Protector of Ra[edit]

Mesektet Barque with Ra as Set spears Apep in the underworld

Set was depicted standing on the prow of Ra's barge defeating the dark serpent Apep. In some
Late Period representations, such as in the Persian Period Temple of Hibis at Khargah, Set was
represented in this role with a falcon's head, taking on the guise of Horus. In the Amduat, Set is
described as having a key role in overcoming Apep.

Set in the Second Intermediate, Ramesside and later

Set and Horus adore Ramesses in the small temple at Abu Simbel.

During the Second Intermediate Period (1650–1550 BCE), a group of Near Eastern peoples,
known as the Hyksos (literally, "rulers of foreign lands") gained control of Lower Egypt, and ruled
the Nile Delta, from Avaris. They chose Set, originally Upper Egypt's chief god, the god of
foreigners and the god they found most similar to their own chief god, Hadad, as their
 [citation needed]
patron . Set then became worshiped as the chief god once again. The Hyksos King
[36]
Apophis is recorded as worshiping Set exclusively, as described in the following passage:

King Apophis chose for his Lord the god Seth. He did not worship any other deity in the whole
[b]
land except Seth.

— "The Quarrel of Apophis and Seqenenre", Papyrus Sallier I, 1.2–3 (British Museum No.
[39]
10185)

Jan Assmann argues that because the ancient Egyptians could never conceive of a "lonely" god
lacking personality, Seth the desert god, who was worshiped on his own, represented a
[40]
manifestation of evil.
When Ahmose I overthrew the Hyksos and expelled them, in c. 1522 BCE, Egyptians' attitudes
towards Asiatic foreigners became xenophobic, and royal propaganda discredited the period of
Hyksos rule. The Set cult at Avaris flourished, nevertheless, and the Egyptian garrison of
[citation needed]
Ahmose stationed there became part of the priesthood of Set.
The founder of the Nineteenth Dynasty, Ramesses I came from a military family from Avaris with
strong ties to the priesthood of Set. Several of the Ramesside kings were named after the god,
most notably Seti I (literally, "man of Set") and Setnakht (literally, "Set is strong"). In addition, one
of the garrisons of Ramesses II held Set as its patron deity, and Ramesses II erected the
so-called "Year 400 Stela" at Pi-Ramesses, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Set cult
[41]
in the Nile delta.
Set also became associated with foreign gods during the New Kingdom, particularly in the delta.
Set was identified by the Egyptians with the Hittite deity Teshub, who, like Set, was a storm god,
[42]
and the Canaanite deity Baal, being worshipped together as "Seth-Baal".
Additionally, Set is depicted in part of the Greek Magical Papyri, a body of texts forming a
[43]
grimoire used in Greco-Roman magic during the fourth century CE.

The demonization of Set[edit]

Set on a late New Kingdom relief from Karnak: his figure was erased during his demonization.
According to Herman te Velde, the demonization of Set took place after Egypt's conquest by
several foreign nations in the Third Intermediate and Late Periods. Set, who had traditionally
been the god of foreigners, thus also became associated with foreign oppressors, including the
[44]
Kushite and Persian empires. It was during this time that Set was particularly vilified, and his
defeat by Horus widely celebrated.
Set's negative aspects were emphasized during this period. Set was the killer of Osiris, having
hacked Osiris' body into pieces and dispersed it so that he could not be resurrected. The Greeks
would later associate Set with Typhon and Yahweh, a monstrous and evil force of raging nature
(being the three of them depicted as donkey-like creatures, classifying their worshippers as
[45]
onolatrists).
Set and Typhon also had in common that both were sons of deities representing the Earth (Gaia
[citation needed]
and Geb) who attacked the principal deities (Osiris for Set, Zeus for Typhon).
Nevertheless, throughout this period, in some outlying regions of Egypt, Set was still regarded as
[citation needed]
the heroic chief deity.
Ancient Egyptologist Dr. Kara Cooney shot an episode called "The Birth of the Devil" in the "Out
[46]
of Egypt" documentary series. In this documentary, the scientist describes the process of
demonization of Set and the positioning of the it as absolute evil on the opposite side, in parallel
with the transition to monotheism in different regions from Rome to India, where God began to be
perceived as the representative of absolute goodness.

Set temples[edit]

Limestone architectural fragment; a door jamb, part of a doorway. From the temple of Set (which was
built by Thutmosis III) at Ombos, Egypt. 18th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum

