God set what animal. god set

Every culture has its own personifications of evil forces. They have a wide variety of appearances and play an important role in the fate of people. And if there is no way to resist them, then you have to somehow get along with them and get along. Such a purely negative character of mythology was the ancient Egyptian god Set, one of the most powerful lords of the desert.

Youth and struggle for power

Unfortunately, it has so happened since time immemorial that worthy children are not always born to respectable parents. So a very respected couple - Heb - the god of the earth and his wife, the beautiful Nut - the mistress of the sky - had a son, who caused them a lot of trouble in childhood, and with age, finally plunged them into sadness. Barely reaching his youthful years, he was inflamed with passion for Isis, the wife of his elder brother Osiris. In addition, he intended to remove him from the earthly throne, where he sat on a legal basis. To this end, the insidious god Seth undertook the following.

By his order, a golden sarcophagus of wondrous beauty was made, the dimensions of which exactly corresponded to the growth and complexion of Osiris. And then one day the young intriguer arranged a dinner party, to which, among other guests, he invited his brother. When the fun was in full swing, the servants brought the sarcophagus into the hall, and the owner of the house announced that he would give it to one of those present who would fit in it with the greatest convenience.

Treachery under the guise of generosity

Such a valuable gift made everyone excited, and the guests began to take turns to fit into the golden bowels. But, as we know, the god Set hatched insidious plans, and when Osiris was inside a sarcophagus made to his measurements, he closed the heavy lid. The servants immediately arrived and threw the unfortunate brother in his ill-fated ark into the Nile, where he was immediately picked up by the current and carried away to the shores of Phoenicia.

Further events, as ancient Egyptian mythology tells, are like a poem about devotion, love and treachery. The beautiful Isis rejected Set's harassment and went in search of her husband. She found him in the coastal reeds, freed him from the sarcophagus and brought him home. But the insidious brother brought his dirty work to the end - drawing a sword, he cut the unfortunate Osiris into fourteen parts (no more and no less). In such a criminal way, the god Seth seized inseparable power over Egypt.

Judgment and happy ending

But his joy was premature. It turned out that the brother he killed had a son, also a god, named Horus. And so the nephew decides to take revenge on his uncle for the death of his parent, and at the same time get the rights to reign. Realizing that he cannot cope alone, he takes his friend, solar Ra, to help. Together they overcome the despicable fratricide, but, despite the many wounds, he remains alive. Scoundrels in general are tenacious people ...

Then they (all three of them) turned to the divine court to decide who should rule the world. It cannot be said that in those days justice was administered faster than it is today. Their lawsuit dragged on for eighty years and probably would have lasted even longer if the whole story had not unexpectedly had a happy ending. Osiris himself miraculously revived from the dead. He became the owner of both supreme power and a beautiful wife - faithful Isis. Evil was punished. God Ra took his friend to heaven, but there he was destined for a very unenviable role - to instill fear in everyone. However, he did a great job with it.

Symbol of the evil inclination

For all the deeds, the god Set became the personification of chaos and disorder among the ancient Egyptians. The famous "Book of the Dead" ascribes to him all the troubles caused by hurricanes and storms. They feared him and tried to propitiate him as much as possible. It is not surprising that in the vast celestial pantheon, one of the central figures was precisely the god Set. The photo given at the beginning of the article represents one of his figures that have come down to us. Quite a lot of such monuments have been preserved. In different historical periods, the appearance of the deity changed, but always it was given the features of a certain animal.

Archaeological excavations carried out on the territory of Egypt show that worship of him began in prehistoric times. This is evidenced by sculptures and amulets found in various parts of the country, which depict Set, the god of the desert. The earliest of them is the mace of one of the first pharaohs, who lived in the fourth millennium BC. Symbols are clearly visible on it, personifying the formidable ruler of evil forces.

Some Positives

Speaking about this character, it should be noted that such negative traits were not always given to him. In the early stages of history, his image was much more attractive, and only over time took on such a negative connotation. Historians tend to see the reason for this metamorphosis in a series of political and social disasters that were reflected in mythology, and as a result, Set - the god of Egypt - became their personification.

But it would be unfair to reduce his role solely to the manifestation of evil. When they learned to smelt iron on the banks of the Nile, which at that time was the hardest of all known materials, it was given a name, which means “bone of Set”. The reason lies in the fact that patronage of all those who work with metals was attributed to this deity.

