Ancient Egyptian mythology: Set and his confrontation with the gods. God set in ancient Egyptian mythology Mythical set
Among the lords of Earth and Sky who terrified the Egyptians was the god Set, who was represented as a man with the head of a donkey or a dragon. At the same time, even the mention of him caused awe, and his significance was so great that he was put on a par with Horus, the patron saint of the pharaohs. In many images found in the territory, both of these deities are depicted on either side of the ruler of the country.
Egyptian god Set
According to Egyptian mythology, Seth was the son of the gods of earth and sky, Geb and Nut. True, he became famous not for his good deeds, but for the fact that he killed his brother Osiris and ate the sacred cat, after which he acquired a bad reputation as a murderer and became associated with the forces of evil. At the same time, the ancient Egyptian god Set retained his status as the patron of the powerful, as evidenced by the images of the god standing next to the pharaoh.
What natural element did the god Seth personify?
He was worshiped in different parts of the country, but everywhere he evoked mystical horror. Like any other deity associated with one of the natural elements, he carried a negative element within himself. Set, the god of the desert, was the patron and ruler of sandstorms and drought, plunging farmers into fear. But other Egyptians were also afraid of him, since the onset of chaos, hostility towards all living things, war and other misfortunes were associated with him.
Wife of the god Set
Legends say that the god of chaos had several wives, one of which was Nephthys. Seth and Nephthys were brother and sister. However, there are no clear indications of their marital relationship. As for the goddess herself, her image is usually associated with funeral customs, the performance of funeral rites and the reading of funeral prayers. Ancient historians believed that the goddess Nephthys in ancient Egypt reigned over the immaterial and unreal. At the same time, she was often considered the patroness of the feminine principle and the goddess of creation, who “lives in everything.”
What did the god Seth patronize?
The peoples of Egypt were afraid of Set and, wanting to appease him, they erected palaces and temples in his honor, fearing his wrath. Cruelty, rage and death - this was the main thing that the god Seth personified, and although the inhabitants of the country tried in every possible way to appease him, he did not patronize them, but foreigners, inhabitants of distant countries. However, it would be wrong to portray Seth as the embodiment of evil. He patronized valor and courage, instilling courage in the hearts of warriors.
What does the god Set look like?
God Set, who belonged to the cohort of supreme gods, was depicted as a creature that combined a human body and the head of an animal. In various images he looked differently: either with the head of a crocodile or a hippopotamus, but most often he was depicted with the head of a jackal or a donkey, which for the inhabitants of Eastern Egypt was considered a symbol of power. Its distinctive feature is its long ears. The appearance of the god Set is complemented by a scepter - a symbol of power. Moreover, for most ancients, the animals in which Seth was depicted symbolized connections with demonic otherworldly forces.
How was the god Set worshiped?
Despite such a formidable and unpleasant character, history has preserved information about how the god Set was worshiped. He enjoyed special favor among the pharaohs. Written artifacts indicate that the rulers of Egypt were named after him, and temples were built in his honor. True, their number is small, but they were distinguished by the richness of their decoration and the majesty of their architecture. The inhabitants of Eastern Egypt had warm feelings for the deity and even considered him their patron, creating cult centers in his honor.
Symbol of the god Set
Despite his power and belonging to the highest gods, the symbols and cult of the god Set are little known. Perhaps precisely because he took under his protection not the Egyptians, but foreigners and representatives of the supreme power of the state. For some time, he even constituted a kind of competition to the supreme god Horus, as evidenced by the found images of pharaohs sitting on a throne, on both sides of which stand these two deities. God Set does not have his own symbols and attributes. In all images, he holds in his hands a rod - a symbol of power and a cross.
The presence of cult centers in certain areas of Egypt indicates that the evil god Set, nevertheless, was revered by the local residents. Interestingly, in some areas of the country it was represented as a sacred fish, so the use of fish dishes was prohibited here. In addition, the image of this warlike god was close to those who took part in battles and hoped for his protection. The distinctive feature of the warrior god was: blood, pressure and hot desert soil.
| Set in hieroglyphs |
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Set(Seth, Sutekh, Suta, Seti Egyptian. Stẖ) - in ancient Egyptian mythology, the god of rage, sandstorms, destruction, chaos, war and death, part of the Heliopolitan Ennead. Initially he was revered as the “protector of the sun-Ra”, the patron of royal power, his name was included in the titles and names of a number of pharaohs. Set is a warrior god with red, burning eyes, the only one of all who is able to defeat the serpent Apophis in the darkness, personifying darkness and eager to enslave Ra in the dark depths of the underground Nile. Later he was demonized, became an antagonist in the dualistic struggle between Horus and Set, the personification of world evil, Satan. Horus and Set can also merge into a single two-headed deity, Kheruifi. He was the patron saint of distant countries and foreigners.
