Of particular interest and admiration is still the religion of Ancient Greece. But no less fascinating is the faith of the ancient Egyptians, who also believed in many gods, sacrificed and honored them. Mysterious and powerful in power is the god of Ancient Egypt - Seth. Not having a constant appearance, the lord of the desert storm - Seth - was one of the most powerful in Egyptian beliefs.
The patron saint of the power of the pharaohs is the god Set
The very name of the Egyptian god denotes a pillar of stability, which is associated with power over the desert on the one hand, and on the other with the power of the pharaohs. God Seth arose in Egyptian beliefs only as the ruler of the desert, at first his power was not so strong, he accompanied the caravans walking along the sandy deserts. And over time, when the Egyptians imagined that most of the country's land cover consists of sand, Seth was awarded more power. He began to control the weather in the desert, sandstorms and violent dusty winds, destruction, causing death for themselves - all this was subject to Seth. The ancient Egyptians worshiped him, believing that having made donations to the deity, they would be able to appease him and protect themselves from the sandstorm and death. Thanks to his power, the god Seth became the main deity of Lower Egypt, Ombos, where he was worshiped the most, was especially noteworthy.
Over time, the power of Seth began to give the Pharaohs, since he was considered the most powerful in this sandy area. Accordingly, the pharaoh also had to have strong power in order to rule the people. Often, the Pharaohs attached the name of Set to their name as a component. Seth was portrayed with red eyes, so everything that was associated with red began to be associated with him, including the red color of hair, unusual for the Egyptians. Therefore, Seth was also the patron of foreigners and foreign caravans.
Relatives of Seth. How was he portrayed?
A great future was destined for the deity before birth, since Seth is a god born from the reunion of two powerful forces: the god of the earth Hebe and the heavenly deity Nut. Osiris, Isis and Nephthys, he was a brother. Despite the kinship, the goddess of fertility Nephthys became the wife of Seth, who had several of them. Anat, Taurt, Ashtoret can be distinguished, but nothing is known about the heirs of the powerful god, perhaps there were none at all.
Before the unification of the state, Seth was portrayed alone as the supreme deity of Lower Egypt, and during the unification for the primacy he had to compete with the god Horus, who ultimately defeated him. Since that time, the god Set was portrayed with Horus, a little behind him.
What did Set look like? Egyptologists claim that his unusual appearance is the animal of Seth, as they called him. He had burning red eyes, square long ears, a slightly crooked mysterious face, thanks to which the name "Seth's animal" appeared, and human legs. With the body of a dog, he managed to stand on two legs. It could be like an anteater, a dog, or a hippo. The fact is that the Egyptians did not have a single image of the god Set; he was zoomorphic.