Seth God of Confusion Velde *done* c1967

"Apparently the explination given by Plurtarch is not his own invention, but goes back to the Egyptian Tradition. He writes: "And the name Seth by which they call Typhon denotes this: it means 'the overmatering' and 'overpowering' and it means in very many instances 'turning back' and 'overpassing'."

To cut

to turn back, to abandon, to desert, to be missing when duty, loyalty or some other obligation demands one's presence.

To seperate - (the symbol expressing this) was often writen by Set's name showing he was the one apart, the cause of seperation

Another word that charactorized Set he who is pleased with desertion and hates friendship

In one of the texts it mentions to cut seth or set's group.
Im reminded of what my first teacher told me about the myth of Wsr, his other name being the dismembered one. The writer mentions this in its correlation to seth and how his name has a tendancy to be associated with 'to cut'
Of course in the myth Set cuts Wsr into 14? some pieces. In this, my teacher explained, has quite a few meanings. On of the associations is of Wsr to the harvest itself and the necessity of reaping said harvest. Some might say that no matter what we do, we must kill to live, and I think this is a very potent symbology of this idea. (was that even a word?) But even so, many plants die or go into hibernation durring the winter, only to wake up/ resurrect in the spring. Where as Wsr roamed the land and taught cultivation, like the skill he spoke of, he too was cut down to be brought back.

(haahaa I love what this guy has to say about m.a. murray!)

From the Dream Papyrus : If he drinks beer, he drinks [it so as to engender strif and turmoil]

to recap
instigator of confusion, deserter, drunkard.

"Like Set, the chosen of RA, his roaring is heard ...." (ramses III inscription)

"The Set animal functions as a determinative for words indicating concepts divergent with the normal order, which to the Egyptian mind was given by the gods and is guarded by them, and it has a negative meaning."

"the originator of confusion, like the creator who sets in order, is an aspect of total reality which cannot be spared" "This aspect of reality in cosmic, social and personal life, which finds expression in the key words storm, tumult, illness, the Egyptians could typify by means of a Set-animal with a curved snout and straight tail. Thus the disturber of the peace became an element of order in the Egyptian system of writing with..."

"As the mouth of the womb of Anant and Astarte was closed, the two great goddesses who were pregnant but did not give birth, they were closed by Heru and they were opened by Set." "The opening of the womb of these two goddesses..... closing implies the cessation of the menses and so effectively pregnancy, opening produces menorrhage and abortion."

"Contract womb, lest typhon seize upon you."

"I am a Man of a million cubits, whose name is Evil Day. As for the day of giving birth or of conceiving, there is no giving birth and trees bear no fruit."

In an unpublished text of the metropolitan museum in ny, "nebt het deserting a child of Set for the sake of Wsr"
Plurtarch beggs to differ as it is Wrs who is the father and in many egyptian txt he is called Bull of the two sisters.

-- There are a few egyptologists and fellow constructionalists who view the contendings of heru and set to be something like a campfiler story/ commady. Its helpful to me, at least that one of my favorite egyptologists shares this view, Barbara Mertz. so from about page 43 to Im now on 70 mr author guy discuses how the contendings of heru and set depict homosexuality. Its an interesting view, and he certainly can support it. However, in no other myth depiction was homosexuality ever given such a negative connotation (if his theory is correct, and it is very easy to see things his way) and because of this kind of 'stand alone' idea, I'm more convinced that this was 'a campfire story'. If his theory is correct it looks more like a particular anti-homosexual faction/cult of Heru or Wst/Wsr may have created this story.

The Compoist form was called Nubti and Antaios wait, antaios sounds a bit to greek.....
here we go (that was the greek name) Hrwyfy -heru and Set united, he with two faces

"those are the ba of heru and the ba of set, when he came to letopolis. Finnally the embraced one another and became he with two bas." "Here we have the uniting of two opposites into a totality. Union of forces " a totality as a unity of two inimical and yet collaborating opposites." ".... in the aum duat and the book of gates, .... confronted with the mystery of totality, in which contrasts are subsumed. "

"The spear of Heru goes forth against thee. The lance of Set is thrust into thy brow.
"When Heru and Set are reconciled they do not fight with one another but together against the common enemy
"A club of iron swung down on your head. Heru seizes it and Set will destroy you."

" ... the queen's title 'who sees Heru-Set. the queen does not see her consort as a being divided in himself but as one who comprises totality, in whom the opposing contrasts are united and reconciled."

