Facts about set the Egyptian god

Set Egyptian god of evil | Facts about set the Egyptian god

Seth Egyptian god facts

Seth or Set god of Egypt one of the Egyptian gods whose deity is linked more with the brutal nature of their force than with evil “set Egyptian god of evil”, in Egyptian mythology Seth is the god of war, desert, drought and chaos, his divinity allowed him to control the sandstorms in the desert and often served to protect the god Ra.
Son of Nut the goddess of heaven and Geb god of earth, appears as a husband and brother of Nephthys the goddess of darkness, the invisible, the night and death as a passage to another life.
From their union, some traditions point to Seth as the father of Anubis the god of death.
The ancient records that speak of a Set god of Egypt sometimes make him look like a symbol of evil, especially if it arises from the myth of the followers of Osiris since according to their myth, Seth murdered and broke his brother Osiris into pieces, usurping his throne. The wife (Isis) of the deceased had to arrive later to resurrect him.
The Egyptians saw Seth as the god of darkness and chaos. He was also the lord of the desert. Seth became the god of the impure and an opponent of several gods. The opposing priests destroyed most of Seth’s statues.
He was the epitome of drought. As lord of the desert and drought, Seth opposed everything that gave life. The Egyptians also saw him as a storm and a god of war. The Egyptians associated Seth with the planet Mercury. The Egyptians associated the color red with Seth.


Seth Egyptian god symbol

The Egyptians usually depicted Seth as a man with the head of a fantastic animal that they called the animal Seth. He had a pointed snout, high rectangular ears and a thin canine body with a long forked tail. The body of the animal Seth had tufts of skin in the shape of inverted arrows.
Images of Seth show him holding an ankh in one hand and a personal era in the other. The staff was a long stick with a forked bottom and the head of the animal Seth on top.
The Egyptians also associated Seth with different animals and sometimes he was described as one of them. The animals include the wild boar, antelope, crocodile and donkey. Some Egyptians also associated him with poisonous creatures like snakes and scorpions. In some myths, Seth took the form of a hippopotamus.


Seth helped Ra the sun god

In some myths, Seth opposed Ra and fought him. This was not true in all myths. Some stories said that Seth helped Ra. In these stories, he was a warrior on Ra’s sun boat who defended the boat against Apophis, the serpent of chaos. Some stories say that Seth was put in the bow of the solar boat to fight Apophis.


Conflict Seth with Horus

Seth’s conflicts with Horus can be divided between those with Haroeris and those with Horus the Younger. Seth’s fight with Horus was for the throne of the gods. Seth had usurped the throne that Horus argued was his. In a form of the myth, Horus and Seth went before the Divine Tribunal to discuss their positions. Another form of this myth involved Horus the Younger.
Isis used her wisdom to influence the Tribunal towards Horus. Seth became angry and insisted that the Tribunal forbid Isis. The Court threw her out, but she slipped back in disguise. Isis tricked Seth into admitting that he was a usurper and the Court began to favor Horus.
The meaning of the next part of the legend is not clear today. Both gods tried to get their semen into their opponent. Seth believed he succeeded but failed. Haroeris, with the help of Isis, succeeded. The court called the semen of both gods and discovered Haroeris inside Seth.
The court ceded the throne to Horus. Seth’s fate differs depending on the myth. In some myths, the court takes him to Isis as a prisoner. Other myths say that Seth was put in the bow of the solar ship to fight Apophis and his forces.
Horus the Younger’s conflict with Seth depends on the former’s role as an avenger. Seth wanted the throne of the gods, which belonged to his brother, Osiris. This was before the birth of Horus, who, in this myth, was the son of Osiris and Isis. Seth murdered Osiris to win his throne.
When Horus grew up, he fought Seth to avenge his father. The conflict lasted for decades. Finally, Seth became a hippopotamus and tried to destroy Horus’ ship. Horus attacked Seth, but the other gods prevented him from destroying his uncle. This is how Horus avenged the murder of Osiris and won the throne of the gods.


Seth god of ancient Egypt

The pharaohs respected Seth and his power. Seth was one of the Two Lords (Horus was the other) who gave the king power and authority. Some pharaohs, like Seti I, were appointed by Seth. Other pharaohs used the animal Seth as part of their emblem.
Two important festivals were associated with Seth. One of them was one of the five intercalary days, the days before the beginning of the New Year. These were the days when the five Osirian gods (Osiris, Horus, Seth, Isis and Nephthys) were born. The Egyptians honored each of them on their birthday.
The other festival involved a ritual recreation. Either the pharaoh or a priest was to throw a hippopotamus model. Then the people cut and ate a cake shaped like a hippopotamus. This festival represented the defeat of Seth’s Horus.


Temple of Seth

One of Seth’s centers of worship was Kom Ombo or Ombos. Most of the temple is now a ruin, but what remains dates back to the New Kingdom period. An object found there was a large scepter that Amenhotep III dedicated to Seth. This is the largest earthenware object ever found in Egypt.
Avaris, the capital of the Hyksos, was another center of worship for Seth. The Hyksos were a group of Asians who ruled Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period. They worshipped Seth because they associated him with their main god, a storm god. During this time, two Hyksos goddesses, Anat and Astarte, were consorts of Seth.


Set Egyptian god of evil

Set Egyptian god of evil, in many Egyptian myths, Seth was an adversary of different gods. But calling Seth god of evil can be a misunderstanding. The Egyptians had a religion based on duality. All their gods had to have an opposite. Seth was the opposite of several other important gods.
Seth was the opposite of Horus. He was darkness to the light of Horus and chaos to the order of Horus. The existence of Seth was necessary so that Horus could also exist. In this matter, he was not seen as a villain by the Egyptians.
Seth was also the opposite of Osiris. As lord of the desert and drought, Seth opposed his brother. Osiris was the lord of vegetation and fertility. Both these gods were vital in maintaining order in Egypt.
Sometimes, Seth was the opposite of the god Ra. Ra was a god of order and Seth was the god of chaos. Some myths have them fighting every night and Ra is victorious. Some of these myths equate Seth to Apophis. Other stories say that Seth fought for Ra against Apophis.


Seth god art

Most of the artifacts associated with Seth are images carved into temples. These images also relate to the myths associated with Seth. The scholars found were scepters in some of Seth’s temples. These were dedicated to the god by the pharaoh or other worshippers.

Throughout Egyptian history, Seth’s importance varied greatly. While he was sometimes vilified and demonized, he was also seen as a necessary force in the universe, helping to maintain balance and order through his opposition to the other gods.
Seth’s legacy continues today in Egyptian culture, where he remains a complex and controversial figure. His image can be found in ancient temples and tombs, as well as in modern art and literature.

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