Assistant in military affairs

And one more important detail. As we already mentioned, one of the most formidable gods was Set, but this quality of his in many ways impressed the warlike Egyptian pharaohs. He was seen as the personification of strength and military power. From the myths that have come down to us, it is known that he excellently wielded a spear, and his main weapon was a giant mace. Before starting hostilities, the rulers of the country always tried to enlist his support. To this end, the priests developed an extensive complex of ritual actions, including sacrifices.

It has long been noted that any, even the most bloodthirsty inhabitant of the heavenly pantheon, has always had positive aspects. Actually, the very concept of evil was considered as a necessary element for the expression of good - its antipode, and therefore carried a positive load. Set - the Egyptian god, the symbol of chaos - was no exception. He was assigned an important role - to strike with a spear the terrible serpent Arop, who attacked the boat of Ra, when he made his nightly voyages through the underworld. But in general, a bad reputation followed him relentlessly. No wonder, for example, it was considered extremely unreasonable to start any business on the day of his birth.

Cult centers

It is quite understandable that with such a strong and unpredictable personality, they tried to live in peace. Set and Horus are the Egyptian gods, who equally distributed their influence over Upper and Lower Egypt. Therefore, each of them received in his part of the country the honors due to him. Today, archaeological finds testify to the predominance of cult centers dedicated to Set in the upper reaches of the Nile. The largest of them was in his homeland, in the city of Nubt. Also known is the place of worship to him in the ancient capital of the pharaohs Pi - Ramses.

The visual image of the lord of the desert

Set, the god of ancient Egypt, in his images, as a rule, had the appearance of a creature with a human body and the head of some fantastic animal, similar to a donkey or anteater. The resemblance was broken only by excessively large rectangular ears. However, other options are also known. For example, the body of a predator with a long forked tail. In addition, he often appeared in the guise of animals, the attitude towards which was twofold at that time. Among them are a hippopotamus, a crocodile, a hyena and even a pig. Obviously, the ancient artists were not constrained by rigid canonical boundaries, and when creating an image, much depended on their imagination.

Egyptian myths say that Set had red eyes and red hair. This is no coincidence. Such a color in the minds of people was associated with the hot sand of the deserts, of which he was the ruler. It is curious that subsequently, animals whose fur had a reddish tint, and even red-haired people, were considered, to one degree or another, followers of this god. They were treated with caution and certainly tried to avoid quarrels with them.

Double crown on the brow of the sovereign

In order to protect themselves from the negative influence of hostile forces, amulets were made on which Set was depicted. The Egyptian god always took under the protection of their owners. In order to achieve the greatest possible location, a double crown was placed on the head of the patron - this symbolized the supreme power over the whole country and, of course, flattered him. Not so many of these medallions have survived; you can see them in various museums around the world. An excellent exposition is available in the State Hermitage of St. Petersburg.

God Set in Ancient Egypt initially did not have a negative connotation. For the ancient Egyptians, it was rage, chaos, sandstorms, war. He was depicted with the head of a donkey or aardvark: long ears, red mane and eyes. Red was considered by the Egyptians the color of death, because the sand of the desert had the same shade (despite the fact that there were other shades). However, there is no opinion about which animal is the exact representation of Set. His sacred animals were a pig, a giraffe, an antelope, but the donkey was considered the main one.

In the ancient period, Set was the personification of the power of the rulers of Egypt. This fact is reflected in ancient documents and names worn by the pharaohs of the II dynasty. At the time of the capture of part of the Egyptian lands by the Hyksos, he was equated with their main deity, the capital of the state of Avaris became the place of worship for him.

The ancient Egyptians admired and lauded Set's masculinity, agility, and militancy. Therefore, his name had the epithet "mighty". As a result, the pharaohs were given the name "Networks". In order to enlist the patronage of this deity, they worshiped him, built temples within the boundaries of the palaces of the pharaohs, wore various decorations that had his image.

For the first time, drawings associated with Set were found during the reign of Nakada I. Items bearing his images were found in the Nakada area. Ombos was considered the birthplace of Set, and his necropolis was located in Naqada. At that time, he was especially revered in Upper Egypt, and there were no unpleasant features in his personality yet. Set was considered the patron of the southern Egyptian lands.

In the period preceding the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, there was a struggle between the worshipers of Set and Horus. The supporters of Horus won, so since then, if these two gods were depicted together, Horus was ahead of Set. He was worshiped in the following areas of Egypt:

• Ombose;
• Kom Ombose;
• Gipsele;
• the oases of Dakhla and Kharga;
• in the northeastern Nile Delta.

