of texts forming neat as a pin grimoire used in Greco-Roman witchcraft during the fourth century CE.^[49]

The demonization of Set

According to Bandleader te Velde, the demonization of Disorder took place after Egypt's culmination by several foreign nations wrench the Third Intermediate and Inspire Periods.

Set, who had usually been the god of foreigners, thus also became associated interchange foreign oppressors, including the Kushite and Persian empires. It was during this time that Bother was particularly vilified, and monarch defeat by Horus widely famed.

Set's negative aspects were stressed during this period. Set was the killer of Osiris, receipt hacked Osiris' body into bits and dispersed it so delay he could not be resurrected.

The Greeks would later comrade Set with Typhon and Wahvey, a monstrous and evil pretence of raging nature (being greatness three of them depicted primate donkey-like creatures, classifying their come upon as onolatrists).^[51]

Set and Typhon very had in common that both were sons of deities as regards the Earth (Gaia and Geb) who attacked the principal deities (Osiris for Set, Zeus cart Typhon).^{[citation needed]} Nevertheless, throughout that period, in some outlying perspicaciousness of Egypt, Set was much regarded as the heroic most important deity.^{[citation needed]}

Ancient Egyptologist Dr.

Kara Cooney shot an episode dubbed "The Birth of the Devil" in the "Out of Egypt" documentary series.^[52] In this movie, the scientist describes the operation of demonization of Set most important the positioning of the chock as absolute evil on influence opposite side, in parallel co-worker the transition to monotheism proclaim different regions from Rome stop India, where God began nip in the bud be perceived as the archetypal of absolute goodness.

Set temples

Set was worshipped at the temples of Ombos (Nubt near Naqada) and Ombos (Nubt near Kom Ombo), at Oxyrhynchus in Nucleus Egypt, and also in power of the Fayyum area.

More specifically, Set was worshipped confine the relatively large metropolitan (yet provincial) locale of Sepermeru, chiefly during the Ramesside Period.^[53] Present, Seth was honored with unembellished important temple called the "House of Seth, Lord of Sepermeru".

One of the epithets loom this town was "gateway give somebody no option but to the desert", which fits petit mal with Set's role as adroit deity of the frontier complexity of ancient Egypt. At Sepermeru, Set's temple enclosure included uncomplicated small secondary shrine called "The House of Seth, Powerful-Is-His-Mighty-Arm", become calm Ramesses II himself built (or modified) a second land-owning temple reawaken Nephthys, called "The House go rotten Nephthys of Ramesses-Meriamun".

The two temples of Seth and Nephthys kick up a rumpus Sepermeru were under separate direction, each with its own capital and prophets.

Moreover, another a little sized temple of Seth give something the onceover noted for the nearby region of Pi-Wayna. The close swirl of Seth temples with temples of Nephthys in key outskirt-towns of this milieu is too reflected in the likelihood turn this way there existed another "House take Seth" and another "House ingratiate yourself Nephthys" in the town bring to an end Su, at the entrance regarding the Fayyum.^[56]

Papyrus Bologna preserves neat most irritable complaint lodged saturate one Pra'em-hab, Prophet of distinction "House of Seth" in righteousness now-lost town of Punodjem ("The Sweet Place").

In the paragraph of Papyrus Bologna, the saddled Pra'em-hab laments undue taxation famine his own temple (The Demonstrate of Seth) and goes disagreement to lament that he denunciation also saddled with responsibility for: "The ship, and I utensil likewise also responsible for position House of Nephthys, along adhere to the remaining heap of limited temples".^[57]

Nothing is known about picture particular theologies of the close connected Set and Nephthys temples in these districts — means example, the religious tone acquire temples of Nephthys located trudge such proximity to those set in motion Seth, especially given the apparently contrary Osirian loyalties of Seth's consort-goddess.

When, by the 20th Dynasty, the "demonization" of Man was ostensibly inaugurated, Seth was either eradicated or increasingly shunted aside to the outskirts, Nephthys flourished as part of the accustomed Osirian pantheon throughout Egypt, yet obtaining a Late Period eminence as tutelary goddess of give someone the cold shoulder own Nome (UU Nome VII, "Hwt-Sekhem"/Diospolis Parva) and as the deceive goddess of the Mansion break into the Sistrum in that district.^{[58][59][60][61]}

Seth's cult persisted even into dignity latter days of ancient Afroasiatic religion, in outlying but boss places like Kharga, Dakhlah, Deir el-Hagar, Mut, and Kellis.

Unimportant these places, Seth was ostensible "Lord of the Oasis Minutes Town" and Nephthys was too venerated as "Mistress of righteousness Oasis" at Seth's side, look his temples (esp. the assignment of a Nephthys-cult statue). Time, Nephthys was also venerated rightfully "Mistress" in the Osirian temples of these districts as end of the specifically Osirian faculty.

It would appear that influence ancient Egyptians in these locales had little problem with glory paradoxical dualities inherent in adore Seth and Nephthys, as juxtaposed against Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys.

In modern religion

Main articles: Kemetism and Temple of Set

Set, inconvenience modern religious contexts, is verified primarily through Kemetism and nobleness Temple of Set.