Historicity
During the period of the Old Kingdom, Set, along with Horus, was considered the patron god of royal power, which is reflected in the “Pyramid Texts” and in the titles of the pharaohs of the 2nd dynasty (the combination of the names Set and Horus means “king”). Under the Hyksos, Seth was identified with their god Baal, and the capital of Egypt, Avaris, became the place of his cult as the main god. At the beginning of the New Kingdom period, the names of “Network” are still encountered quite often; these names were borne by the pharaohs of the 19th dynasty: Seti, Setnakht; Seth was given the epithet “mighty.” In the treaty of Ramesses II with the Hittites, Seth is mentioned along with the Hittite gods.
The planet Mercury was considered the heavenly image of Set - “Seth in the evening twilight, God in the morning twilight.” Seth's color is reddish-red, the subject side of the world is south.
Objects depicting an animal symbolizing Set appeared in the Predynastic period, during the era of Naqada I (3800-3600 BC). They were found in the Naqada region. Set's homeland was Ombos, and the necropolis was located in Naqada. At that time, Set was the deity of metals and the patron saint of Upper Egypt, and negative traits had not yet appeared in his character. In the era before the unification of Egypt by Pharaoh Narmer, supporters of Set and Horus fought for power. The victory went to Horus, and his name became an integral part of the monarch's title; when Horus and Set are depicted together, then Horus certainly stands in front of Set.
His Majesty (Ramses III) built himself a fortified palace called “Great in Victories.” It is located between Rechenu and Tameri, abounding in food and supplies. It is built on the model of Hermontis, and its extent is the same as that of Hut-ka-Ptah. The sun rises on both of its mountains of light (a concept from Egyptian mythology) and sets in the center of this city. All people leave their cities and settle in the area (of this city). In the west (of the city) is the temple of Amun, in the south - the temple of Set. Astarte is in the east and Uto is in the north. The fortified palace that is in this city is (as large) as the two luminous mountains of the sky. Ramses II is in it as a god, “Montu in Both Lands” as a speaker, “Mr. Sun” as a vizier friendly to Egypt.
Pedigree
Set was the youngest son of the sky goddess Nut and the earth god Geb. He was the brother of Osiris, Isis and Nephthys, for the latter he was also the husband. There is a version according to which he was born in the area of the city of Su (Faiyum oasis). According to the Heliopolis cosmogony, Seth was born by jumping out of the side of his mother Nut. His birthday - the third day before the New Year - was considered unlucky for all of Egypt; on this day they tried not to do practically any important things.
Images
The earliest depiction of the god is found on an ivory carving discovered in one of the tombs of el-Mahasna, dating from the era of Nagada I.
The sacred animals of Seth were the pig (“disgust for the gods”), antelope, okapi (giraffe), etc., the main one was the donkey.
Myths
According to legend, Seth, jealous of his brother Osiris, killed him, threw his body into the Nile and legally took his throne. But the son of Osiris, Horus, who had been hiding for many years, wanted to take revenge on Set and take his throne. Horus and Set fought for eighty years. During one of the battles, Seth snatched Horus's eye, which then became the great amulet of the Udjat; Horus castrated Seth, depriving him of most of his essence. According to one legend, Seth's front leg, cut off in battle, was thrown into the northern part of the sky, where the gods chained it with golden chains to the eternal supports of heaven and set it to guard the formidable hippopotamus - Isis Hesamut. According to myth, after Horus won a dispute with Set, he founded the city of Edfu, where a temple built in his honor is located. The walls of the temple are decorated with reliefs from the reign of Pharaoh Caesarion, representing the struggle of two deities.
With the end of the Old Kingdom, his cult was gradually demonized from the great protector of Ra into an evil, powerful deity, without losing its original functions (see the myth “The Trial of Horus and Set”). After such a transformation, Seth was by no means perceived by the Egyptians as something evil and hostile (for example, like the serpent Apep or the crocodile Magus). Despite the lost dispute and numerous crimes, including the murder of Osiris, Seth remains the ruler of the southern regions of Egypt, the master of the power under his control - bad weather and sandstorms. He was especially revered by the Ramsessides as the lord of military valor and courage. Seth's main function was to fight alone with the serpent Apep, protecting the Solar Boat (Zhumilyak papyrus). However, starting from the 3rd transition period, especially in the Ptolemaic era, when the cult of Horus was raised especially high, Seth turns purely into a symbol of evil and becomes a hated villain, the source of universal evil.
Comparisons
Comparisons of Set with other Egyptian gods and deities of the pantheons of other peoples.
Seth in popular culture
- One of the characters in Roger Zelazny's novel Creatures of Light, Creatures of Darkness.
- In the Hyborian (Hyborian) world of Conan, Set is the god of Stygia, the patron of the sorcerers of the Black Circle and the main antagonist of Mithra. Contrary to tradition, he is depicted as a snake.