Seth is the youngest son of the goddess Nut, who was considered the mistress of the sky, and the god Geb, the ruler of the earth. He had a brother Osiris and sisters Isis and Nephthys, the latter became his wife. The day when he appeared was in Ancient Egypt the third New Year's Eve and was considered unfavorable among the Egyptians. On this day, they did not start new business and tried not to start anything at all.

Initially, Set was considered the protector of the god Ra and helped him in the fight against Apep. He was the only one of the gods who could defeat Apep in the darkness. In addition to Nephthys, the goddess Taurt (the patroness of childbearing) was also the wife of Set. The beginning of the manifestation of the evil inclination in this deity was the thirst for power. In the mythology of the ancient Egyptians, this can be seen in the cycle of tales about Osiris and Horus.

Osiris gained power over ancient Egypt because he was the elder brother. But his younger brother became envious, he wanted to get even more power, he considered himself worthy of Osiris. Therefore, Seth decided to kill his brother, and after that Osiris' wife Isis had to hide with the son of Horus from the evil deity. But the time came when Horus grew up, became a strong and courageous young man and challenged Seth to battle.

During the duel, the god of rage, chaos and sandstorms deprives the young man of his eyes. But Horus manages to castrate Seth, which deprives him of the last masculine principle. Subsequently, the lands he ruled were desolate and devoid of life as a sign of what Horus had done to Set. They fought for a long time, and the gods got tired of watching their duel.

Then they proposed to arrange a competition that would determine who was worthy to rule Egypt. As a result, Gore was declared the winner. The further fate of Seth has several interpretations, which was chosen based on the desire to exalt those facts that were close to personal ideals. There are two more versions of why Horus won the victory in ancient Egyptian legends.

Set began to be considered an evil deity during the New Kingdom, when the Hyksos conquered the North. They revered him, a cult reigned in their lands, temples were built. After this event, Set became associated with strangers, which strengthened his negative traits. After the unification of the Egyptian lands, the pharaohs neglected the worship of Set, but later it resumed, and some began to give the names of this deity.

The god Set in ancient Egypt has a controversial meaning for the Egyptians. On the one hand, he is the personification of chaos, war, sandstorms, but, on the other hand, he is the embodiment of strength, militancy and masculinity. His elevation to the rank of an evil deity is associated with historical events, such as the expulsion of foreigners from the northern lands of Egypt. The legends of Set are an indication that ancient Egyptian mythology is multifaceted, as are the beliefs of other ancient civilizations.

Set

Set(Seth, Sutekh, Suta, Seti) - in ancient Egyptian mythology, the god of rage, sandstorms, destruction, chaos, war and death. Initially revered as a “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 Set, the personification of world evil, Satan. Also Horus and Set can merge into a single two-headed deity Heruifi. 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 II dynasty (the combination of the names Set and Horus means "king"). Under the Hyksos, Set was identified with their god Baal; 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 "Network" are still quite common; these names were worn by the pharaohs of the 19th dynasty: Seti, Setnakht; Seth was given the epithet "mighty". In the treaty between Ramesses II and the Hittites, Set is mentioned along with the Hittite gods.

The planet Mercury was considered the celestial image of Set - "Set in the evening twilight, God in the morning twilight." The color of Seth is reddish-red, the subject side of the world is south.

Objects depicting an animal symbolizing Set appeared in the Predynastic period, in the era of Negad 1 (3800-3600 BC). They were found in the Naqada area. In those days, Set was the deity of metals and the patron of Upper Egypt, and negative traits did not yet appear 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 titalatura of the monarch; 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. In the Dakhla oasis, the oracle of Set existed 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 the earth god. He was a brother, and, for the latter, he was also a husband. According to the Heliopolis cosmogony, Set was born by jumping out of the side of mother Nut. His birthday - the third New Year's Eve - was considered unlucky for the whole of Egypt, on this day they tried not to do almost 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 completely different).

There are images in the form of various animals: a crocodile (a relief in the southwestern hall of the temple in Dendera), a male hippopotamus (papyrus Zhumilyak), a snake (a relief in the temple of Ramses II in Aswan), as well as in a composite form: a hippopotamus in the skin of a crocodile (a fresco on wall of the tomb of Mentuhotep). But there is no exact confirmation that this is Seth.

There is a myth about Set 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 piglets-stars).

The images of Set are quite zoomorphic, there is no consensus about what kind of animal was the display of Set.

