The patron saint of the desert, storm and fury - the Egyptian god Seth

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

The religion of ancient Greece is still of particular interest and admiration. But no less fascinating is the faith of the ancient Egyptians, who also believed in many gods, made sacrifices and honored them. Mysterious and possessing powerful power is the god of Ancient Egypt - Seth. Having no permanent appearance, the storm lord in the desert - Seth - was one of the most powerful in Egyptian beliefs.

The patron of the power of the pharaohs - the god Set

The very name of the Egyptian god denotes a pillar of stability, which is associated with the power over the desert on the one hand, and on the other - with the power of the pharaohs. The god Set appeared in Egyptian beliefs only as the lord of the desert, at first his power was not so strong, he accompanied the caravans going through the sandy deserts. And over time, when the Egyptians imagined that most of the land cover of the country consisted of sand, Set was rewarded with more power. He began to control the weather in the desert, sandstorms and furious dusty winds, destruction, bringing death behind him - all this was subject to Seth. The ancient Egyptians worshiped him, believing that by making donations to the deity, they would be able to appease him and protect themselves from the sandystorm and death. Due to his power, the god Set became the main deity of Lower Egypt, especially Ombos, where he was worshiped the most.

Over time, the power of Set began to be given to the pharaohs, since he was considered the strongest in this sandy area. Accordingly, the pharaoh also had to have strong power in order to control the people. Often, the pharaohs attached the name of Set to their name as a component. The god Set was depicted with red eyes, so everything associated with red began to be associated with him, including red hair, which was unusual for the Egyptians. Therefore, Set was also the patron of foreigners and foreign caravans.

Seth's relatives. How was he portrayed?

A great future was destined for the deity even before birth, since Set is a god born from the reunion of two powerful forces: the earth god Geb and the heavenly deity Nut. Osiris, Isis and Nephthys, he was a brother. Despite the family relationship, the goddess of fertility Nephthys became the wife of Set, who had several of them. It is possible to single out Anat, Taurt, Ashtoret, but nothing is known about the heirs of the powerful god, perhaps they did not exist at all.

Before the unification of the state, Set was portrayed alone as the supreme deity of Lower Egypt, and during the unification for the championship he had to fight with the god Horus, who eventually defeated him. Since that time, the god Set has been depicted with Horus, a little behind him.

What did Seth look like? Egyptologists claim that his unusualappearance is the animal of Set, as they called it. He had burning red eyes, square long ears, a slightly crooked mysterious face, thanks to which the name "animal of Set" appeared, and human legs. With the body of a dog, he managed to stand on two legs. He could look like both an anteater and a dog, as well as a hippopotamus. The fact is that the Egyptians did not have a single image of the god Set, he was zoomorphic.