- In the science fiction series Stargate SG-1, Seth is one of the Goa'uld (alien pharaoh). The series “Seth” is directly dedicated to him, where he is presented as an immortal, now living on Earth, and is the leader of a totalitarian destructive sect.
- In the game Egypt 3: The Egyptian Prophecy (English) is the antagonist god. He sends disaster on the construction of an obelisk in honor of Ramesses II, which could lead to: a destructive sandstorm, disasters and the death of the pharaoh. The game has symbols of God: a turtle, a snake - into which the priestess of Set turns; Pharaoh's guards are called "donkeys", but this is not associated with Set.
- The role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade features a clan, the "Followers of Set", who are described as treacherous vampires of Egyptian origin.
- In the computer game Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Seth serves as the main antagonist and final boss. The plot of the game is entirely dedicated to him.
- In the classic Doctor Who episode "Pyramids of Mars", Sutek is an alien deity buried by his fellow creatures under a pyramid in the Sahara. The Doctor encountered him in 1911, when Sutek was planning to escape his prison and destroy the Earth.
- In the American animated series
- In Rick Riordan's books The Red Pyramid (novel), Throne of Fire and Shadow of the Serpent
- In the American film Gods of Egypt, directed by Alex Proyas, Seth (Gerard Butler) is the main antagonist.
- In the French cartoon "The Adventures of Papyrus" - the main antagonist.
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In 12 and 13, Kutuzov was directly blamed for mistakes. The Emperor was dissatisfied with him. And in history, written recently by order of the highest, it is said that Kutuzov was a cunning court liar who was afraid of the name of Napoleon and with his mistakes at Krasnoye and near Berezina deprived the Russian troops of glory - a complete victory over the French. [The history of Bogdanovich in 1812: characteristics of Kutuzov and reasoning about the unsatisfactory results of the Krasnensky battles. (Note by L.N. Tolstoy.) ]
This is not the fate of great people, not grand homme, whom the Russian mind does not recognize, but the fate of those rare, always lonely people who, comprehending the will of Providence, subordinate their personal will to it. The hatred and contempt of the crowd punish these people for their insight into higher laws.
For Russian historians - it’s strange and scary to say - Napoleon is the most insignificant instrument of history - never and nowhere, even in exile, who did not show human dignity - Napoleon is an object of admiration and delight; he's grand. Kutuzov, the man who, from the beginning to the end of his activity in 1812, from Borodin to Vilna, without ever changing one action or word, shows an extraordinary example in history of self-sacrifice and consciousness in the present of the future significance of the event, – Kutuzov seems to them like something vague and pitiful, and when talking about Kutuzov and the 12th year, they always seem to be a little ashamed.
Meanwhile, it is difficult to imagine a historical person whose activity would be so invariably and constantly directed towards the same goal. It is difficult to imagine a goal more worthy and more consistent with the will of the entire people. It is even more difficult to find another example in history where the goal that a historical figure set for himself would be so completely achieved as the goal towards which all of Kutuzov’s activities were directed in 1812.
Kutuzov never spoke about the forty centuries that look out from the pyramids, about the sacrifices he makes for the fatherland, about what he intends to do or has done: he didn’t say anything about himself at all, didn’t play any role, always seemed to be the simplest and most ordinary a person and said the simplest and most ordinary things. He wrote letters to his daughters and m me Stael, read novels, loved the company of beautiful women, joked with generals, officers and soldiers and never contradicted those people who wanted to prove something to him. When Count Rastopchin on the Yauzsky Bridge rode up to Kutuzov with personal reproaches about who was to blame for the death of Moscow, and said: “How did you promise not to leave Moscow without fighting?” - Kutuzov replied: “I will not leave Moscow without a battle,” despite the fact that Moscow had already been abandoned. When Arakcheev, who came to him from the sovereign, said that Yermolov should be appointed chief of artillery, Kutuzov replied: “Yes, I just said that myself,” although a minute later he said something completely different. What did he care, the only one who then understood the whole enormous meaning of the event, among the stupid crowd surrounding him, what did he care whether Count Rostopchin attributed the disaster of the capital to himself or to him? He could be even less interested in who would be appointed chief of artillery.
Not only in these cases, but constantly, this old man, who through life experience had reached the conviction that the thoughts and words that serve as their expression are not the motive forces of people, spoke completely meaningless words - the first ones that came to his mind.
But this same man, who so neglected his words, never once in all his activity uttered a single word that was not in accordance with the single goal towards which he was striving during the entire war. Obviously, involuntarily, with a heavy confidence that they would not understand him, he repeatedly expressed his thoughts in a wide variety of circumstances. Starting from the Battle of Borodino, from which his discord with those around him began, he alone said that the Battle of Borodino was a victory, and repeated this orally, and in reports, and reports until his death. He alone said that the loss of Moscow is not the loss of Russia. In response to Lauriston’s proposal for peace, he replied that there could be no peace, because such was the will of the people; he alone, during the French retreat, said that all our maneuvers were not needed, that everything would turn out better by itself than we wished, that the enemy should be given a golden bridge, that neither the Tarutino, nor the Vyazemsky, nor the Krasnenskoye battles were needed, what with what Someday you have to come to the border, so that he won’t give up one Russian for ten Frenchmen.