Seth and Horus

According to legend, Seth, envious of his brother, killed him, and 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 Seth and take his throne. Horus and Set fought for eighty years. During one of the battles, Seth tore out his eye from Horus, which later became the great amulet of ujat; Horus castrated Set, depriving him of the main part of his essence. According to one of the legends, the front leg of Set, cut off in battle, was thrown into the northern part of the sky, where the gods chained it with golden chains to the eternal pillars of heaven and set it to guard its formidable hippopotamus, Isis Hesamut. According to the myth, after Horus won a dispute with Set, he founded the city of Edfu, where the 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 Ra into an evil powerful deity, which did not lose its original functions ("Litigation of Horus and Set"). After such a transformation, Set was by no means perceived by the Egyptians as something evil and hostile (for example, as a snake or a crocodile of the Magus). Despite the lost dispute and numerous crimes, including the murder of Osiris, Set remains the ruler of the southern regions of Egypt, the ruler of the power subject to him - bad weather and sandstorms. He was especially revered by the Ramsessids as the lord of military prowess and courage. Set's main function was to fight alone with the serpent Apep, protecting the Solar Boat (papyrus Zhumilyak). However, starting from the 3rd transitional period, especially in the Ptolemaic era, when the cult of Horus was exalted especially high, Set turns into a purely symbol of evil and becomes a hated villain, a source of universal evil.

At first glance, the ancient Egyptian god Set is a classic image of the “bad guy.” But a careful study of Egyptian mythology shows that the image of this deity is more than contradictory. What distinguishes him from other gods of the Egyptian pantheon?

Set or Seti is the god of the desert, chaos, rage, war, destruction and death. He personified evil in all its manifestations. The famous "Book of the Dead" ascribes to Seth the troubles caused by natural disasters. The sign of the "beast of Set" was used to write words such as "sickness", "cruelty", "despotism" and "storm".

It was Seth who was the main rival of Horus, who was considered the god of the sky and the sun. According to Egyptian mythology, Set and Horus could merge into a single deity Kheruifi. This shows that in the view of the Egyptians, these two characters were inseparable. According to one popular interpretation, they represented 2 sides of royal power. Horus embodied order, creation and mercy, while Set symbolized the harsh, destructive and punishing features of the ruler.

And although Set invariably built intrigues against people and gods, there are some bright moments in the Egyptian view of him. There was a time when he was revered as a "protector of the sun" and the patron of royal power. He was often awarded the epithet "mighty". He also patronized strangers. It is not surprising that after the conquest of Egypt by the Hyksos, it was he who became the main god. In addition, he was known as the god of metals. For example, the Egyptians called iron "the bone of Set."

Bas-relief kept in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin

During the reign of the Ramsessids (13-11 centuries BC), he was revered as a god, bestowing courage and military prowess. It was he who fought with the serpent, protecting the boat of the god Ra. But since Set became associated with the Hyksos hostile to Egypt, his negative traits began to emerge much more strongly. In the hated villain and the source of evil, he finally turned into the Ptolemaic era (4-1 centuries BC).

How was Set portrayed?

Set was most often depicted in a human body, with a red mane, long ears, and red eyes. It is worth noting that red was considered a symbol of death in ancient Egypt. Sometimes this god looked like a crocodile, a hippopotamus or a pig. If he was depicted next to Horus, then he certainly stood behind. The celestial image of Set was the planet Mercury.

Set's head deserves special attention. Logically, she was supposed to personify associated with the deity. Some scientists consider this image a figment of the imagination of artists, others try to guess in it a real representative of the African fauna. The most likely hypothesis so far is the association of Set with the aardvark.

Horus and Set on either side of Ramses III, Cairo Museum

How was Seth revered?

Before becoming a purely negative character, he was the patron of Upper Egypt. His cult flourished in Ombos, Kom Ombos and Gipsel. In the oasis of Dakhla, the oracle of Set existed for a long time.

Mostly they feared God and tried to propitiate as much as possible. So, before starting a war, the pharaohs tried to get the support of this particular god of Egypt. For this purpose, special sacrifices were organized.

To protect themselves from hostile forces, the Egyptians made amulets with his image. He was painted with a double crown - a symbol of supreme power over the country. Thus, the owners of the amulets wished to win the favor of the deity. At the same time, Seth's birthday was considered unlucky by the Egyptians. On this day, they tried to avoid important things.

Myths about Set

It is worth starting with the mythological lineage of Set. He was the youngest son of the earth god Geb and. Seth was also a brother. He had several wives, among whom was his own sister Nephthys. However, nothing is known about his children.