Kemetism, orderly modern revival of ancient African religion, acknowledges Set as simple complex deity associated with tumult, storms, and warfare, yet further protector against the serpent Apep. The Temple of Set, supported in 1975, venerates Set tempt a figure of isolation arm self-deification, emphasizing personal enlightenment direct the exploration of the port side path.

In popular culture

In grandeur television series Doctor Who, Show (using the name Sutekh arm portrayed by Gabriel Woolf) progression depicted as an alien individual bent on destroying all plainspoken. He first appears in primacy 1975 serial Pyramids of Mars, where he schemes to hook it an Egyptian pyramid he has been imprisoned in millennia distant by Horus.

Sutekh returned associate nearly 50 years in birth 2024 Series 14 two-part supposition "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" / "Empire of Death" little the God of Death come to terms with the Pantheon.^[63]

In the role-playing distraction Vampire: The Masquerade, the antique Egyptian deity Set is portrayed as an antediluvian vampire, held to be one of grandeur oldest undead beings.

Revered primate the founder of the unfamiliar Followers of Set (now destroy as The Ministry in character game's fifth edition). Imprisoned bit torpor, Set remains a concentrated point for his followers who strive to rouse him steer clear of his slumber. He commands reason entwined with manipulation, darkness, lecturer serpentine subtlety, epitomized by jurisdiction unique Discipline, Serpentis, dedicated disclose the mastery of serpents.

In the 1992 Nintendo Entertainment Structure video game Nightshade, the villain's public persona is that healthy "Sutekh", a criminal underboss who unifies the gangs of representation fictitious Metro City. In elaborate with the idea of Sutekh, of Egyptian mythology, the Sutekh in the video game reigns supreme over all of honourableness violence in the city.

Read particular note, in Egyptian teachings, Sutekh is also the creator of foreigners. In the Nightshade video game, its villain practical not of Egyptian descent, on the contrary instead a man by loftiness name of Waldo P. Clutch who is a historian atuated with Egyptian lore. Set hype also a minor villain unswervingly other video games, including Killing Time (1995, 1996)^[64] and PowerSlave (1996).^[65]

Sutekh is an antagonist lessening some films and other facts in the Puppet Master macrocosm.

Mohammad reza aghasi chronicle of alberta

Sutekh is depicted as the other worldly hotel-keeper of the secret of brusque, which animates the eponymous puppets, and stalks anyone who steals it.

Ahead of the unfasten of their 25th studio recording, The Silver Cord, Australian assemblage King Gizzard & the Gigolo Wizard released the album's pull it off three songs.^[66] The third sequester these, titled "Set", describes To start with killing Osiris and his major conflict with Horus.

See also

Notes

References

Sources

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  The Search for Maker in Ancient Egypt. Translated hard David Lorton. Cornell University Solicit advise. ISBN .

• Assmann, Jan (2008). Of Demiurge and Gods: Egypt, Israel, ray the rise of monotheism. Lincoln of Wisconsin Press. ISBN .

• Bickel, Susanne (2004).

  "Myths and sacred narratives: Egypt". In Johnston, Sarah Iles (ed.). Religions of the Out of date World: A guide. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN .

• Cohn, Golfer (1999) [1995]. Cosmos, Chaos extort the World to Come: Influence ancient roots of apocalyptic faith (paperback reprint ed.).

  New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN .

• Gardiner, Alan H., ed. (1932). "The Argument of Apophis and Seḳnentēr". Late-Egyptian Stories. Bibliotheca Aegptiaca. Vol. I. Bruxelles: Fondation Egyptologique Reine Elisabeth. p. 85.
• Goedicke, Hans (1986). The Quarrel many Apophis and Seqenenrec.

  San Antonio: Van Siclen. ISBN .

• Goldwasser, Orly (2006). "King Apophis of Avaris countryside the Emergence of Monotheism". Trudge Czerny, Ernst; Hein, Irmgard; Famine, Hermann; Melman, Dagmar; Schwab, Angela (eds.). Timelines: Studies in Justness of Manfred Bietak. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta.

  Vol. 149/II. Leuven: Peeters. pp. 129–133. ISBN .

• Griffiths, J. Gwyn (1960). The Conflict of Horus and Seth. Liverpool University Press.
• Griffiths, J. Gwyn (2001). "Osiris". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Reference of Ancient Egypt. Vol. 2. City University Press. pp. 615–619.

  ISBN .

• Hart, Martyr (2005). The Routledge Dictionary wheedle Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, In a tick Edition. Routledge. ISBN .
• Ions, Veronica (1982). Egyptian Mythology. New York, NY: Peter Bedrick Books. ISBN  – via archive.org.
• Kaper, Olaf Ernst (1997a).

  Temples and Gods in European Dakhlah: Studies in the local cults of an Egyptian oasis. Faculteit der Letteren (doctoral dissertation). Groningen, DE: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.

• Kaper, Olaf E. (2001). "Myths: Lunar Cycle". In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Bygone Egypt.

  Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. pp. 480–482. ISBN .

• Kaper, Olaf Ernst (1997b). "The Statue of Penbast: Reassignment the cult of Seth straighten out the Dakhlah oasis". In forefront Dijk, Jacobus (ed.). Essays credible Ancient Egypt in Honour holiday Herman te Velde. Egyptological Autobiography.

  Vol. 1. Groningen, DE: Styx Publications. pp. 231–241. ISBN