And he alone, this court man, as he is portrayed to us, the man who lies to Arakcheev in order to please the sovereign - he alone, this court man, in Vilna, thereby earning the disfavor of the sovereign, says that further war abroad is harmful and useless.
But words alone would not have proven that he then understood the significance of the event. His actions - all without the slightest retreat, were all directed towards the same goal, expressed in three actions: 1) strain all his forces to clash with the French, 2) defeat them and 3) expel them from Russia, making it as easy as possible disasters of the people and troops.
He, that slow-moving Kutuzov, whose motto is patience and time, is the enemy of decisive action, he gives the Battle of Borodino, dressing the preparations for it in unprecedented solemnity. He, that Kutuzov, who in the Battle of Austerlitz, before it began, said that it would be lost, in Borodino, despite the assurances of the generals that the battle was lost, despite the unprecedented example in history that after a won battle the army must retreat , he alone, contrary to everyone, maintains until his death that the Battle of Borodino is a victory. He alone, throughout the retreat, insists not to fight battles that are now useless, not to start a new war and not to cross the borders of Russia.
Now it is easy to understand the meaning of an event, unless we apply to the activities of masses of goals that were in the minds of a dozen people, since the entire event with its consequences lies before us.
But how then could this old man, alone, contrary to the opinions of everyone, guess, and then so correctly guess the meaning of the popular meaning of the event, that he never betrayed it in all his activities?
The source of this extraordinary power of insight into the meaning of occurring phenomena lay in the national feeling that he carried within himself in all its purity and strength.
Only the recognition of this feeling in him made the people, in such strange ways, from the disgrace of an old man, choose him against the will of the tsar as representatives of the people's war. And only this feeling brought him to that highest human height from which he, the commander-in-chief, directed all his strength not to kill and exterminate people, but to save and take pity on them.
This simple, modest and therefore truly majestic figure could not fit into that deceitful form of a European hero, ostensibly controlling people, which history had invented.
For a lackey there cannot be a great person, because the lackey has his own concept of greatness.
November 5 was the first day of the so-called Krasnensky battle. Before the evening, when after many disputes and mistakes of generals who went to the wrong place; after sending out adjutants with counter-orders, when it became clear that the enemy was fleeing everywhere and there could not be and would not be a battle, Kutuzov left Krasnoye and went to Dobroye, where the main apartment had been transferred that day.
The day was clear and frosty. Kutuzov, with a huge retinue of generals dissatisfied with him and whispering behind him, rode to Dobroy on his fat white horse. Along the entire road, groups of French prisoners taken that day (seven thousand of them were taken that day) crowded around the fires, warming up. Not far from Dobroye, a huge crowd of ragged, bandaged and wrapped prisoners was buzzing with conversation, standing on the road next to a long row of unharnessed French guns. As the commander-in-chief approached, the conversation fell silent, and all eyes stared at Kutuzov, who, in his white cap with a red band and a cotton overcoat, sitting hunched over his stooped shoulders, was slowly moving along the road. One of the generals reported to Kutuzov where the guns and prisoners were taken.
Kutuzov seemed preoccupied with something and did not hear the general’s words. He squinted his eyes with displeasure and peered carefully and intently at those figures of the prisoners who presented a particularly pitiful appearance. Most of the faces of the French soldiers were disfigured by frostbitten noses and cheeks, and almost all had red, swollen and festering eyes.
One group of Frenchmen stood close by the road, and two soldiers - the face of one of them was covered with sores - was tearing a piece of raw meat with their hands. There was something scary and animalistic in that quick glance that they cast at those passing by, and in that angry expression with which the soldier with the sores, looking at Kutuzov, immediately turned away and continued his work.
Kutuzov looked at these two soldiers carefully for a long time; Wrinkling his face even more, he narrowed his eyes and shook his head thoughtfully. In another place, he noticed a Russian soldier, who, laughing and patting the Frenchman on the shoulder, said something affectionately to him. Kutuzov shook his head again with the same expression.
- What are you saying? What? - he asked the general, who continued to report and drew the commander-in-chief’s attention to the captured French banners that stood in front of the front of the Preobrazhensky regiment.
- Ah, banners! - said Kutuzov, apparently having difficulty tearing himself away from the subject that occupied his thoughts. He looked around absently. Thousands of eyes from all sides, waiting for his word, looked at him.
He stopped in front of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, sighed heavily and closed his eyes. Someone from the retinue waved for the soldiers holding the banners to come up and place their flag poles around the commander-in-chief. Kutuzov was silent for a few seconds and, apparently reluctantly, obeying the necessity of his position, raised his head and began to speak. Crowds of officers surrounded him. He looked carefully around the circle of officers, recognizing some of them.