Hatchepsut "rules the county as the son of Isis (= heru) and is strong as the son Nut (=Set) Ruling, the king is Heru, when he must use force he is Set."


"May I have power of the water, as Set had power when he harmd Wsr that night of the great confusion."

"Let Set streach forth his arm to let Apep fall !" ast incantation
hps = constelation of the great bear, strong arm, strength and scimitar. Set uses theis scimitar in the battle against demons of disease : The hps of Set is against you , o smn, the ktp of Ba'al is struck in your head; the bt3 of heru is struck in your vertex."

the w3s sceptre is called the giver of winds, and may be an imitation of lightening. The word w3s means dominion, the w3s sceptre can be regarded as a symbol of order. The w3s or d'm sceptre might be used as symbols of murder and disorder just as water and the foreleg.

I love this part !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Plurtarch and other Greek writers state that Set cut the body wsr in pieces. The Egyptian text are as reticent regarding the dismemberment as regarding the murder. Frankfort even says : 'the story that Set dismembered the body of Wsr and that Wst burried the parts where she found them.... can hardly have been an original Egyptian belief... the pyramid text about in Spells in which Wst and Nebt Het, Heru or Nut 'unite' the members of the dead Wsr; they nowhere hint at an earlier willful dismemberment." Frankforts scepticism seems to sem from the lack of indications that the dismemberment of Wsr was ritually celebrated. Yet as the murder of wsr by Set was not celebrated directly while forming the often unexpressed presupposition of the many text regarding the resurrection of wsr, so the dismemberment might be the presupposition of the uniting of the members of the god and his mumification."

"Durring the transitional period, which lasted about 70 days, the deceased was exposed to being ill treated by Set. As soonas someone dies, Set can obtian power over him: "I do not die. Set obtians no power over me." This power of Set over the dead person is expressed in int. al. in the conceptions that Set grasps him in his arms, has smitten him dumb and motionless and has bound him. In bd 163 In a spell to give back his head in the netherworld there is the utterance :

" Dwn'wy has hidden me behind his arms to chase away the dammage done by Set." "O wsr, I lit a tourch for you upon the day that your mummy was wrapped. I drove away Set when he was on the point of stealing your body."

coffin text : the idea that Wsr's death or wounds should be hidden: a mast was given to wsr by RA in order to hide what was done against him, to keep secred the blow Set dealt against him.

(creepy) once in 'heaven' people hoped to be free of the onus of Set and of the count of wst. The countng may allude to wst counting the limbs of wsr.

pyr 587 - Wsr is the Ka of Set
pyr 1145 - Set cam forth from wsr

If wsr is the ntr of absolut life, whose essence includes death, then the duality fo wsr and set is that of death and life. Wsr is death from which life arises [winter to spring] Set is life which produces death [deasert sun, summer to fall].

*lol* I really like this next bit... because of the above the author looks at the murder of wsr as 'suicide'
: Owing to the duality of wsr and set which now came into being, death, whic before had formed a unity with life, became visible speratly in the strange brother. Set attempts to get rid of death, ie wsr who must die, by murdering his brother. This is the behavior of the self-murderer, in whose life death does not remain hidden until he is completed or overtaken by it, but to whom death appears as his double or alter ego and who feels the need to MURDER DEATH, so taking his own life."

-- with this murder "the chaotic is assembled into a structered order."

"By killing of wsr, set has slain himself and given himself as a sacrifice. The sacrifice of Set and his following in the ritual is the dramatisation of the murder of wsr in its true perspective. It symbolises the end of set, the demon of death, who as a suicide could find no rest. It unites him with his brother, wsr and the god of the dead. It confirms the cosmic order and does away with duality. Since the murder is not only the culmination, but also the end of chaos, it can be celebrated as sacrifice. "

HAAHAAHAHAHAAHAHA : The former professor of psychiatry at Leiden university, Dr. E.A.D.E. Carp, remarks "He who is mentally disordered lacks the blind spot which aids one who is mentally heathy to deny, annul and disregard as trifling, the reality of his own death and its surrounding presence, so that by far the greater part of mankind is 'surpised' by death.:


Set Repelling Apep
"Hail to you, O Set, son of Nut, the great of streanth in the barq of millions, felling the enemy, the snake, as the prow of the barque of RA, great of battle-cry, my you give me a good lifetime"

"O Set, lord of life, who is upon the prow of the barque of Ra, save me from all evil clamour of this year." - leiden pap.