Set was worshipped at the temples of Ombos (Nubt near Naqada) and Ombos (Nubt near Kom
Ombo), at Oxyrhynchus in Upper Egypt, and also in part of the Fayyum area.
More specifically, Set was worshipped in the relatively large metropolitan (yet provincial) locale of
[47]
Sepermeru, especially during the Ramesside Period. There, Seth was honored with an
important temple called the "House of Seth, Lord of Sepermeru". One of the epithets of this town
was "gateway to the desert", which fits well with Set's role as a deity of the frontier regions of
ancient Egypt. At Sepermeru, Set's temple enclosure included a small secondary shrine called
"The House of Seth, Powerful-Is-His-Mighty-Arm", and Ramesses II himself built (or modified) a
second land-owning temple for Nephthys, called "The House of Nephthys of
[48]
Ramesses-Meriamun".
The two temples of Seth and Nephthys in Sepermeru were under separate administration, each
[49]
with its own holdings and prophets. Moreover, another moderately sized temple of Seth is
[48]
noted for the nearby town of Pi-Wayna. The close association of Seth temples with temples of
Nephthys in key outskirt-towns of this milieu is also reflected in the likelihood that there existed
another "House of Seth" and another "House of Nephthys" in the town of Su, at the entrance to
[50]
the Fayyum.
Papyrus Bologna preserves a most irritable complaint lodged by one Pra'em-hab, Prophet of the
"House of Seth" in the now-lost town of Punodjem ("The Sweet Place"). In the text of Papyrus
Bologna, the harried Pra'em-hab laments undue taxation for his own temple (The House of Seth)
and goes on to lament that he is also saddled with responsibility for: "The ship, and I am likewise
also responsible for the House of Nephthys, along with the remaining heap of district
[51]
temples".
Nothing is known about the particular theologies of the closely connected Set and Nephthys
temples in these districts — for example, the religious tone of temples of Nephthys located in
such proximity to those of Seth, especially given the seemingly contrary Osirian loyalties of
Seth's consort-goddess. When, by the Twentieth Dynasty, the "demonization" of Seth was
ostensibly inaugurated, Seth was either eradicated or increasingly pushed to the outskirts,
Nephthys flourished as part of the usual Osirian pantheon throughout Egypt, even obtaining a
Late Period status as tutelary goddess of her own Nome (UU Nome VII, "Hwt-Sekhem"/Diospolis
[52][53][54][55]
Parva) and as the chief goddess of the Mansion of the Sistrum in that district.
Seth's cult persisted even into the latter days of ancient Egyptian religion, in outlying but
important places like Kharga, Dakhlah, Deir el-Hagar, Mut, and Kellis. In these places, Seth was
considered "Lord of the Oasis / Town" and Nephthys was likewise venerated as "Mistress of the
[56]
Oasis" at Seth's side, in his temples (esp. the dedication of a Nephthys-cult statue).
Meanwhile, Nephthys was also venerated as "Mistress" in the Osirian temples of these districts
[56]
as part of the specifically Osirian college. It would appear that the ancient Egyptians in these
locales had little problem with the paradoxical dualities inherent in venerating Seth and
Nephthys, as juxtaposed against Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys.

In modern religion[edit]
Main articles: Kemetism, Temple of Set, and Sethian Liberation Movement

In popular culture[edit]
In the manga and anime series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, a minor enemy
named Alessi has a Stand based on Set, with the ability to reflect Alessi's shadow, including
[57]
items he holds, and can rapidly de-age whoever steps into his shadow.
In the 13th season Doctor Who serial Pyramids of Mars, Set (using the name Sutekh) is
portrayed as an alien entity. Imprisoned under an Egyptian pyramid millennia ago by Horus, he is
bent on destroying all life if he is ever freed.
In the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, the ancient Egyptian deity Set is depicted
as an antediluvian vampire, believed to be one of the oldest undead beings. Revered as the
founder of the enigmatic Followers of Set (now known as The Ministry in the game's fifth edition).
Imprisoned in torpor, Set remains a focal point for his followers who strive to rouse him from his
slumber. He commands powers entwined with manipulation, darkness, and serpentine subtlety,
epitomized by his unique Discipline, Serpentis, dedicated to the mastery of serpents.
In the Shin Megami Tensei series, Set (using the name Seth) is portrayed as a black dragon
throughout multiple of the installments.
In the 1992 Nintendo Entertainment System video game Nightshade, the villain's public persona
is that of "Sutekh", a criminal underboss who unifies the gangs of the fictitious Metro City. In line
with the idea of Sutekh, of Egyptian mythology, the Sutekh in the video game reigns supreme
over all of the violence in the city. Of particular note, in Egyptian mythology, Sutekh is also the
god of foreigners. In the Nightshade video game, its villain is not of Egyptian descent, but instead
a man by the name of Waldo P. Schmeer who is a historian obsessed with Egyptian lore.
Sutekh is an antagonist in some films and other material in the Puppet Master universe. Sutekh
is portrayed as the other worldly owner of the secret of life, which animates the eponymous
puppets, and stalks anyone who steals it.
In SMITE, Set is a playable assassin, released alongside his rival nephew Horus.
In the BL manhwa ENNEAD, written and illustrated by Mojito, Set (using the name Seth) is the
main character. It draws heavily upon classic Egyptian mythology and centers on the conflict
between Horus and Seth.
Ahead of the release of their 25th studio album, The Silver Cord (King Gizzard & the Lizard
Wizard album), Australian band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard released the album's first three
[58]
songs. The third of these, titled "Set", describes Set killing Osiris and his subsequent conflict
with Horus.

See also[edit]
● Set animal

Notes[edit]
● ^ Also transliterated Sheth, Setesh, Sutekh, Seteh, Setekh, or Suty. Sutekh appears, in
fact, as a god of Hittites in the treaty declarations between the Hittite kings and Ramses II
after the battle of Qadesh. Probably Seteh is the lection (reading) of a god honoured by the
[4][5]
Hittites, the "Kheta", afterward assimilated to the local Afro-Asiatic Seth.
● ^ Translation from Assmann 2008, p. 48. Goedicke's translation: "And then King Apophis,
l.p.h., was appointing for himself Sutekh as Lord. He never worked for any other god which
[37]
is in this entire country except Sutekh. Goldwasser's translation: "Then, king Apophis
 l.p.h. adopted for himself Seth as lord, and he refused to serve any god that was in the
[38]
entire land except Seth."

References