– Thank you everyone! - he said, turning to the soldiers and again to the officers. In the silence that reigned around him, his slowly spoken words were clearly audible. “I thank everyone for their difficult and faithful service.” The victory is complete, and Russia will not forget you. Glory to you forever! “He paused, looking around.
“Bend him down, bend his head,” he said to the soldier who was holding the French eagle and accidentally lowered it in front of the banner of the Preobrazhensky soldiers. - Lower, lower, that’s it. Hooray! “Guys,” with a quick movement of his chin, turn to the soldiers, he said.
Story Seth, the image of which was consistently associated with evil, is in many ways mysterious. Let's start with its zoomorphic appearance - the head resembles either a donkey's or a camel's with high-standing rectangular long ears, but does not quite correspond to both images. In the most ancient images Set depicted as a four-legged animal, similar to a dog or a jackal, with a high-raised tail, high-standing ears, and a strongly elongated and beak-shaped mouth. The rectangular ears standing high and sticking out and the beak-shaped mouth were preserved in subsequent iconographic images of Set, however, it is quite difficult to identify the zoomorphic image of Set with the image of a donkey based on these features. Such maximum stylization may indicate a very ancient origin, when memories of a real animal prototype were erased from memory for some reason, and the deity, continuing to “live” and perform the functions attributed to him, had to be identified with some known animal way.
Until 2000 BC e. the Egyptians called this animal "sha" and believed that it could still be found in the desert. In any case, after 1600 BC. e. the Egyptians more often compared him to a red, i.e., wild donkey. Seth's pedigree represents him with his brothers - Horus the Elder and Osiris, and two sisters - Isis and Nephthys, children of the divine couple of Heaven (Nut) and Earth (Hebe). Set was hailed as the patron god of the ancient city of Ombos in Upper Egypt (modern Nagadah), and for this reason he was often called the "Lord of the South." The name and symbol of Set from Ombos became Nubti (He who is from Ombos), a word with the root “nub” - “gold”, and the city itself was called the “Golden City”. The veneration of this god "appears to date back even further than that of any member of the Osirian triad," and Set initially opposed Horus rather than Osiris.
Horus, in the form of a warlike falcon, became the king of not only Lower, but also Upper Egypt, and in the title of the first Egyptian dynasty - the Tinitian - the name of Set sometimes stands next to the name of Horus. The monuments of the first dynasty reflected the equal status of both kings in those days: the image of two falcons meant the king as the embodiment of Horus-Set. Thus, King Miebis from the 1st dynasty often put two falcons in front of his name instead of one, that is, Horus and Set. This suggests that, despite the presence of Horus the falcon in Upper Egypt, Set was still considered powerful, hiding under the guise of a second falcon. One of the local hypostases of Set, Nemti, retained the idea of him as a falcon god. Two falcons - two kings.
However, the situation changes dramatically from the 2nd dynasty. Some kind of “swinging” of royal titles begins to be observed, either towards Set or towards Horus. Thus, Pharaoh Peribsen never called himself Horus, but was called Seth Peribsen. The inscription on his seal read: “Nubti of Ombos [that is, Set] gave the Two Lands to his son, the king of the South and North, Peribsen.” Peribsen's two successors return to Horus, and at the end of the Second Dynasty, King Khasekhemui places a falcon and a greyhound before his name, that is, Horus and Set. These phenomena indicate that supreme power over the Both Lands passed either to the representative of Upper Egypt or returned to the protege of Lower Egypt. Gradually, the name Seth disappears from the titles altogether, being replaced by the name Nub (ti). However, the memory of the king of Upper Egypt - Seth, the royal ancestor, “resurrected in the dynasty of the pharaohs” continued to live. Thus, the Egyptian queen in ancient times was called “She who sees Horus and Seth,” and on the walls of the temples of that era Seth Nubti was depicted, leading captive foreigners to the king and taking part in his coronation. The symbol of the V nome of Upper Egypt - the Two Falcons - recalls the heroic era of the Two Brothers, and in Ombos, located south of Edfu, Horus the Falcon and Seth in the form of a crocodile were worshiped simultaneously.
The cult of Set flourished not only in Upper Egyptian Ombos (Nagad), but also in Middle Egypt in the area of Su near Heracleopolis, and in the northeastern part of the Delta, starting from the Second Dynasty, and in the oases of Dakhla and Kharga. It was believed that the land of the oases of the Libyan desert absorbed the blood of Set, shed in the fight against Horus. That is why the Oracle of Set flourished in the oasis of Dakhla until the era of the XXV dynasty. Initially, Set was generally considered as the god of the eastern branch of the Nile delta, later he was recognized as the god of the eastern the borders of Egypt and, finally, the god of foreigners and the eastern desert. Extending his power over the eastern regions of Egypt, Set subsequently became the patron of foreign conquerors who invaded Egypt from Asia. Since by this time the image of Set was steadily associated with confrontation, with evil and damage caused by both rebellion and the violence of natural phenomena, in particular thunderstorms, foreign invaders easily identified Set with their god of thunder and fertility Baal, and the Hyksos capital Avaris became the place his cult.
