Set
Egyptian god of chaos who embodied the principle of hostility if not of outright evil. He was associated with foreign lands and was the adversary of the god Osiris. Set was usually depicted in human form with a head of indeterminate origin, though said to resemble that of an aardvark. He had a curved snout, erect square- tipped ears and a long forked tail. Sometimes he was represented in entirely animal form with a body similar to that of a greyhound. He was said to be the son either of Nut and Geb or of Nut and Ra, and the brother of Isis, Osiris and Nephthys. Nephthys was sometimes given as his consort, although he is more commonly associated with the foreign, Semitic goddesses Astarte and Anat. Despite his reputation, he had an important sanctuary at Ombos in Upper Egypt, his reputed birthplace, and had his cult was also prominent in the north-eastern region of the Nile delta. Worship of Set is still found in modern times. He is the primary god of the Temple of Set, whose practitioners can be found world-wide today.
For a time during the third millennium BC, Set replaced Horus as the tutelary deity of the pharaohs. However, the story of Set's murder of Osiris and subsequent war with Horus gained currency and Horus was restored to his original status. The war with Horus lasted eighty years, during which Set tore out the left eye his adversary and Horus tore out Set's foreleg and testicles. Horus eventually emerged victorious, or was deemed the victor by a council of the gods, and thus became the rightful ruler of the kingdoms of both Upper and Lower Egypt. Set was forced to return the eye of Horus and was himself either castrated or, in some versions, killed. In some versions Set then went to live with the sun god Re, where he became the voice of the thunder. In the Book of the Dead Set was referred to as the "lord of the northern sky" and held responsible for storms and cloudy weather. Set protected Amun-Ra during his night voyage through the underworld against the Apophis-snake. On the other hand, Set was a peril for ordinary Egyptians in the underworld, where he was said seize the souls of the unwary. Among the animals sacred to Set were the desert oryx, crocodile, boar, and the hippopotamus in its aspect as a destroyer of boats and of planted fields. The pig was a taboo in Set's cult. The Greeks later equated Set with their demon-god Typhon. In modern times, Christians have also equated Set with their Satan. This has lead to the false impression that the Temple of Set is a branch of the Church of Satan.
Egyptian god of chaos who embodied the principle of hostility if not of outright evil. He was associated with foreign lands and was the adversary of the god Osiris. Set was usually depicted in human form with a head of indeterminate origin, though said to resemble that of an aardvark. He had a curved snout, erect square- tipped ears and a long forked tail. Sometimes he was represented in entirely animal form with a body similar to that of a greyhound. He was said to be the son either of Nut and Geb or of Nut and Ra, and the brother of Isis, Osiris and Nephthys. Nephthys was sometimes given as his consort, although he is more commonly associated with the foreign, Semitic goddesses Astarte and Anat. Despite his reputation, he had an important sanctuary at Ombos in Upper Egypt, his reputed birthplace, and had his cult was also prominent in the north-eastern region of the Nile delta. Worship of Set is still found in modern times. He is the primary god of the Temple of Set, whose practitioners can be found world-wide today.
For a time during the third millennium BC, Set replaced Horus as the tutelary deity of the pharaohs. However, the story of Set's murder of Osiris and subsequent war with Horus gained currency and Horus was restored to his original status. The war with Horus lasted eighty years, during which Set tore out the left eye his adversary and Horus tore out Set's foreleg and testicles. Horus eventually emerged victorious, or was deemed the victor by a council of the gods, and thus became the rightful ruler of the kingdoms of both Upper and Lower Egypt. Set was forced to return the eye of Horus and was himself either castrated or, in some versions, killed. In some versions Set then went to live with the sun god Re, where he became the voice of the thunder. In the Book of the Dead Set was referred to as the "lord of the northern sky" and held responsible for storms and cloudy weather. Set protected Amun-Ra during his night voyage through the underworld against the Apophis-snake. On the other hand, Set was a peril for ordinary Egyptians in the underworld, where he was said seize the souls of the unwary. Among the animals sacred to Set were the desert oryx, crocodile, boar, and the hippopotamus in its aspect as a destroyer of boats and of planted fields. The pig was a taboo in Set's cult. The Greeks later equated Set with their demon-god Typhon. In modern times, Christians have also equated Set with their Satan. This has lead to the false impression that the Temple of Set is a branch of the Church of Satan.