Set – egyptian mythology god of war, chaos and storms

The world is full of things that are unpleasant, painful or harmful. For the people of Egypt, there was a healthy fear of the desert and the dangerous sandstorms that could appear at any time. Egypt also experienced more than its fair share of war and invasions by foreign aggressors.

Seth egyptian god symbol

To Egyptians, these were more than just random things that happened; they were governed by a god named Set. He was without a doubt a very scary guy, but also a vital and important part of the world that each Egyptian had to make peace with at some point or another. Set was a guy who did not get on very well with others. He was a force for chaos and violence.

He ruled over the red desert sands and the great storms that threatened the peace of Egypt. This meant that the inhabitants of that part of Egypt did not see Set as a negative or unpleasant god, but as their benefactor and protector. Set was not always seen as an evil character, but at one point as the equal of Horus. Pharaohs would be shown as crowned by both Set and Horus together, so he was a god with strong associations with royalty.

Horus egyptian god

Following the conquering of Lower Egypt by Upper Egypt, this history was somewhat revised to cast Set as a dark enemy of the god Horus. This beast looks a bit like a Jackal, but it has a stiff, forked tail. Its ears are very long and stand upright. The head sometimes looks somewhat like that of a giraffe.