Although thunderstorms are now a rare occurrence in Egypt, Horus, armed with his beam-spear, is constantly on guard to repel the forces of Set. It was believed that the thunder was the cries of pain of Seth suffering from the wounds inflicted on him. In contrast to Horus the spearman, Seth's weapon was a bow, and the soldiers recognized this “son of Nut, great in strength,” as their patron. One of the units of the army of Ramesses III bore the name Set. In Tanis (formerly Avaris, renamed Tanis during the XXII Libyan Dynasty), the main gods were Amun, Ra, Ptah and Set, who are called the gods of Ramesses II in the texts. On a stone stele discovered there, it is inscribed that the father of Ramses II, who was a vizier before becoming Pharaoh Seti I, arrived in Tanis in the four hundredth year of the god Set to pay honor to this god. No additional data has yet been established about the era of Set, but the text provides evidence that such a chronology existed, that Tanis was the center of the cult of Set, and that there was some connection between this god and the pharaohs Seti I and Ramesses II. Seth and his accomplices even sent the chest with the body of Osiris to float along the Tanis mouth of the Nile. When the Nine awarded the rank of Osiris to his son Horus, Ra-Horakhta, not wanting to offend this powerful god, said: “Let Seth, the son of Nut, be given to me, may he sit with me, may he be my son, may he rumble in the sky and let them fear him!”
The very birth of this god was associated with a violation of order - he was born from the side of his mother Nut, and since his birth fell on the third of five epagomenal days, this day was considered especially unlucky. Pharaoh did practically no business that day. It was believed that Seth's presence everywhere and always brought confusion and disorder. Seth was also to blame for the shaking of the earth, the sultry wind carrying desert dust and drying up the vegetation, and the unexpected fall of stones from the sky with a terrible roar, and his very name was written with the hieroglyph “stone.” The most succinct description of this god of destruction is given in the Greek papyrus, in which Set is addressed as “the shaker of the hills, the thunderer, the creator of the hurricane, the shaker of the rocks, the destroyer who troubles the sea itself.”
In the most ancient texts, it was not Ra, but Seth, standing in the boat of the sun, who slayed the serpent Apophis. In the monuments of the 17th Dynasty, the warrior Set still fights against the serpent along with other gods. The Vatican Magic Papyrus contains the following lines: “Arise, O Set, beloved of Ra! Take your place in Ra's boat! He received your heart as justification: You overthrew (the enemies of) your father Ra Every day.” About Seth slaying the serpent Apophis with a spear, it is said that “he has red eyes and red hair.” However, over time, the snake began to be seen as the same embodiment of Set as crocodiles and hippos, and Seth himself was called “a snake that is cut into pieces, a disgusting snake.” Everything that was associated with the color red received a negative connotation and became synonymous with everything dangerous. Lurker reports that among the Egyptians, red “symbolized life and victory. On the occasion of holidays, the inhabitants of the Nile country painted their bodies with red crayons and wore jewelry made of red carnelian.” However, in Egyptian texts the color red was attributed to all demons. The expression “make red” was equivalent to the concept of “kill.” Plutarch writes: “The inhabitants of Copts, due to the fact that donkeys have a reddish color, are in the habit of sacrificing them by throwing them into the abyss.” Red was the color of the desert, the hot wind of which dried out and “killed” vegetation - Seth was always the antipode of Osiris, who embodied the idea of fertility, the prosperity of plant life, which Seth destroyed. Therefore, even people with reddish skin or red hair were sacrificed at the tomb of Osiris.
Used materials:
- A. Moret. Nile and Egyptian civilization;
- Max Muller. Egyptian mythology;
- M.E. Mathieu. Ancient Egyptian mythology;
- M. Lurker. Egyptian symbolism;
- Plutarch. About Isis and Osiris.
In the mythology of every nation there is a divine essence that personifies evil. She is always opposed by another entity, which is a symbol of goodness and justice. The ancient Egyptians were no exception. Everything negative for them was embodied by the god of Egypt Seth (Seth), and the god of the sun and sky Horus opposed him. However, we must not forget that Egyptian civilization existed on the banks of the Nile for several thousand years. And therefore Seth was not always the personification of evil forces. At first, he was a completely handsome deity, and only after many centuries did he turn into a fiend of hell.
Set was considered the god of war, sandstorms and the patron of foreigners. He ruled over the red desert, which was located in the south of Egypt. And to the north, along the banks of the Nile, stretched black (soil) land. The power of the god Horus extended over her. These two powerful deities were opposed to each other, but this situation arose after the demonization of Set during the reign of the 20th dynasty of the pharaohs (New Kingdom). And before that, in the myths of Ancient Egypt, the god of sandstorms was assigned a different role.