One of the most famous legends about Set tells how he killed Osiris in order to take his throne. But as a result, he found the main enemy - Horus, the son of Osiris, who wants to avenge his father and return the throne. During one of the confrontations, Set pulled out an eye from Horus, which later became the ujat amulet. According to another myth, Set spat in the eyes of Horus, taking the form of a black pig. Therefore, the Egyptians considered pigs to be unclean.

Egyptian mythology connects some quite material events with this god. For example, one of the legends tells how, having defeated Set, Horus founded the city of Edfu. It was here that the temple was located, the walls of which are richly decorated with reliefs representing the struggle of two deities.

A number of historians note that the myths about Set and Horus reflected the social and political events of the history of Egypt. In particular, the unification of the country, which occurred at the turn of 4-3 thousand BC. e. Then there was a fierce struggle for power between the rulers of Upper and Lower Egypt.

According to Egyptian mythology, the god Set was the deity of the desert and the personification of evil. Seth's parents were Geb and the heavenly goddess Nut. According to myths and legends, the god Set wanted to take possession of the sister of his brother Osiris and take away his earthly throne. First of all, for this, he carried out his insidious plan.

By his order, the craftsmen made a golden sarcophagus (according to other versions, a chest), just the size of Osiris. Having invited many guests to his house (including his brother Osiris), he said that he decided to give this sarcophagus to someone who would fit in it. At that moment, when Osiris lay down, the traitors closed the lid, and the sarcophagus itself was thrown into the Nile. Traveling in this way, he was washed up along the Nile to the shores of Phoenicia, where his wife Isis found him. And then Osiris was returned to the Nile Delta. Here he was found by the insidious Seth and cut into fourteen pieces. After the death of Osiris, Set became the full owner of Egypt. The son of Osiris, the god Horus, fights with the killer and wins thanks to the help of Ra. However, Seth remains alive and the opponents decide to turn to the divine court to clarify the rights of kingship.

The legal battle lasted for more than eighty years, but the gods could not come to a consensus. Only the intervention of the revived Osiris helped to find the right solution. Set was deprived of the Egyptian throne, and Amon Ra took him with him to heaven to frighten everyone.

God Set was depicted in the form of an animal, which is quite difficult to accurately determine in the zoological sense. Attempts at interpretation were quite extensive - ranging from the aardvark through the okapi and the canine family and ending with the antelope. During the Old Kingdom period, he looked more like a donkey.

But, in any case, in the image of this animal, the nomads of Upper Egypt personified power, while among the farmers of Lower Egypt it was the main symbol of trouble. Thus Set became Horus's partner and ruled equally with him over the other part of Egypt.

Any Egyptian pharaoh was a combined personification of both brothers.

Standing on the prow of the solar ship, the Egyptian god Seth wrestles with the serpent Apophis. Before the appearance of the Hyks in Egypt, Set was the supreme god, and during the eighteenth and nineteenth dynasties, he protected the Ramessides (hence the name of the pharaoh - Setos).

As a "red" deity, Set became the personification of all evil forces - "through his breath, worms come to earth." He is the lord of all metals - iron ores were called the "bones" of this god. With the spread of the cult of Osiris, Set becomes outlawed for a while.

As animals that were identified with Set, the donkey, antelope, hippopotamus, pig, fish and crocodile are considered, first of all.

In almost any world mythology, there are two principles - evil and good. In Egyptian mythology, the role of the evil inclination is given to Seth - though there are also darker, evil, cosmic forces, for example, the serpent Apep. But they are identified primarily with the elements, while Set is endowed with completely human qualities (cruelty, envy, deceit) and appears most often in the images of a god-man.

During the period of the Old Kingdom, Set was given some positive features. For example, valor and strength were attributed to him after he saved Amon Ra from Apep: settling in the boat of Ra, Set strikes the serpent with a spear. But gradually he gains evil qualities - the murder of Osiris made him the god of countries hostile to Egypt, a harmful god, the lord of the desert. By origin, Set belonged to the supreme gods - he was the third child of Geb and Nut (after Isis and Osiris). The fourth child of this divine couple (the goddess Nephthys) was, according to legend, the wife of Set.

Apparently, initially the gods were very similar to people, they were also very contradictory, which is normal for people, but does not fit the divine symbols. Over time, human and divine features separated and in this sense, in the god Seth, the consciousness of the Egyptians could express the ongoing process of desertification of the land around the Nile Delta. In connection with human activity, a similar process has been going on for several millennia.