Seth was given birth to by the sky goddess Nut, who was married to the earth god Geb. The baby jumped out of her side three days before the new year. He turned out to be the youngest of the children. Before him were born Osiris, Isis and Nephthys, who later became the wife of the antagonist god. The main god Ra was considered the great-grandfather of Set. When the latter was born, Ra already lived in heaven. His task was to illuminate the world of the living during the day, and at night to go to the world of the dead and fight there with the terrible serpent Apep, who personified universal evil.
The great-grandson became a worthy assistant to the god Ra. He stood on the bow of the boat in which the main Egyptian god was sailing through the underworld, and fought with Apep. That is, the future antagonist god will initially play a creative role. He not only resisted universal evil, but also tried to destroy it.
Set with brother Osiris and sisters Isis and Nephthys
At that distant time, this deity was depicted in different ways. Mostly in the form of an animal, which in its shape resembled a donkey, a fox or a jackal. Most often, he had a curved muzzle, long ears, a thin forked tail, a body covered with hair, and red eyes. In the 19th century, Egyptologists assumed that this was a stylized image of a giraffe. However, this assumption was later found to be untrue.
As centuries passed, the god of Egypt, Seth, was left with only the head of an animal very similar to an aardvark, and the body was given human shape. In this form, the deity existed until the Ptolemaic dynasty and the Roman period. But this is externally, but internally the god of sandstorms has transformed much more significantly. The reason for this was the political upheavals that occurred on the banks of the Nile in the 17th century BC. e.
In the middle of this century, the Asian tribes of the Hyksos invaded Ancient Egypt. They captured the Nile Delta and settled there for 100 long years. The conquerors very quickly adapted to the new conditions and adopted the orders and customs of the Egyptian pharaohs. But in order for the local population to recognize their power, it was necessary to tie it to a local deity. And the Hexos chose Set from among all the Egyptian gods, identifying him with their main deity Baal. And the city of Avaris, located in the eastern part of the Nile Delta, was made the main place of worship.
God Ra sits in a boat on the left, and on the right Seth fights Apep
Since then, the god of Egypt, Seth, began to acquire negative features in the myths of the Egyptians. The situation worsened after the conquest of Egypt by the Assyrians and Persians. The god of sandstorms was also considered the patron saint of foreigners, and they began to be identified with the oppressors. As a result of all this, the myth of the confrontation between Set and Horus appeared.
According to this myth, after the god Geb, his son Osiris began to rule Egypt. His reign was extremely successful. He taught people many useful things, and life on the banks of the Nile turned into a kind of paradise. But Set ruled in the south of the country in desert areas. He gradually began to become irritated by the successful rule of Osiris. Suffering from envy and hatred, he killed the wise god, cut his body into pieces and scattered it throughout Egypt. After that, he seized power over the entire country and became the sovereign ruler.
Osiris's wife Isis gathered the pieces of her husband together, called upon her the guide of the underworld, Anubis, and he made a mummy from the remains of the murdered god. Isis turned into a female kite, spread herself over the mummy and conceived a child from her. This is how Horus was born - the son of Osiris and Isis. He vowed to avenge his father's death, and when he grew up, he entered into a mortal battle with the treacherous and cruel god of Egypt, Set.
According to myths, this battle lasted for 80 years. The other gods looked at her and waited to see who would win. Finally it became clear to everyone that Horus was winning. The gods stopped the battle and recognized the son of Osiris as the ruler of Egypt, and Seth was ordered to go back to the south of the country and live forever in the desert. This decision was solemnly read to both opponents by the god of wisdom Thoth.
This is how the gods of Egypt are presented in Hollywood. On the far left is Horus's wife Hathor, then Horus, in the center is Set, on the right are two mere mortals
The god of sandstorms had no choice but to obey the decision of the gods. He went to the red sands, and Horus revived Osiris with the help of his eye. After this, the father began to rule the world of the dead, and his victorious son established wise rule on earth. He ruled for a long time, and then handed over the reins of power to the pharaohs, who began to be considered his embodiment on earth.
This is how, gradually, the image of Seth transformed from a fighter against universal evil into universal evil itself. During the reign of the Ptolemies, the god of Egypt, Set, finally degenerated. He has become a symbol of hell, a real villain, bringing hatred, grief and destruction. There was nothing positive left in the divine image, and the original functions of Ra’s assistant in his fight against Apep were completely forgotten.
Only temples served as reminders of their former creative role. There were a large number of them in Egypt. But when the fight against paganism began, all the sanctuaries of Set were destroyed. The original painting began to be restored only in the 19th century. During that period, many people appeared who were sincerely interested in the history of the great ancient civilization that existed on the banks of the Nile for several thousand years. And now we know who was who in that distant fabulous time, which has sunk forever into eternity.
Set
Set(Seth, Sutekh, Suta, Seti) - in ancient Egyptian mythology, the god of rage, sandstorms, destruction, chaos, war and death. Initially he was revered as the “protector of the sun”, the patron of royal power, his name was included in the titles and names of a number of pharaohs. Later he was demonized, became an antagonist in the dualistic struggle and Seth, the personification of world evil, Satan. Also, Horus and Set can merge into a single two-headed deity Kheruifi. He was the patron saint of distant countries and foreigners.
During the period of the Old Kingdom, Set, along with Horus, was considered the patron god of royal power, which is reflected in the “Pyramid Texts” and in the titles of the pharaohs of the 2nd dynasty (the combination of the names Set and Horus means “king”). Under the Hyksos, Seth was identified with their god Baal, and the capital of Egypt, Avaris, became the place of his cult as the main god. At the beginning of the New Kingdom period, the names of “Network” are still encountered quite often; these names were borne by the pharaohs of the 19th dynasty: Seti, Setnakht; Seth was given the epithet “mighty.” In the treaty of Ramesses II with the Hittites, Seth is mentioned along with the Hittite gods.
The planet Mercury was considered the heavenly image of Set - “Seth in the evening twilight, God in the morning twilight.” Seth's color is reddish-red, the subject side of the world is south.
Objects depicting an animal symbolizing Set appeared in the Predynastic period, during the era of Negad 1 (3800-3600 BC). They were found in the Naqada area. At that time, Set was the deity of metals and the patron saint of Upper Egypt, and negative traits had not yet appeared in his character. In the era before the unification of Egypt by Pharaoh Narmer, supporters of Set and Horus fought for power. The victory went to Horus, and his name became an integral part of the monarch's title; when Horus and Set are depicted together, then Horus certainly stands in front of Set.
The cult of Set flourished in Ombos (near Naqada), Kom Ombos, Gipsel, the oases of Dakhla and Kharga, and especially in the northeastern Nile Delta. The oracle of Set existed in the oasis of Dakhla until the XXII dynasty. Although already during the 26th dynasty he became a clear personification of evil.
Set was the youngest son of the sky goddess and earth god. He was a brother, and for the latter he was also a husband. According to the Heliopolis cosmogony, Seth was born by jumping out of the side of his mother Nut. His birthday - the third New Year's Day - was considered unlucky for all of Egypt; on this day they tried not to do practically any important things.
Image
Set is depicted, as a rule, with long ears, a red mane and red eyes (the color of death, that is, desert sand, although his image can be found in a completely different way).
There are images in the form of various animals: a crocodile (relief in the southwestern hall of the temple in Dendera), a male hippopotamus (Jumilyak papyrus), a snake (relief in the temple of Ramses II in Aswan), and also in a composite form: a hippopotamus in the skin of a crocodile (fresco on wall of Mentuhotep's tomb). But there is no exact confirmation that this is Seth.
There is a well-known myth about Seth, who spat in the eyes of Horus, taking the form of a black pig. Because of this, pigs were considered unclean (despite the fact that in ancient times there were images of Nut in the form of a pig with star piglets).
The images of Seth are quite zoomorphic; there is no consensus on what animal was the image of Seth.
Set and Horus
According to legend, Seth, jealous of his brother, killed him, threw his body into the Nile and legally took his throne. But the son of Osiris, Horus, who had been hiding for many years, wanted to take revenge on Set and take his throne. Horus and Set fought for eighty years. During one of the battles, Seth tore out Horus's eye, which then became the great amulet of the Udjat; Horus castrated Seth, depriving him of most of his essence. According to one legend, Seth's front leg, cut off in battle, was thrown into the northern part of the sky, where the gods chained it with golden chains to the eternal supports of heaven and set it to guard the formidable hippopotamus - Isis Hesamut. According to myth, after Horus won a dispute with Set, he founded the city of Edfu, where a temple built in his honor is located. The walls of the temple are decorated with reliefs from the reign of Pharaoh Caesarion, representing the struggle of two deities.
With the end of the Old Kingdom, his cult was gradually demonized from the great protector of Ra into an evil, powerful deity, without losing its original functions (“The Trial of Horus and Set”). After such a transformation, Seth was by no means perceived by the Egyptians as something evil and hostile (for example, like a snake or a crocodile Magus). Despite the lost dispute and numerous crimes, including the murder of Osiris, Set remains the ruler of the southern regions of Egypt, the master of the forces under his control - bad weather and sandstorms. He was especially revered by the Ramsessides as the lord of military valor and courage. Seth's main function was to fight alone with the serpent Apep, protecting the Solar Boat (Zhumilak papyrus). However, starting from the 3rd transition period, especially in the Ptolemaic era, when the cult of Horus was raised especially high, Seth turns purely into a symbol of evil and becomes a hated villain, the source of universal evil.