"A royal offering to Set of Ombos, the son of Nut, the mighty one on the prow of the ship and to all the ntr in ombos."

Set is show in certain text to be the protector of Ra. " he [set] was originally the beneficent ntr of a large part of the population of the nile valley."

111

"I am Set, who causes confusion and thunders in the horizon of the sky, who heart is that of the ndb."

"Set in the solar barque might be interpreted as the violent aspect of Ra. This obviates the necessity of splitting up Set into a good and bad ntr. As in the myth of Heru and Wsr, Set in the myth of Ra also fills the part of the originator of confusion, with the difference that unlike Heru and wsr, not Ra who is the victem of Set's aggression, but Apep."

Setnekht, the found of the 20th dynasty was "like KhepriSet when he rages."
A geographical list at Medinet Habu contains a ntr SetRa. - hieratic papyri text p 109
"Set in the sun barque is often given the peithet chosen of Ra" - marriage stella of Ramses II

"And Ra Horakhte said : give me Set, the son of Nut, that he may stay with me, being with me like a child, and he shall thunder in the heaven and be feared." lieden pap

The Names of Ba'al, Ash and Teshub were all written with the set animal (they are manifestations of set in the egyptian mind)

The Hyksos were worshipers of set
"Then the king Apep mad him Set as lord, he didnt now serve any god who was in the land except Set. And he build him a temple as a perfect and eternal house beside the palace of king Apep. he appeared at the break of day to make the daily sacrifices of.... to Set, and the great ones of the palace came into his presence with nosegays, as it is done in the temple of Ra-Horakhte." Saller papyrus

In the Amhers papyrus it is Set, not Ba'al who is the one who controlls the sea.
"lord of the south land, great god, lord of heaven, fair child of Ra."

CURSE: "ombos is pulled down. Thier Temples are destroyed. All who belonged to them, are NOT. Their lord is NOT."

Notes : dr ashby bookAnunian theology

Pesdjet (eniad) the creative principles.
ntr cosmic principles of creation
Ntr of Pautii
Kheper Ra Atum
shu
tefnut
geb
Asar
Aset
Set
Nebt-het

(all above are how creation manifests)

Het-heru - life force
Djehuti - mind
Ma'at- order/truth

Anpu is not listed here. Dr.Ashby's (and most people's school of thought is that Anpu is the son of Asar. However, through archiological research it seems that there is another, older myth stating that Anpu is the son of set. I am a subscriber to that beliefe. It is a theory due to some evidence that the cult of Asar, through the unification changed the myth as in southern land Set was reveard)

So looking through this book we see, what some of us are used to seeing as far as the qaballic tree of life, in kemetic terms.

For some reason, today it strikes me of the first Trinity of Ra
Khepri, Ra, Atum

Season of Pert Ruled by Set

Lord Set:

His corrispondance is to capricorn, which is kind of a no brainer
since we are looking at this time of year and all. He likes hematie
and diamonds. His favorite color is that of his hair: red. He likes
natron and musk and esp likes to sit under ebony trees. Or so Im told.

One of his Names is Seb Ur. This means 'greatest streangth. Least we
not forget that according to some myths regarding the duat, he alone
would slay apep, so that Ra could continue his journey on the barque
of night to be reborn as Khepri or Khepera each day. (of course the
myths vary and differant Neter take on this task, but only Lord Set
was strong enough to do it alone, everyone else had help)

He, being earthy and fixated, solid is a part of all metals, his
favorite being lead. Kinda interesting considdering that we use lead
as something to protect us from harmful 'rays' but it will poison us
if we ingest it. Its interesting to note that the Opening of the Mouth
ceramony, which was performed on the mummified dead and for the
opening of new temples was enacted with a tool that was made out of metal.

Asside from being 'fixed' on earth and subject to its physical desires
he also helps with corruption, this links him to Anpu (anubis) and it
can be referanced in ancient egyptian text where he was thought to be
Anpu's father. This makes sence when you take into account that both
Neter are associated with not only decay, but with corruption/ corrosion.

In looking at some of the myths we see that Lord Set wasnt exactally
lawless in the way he ran things (excluding that little nasty bit
regarding his brother, nephiew and sister) Lord Sets problem in his
rule was more like his blind and strict adhearance to law. He wasnt
very flexible. Believe it or not, this can cause chaos, evil ect
ect.... look at how some fundamentalists do things, how they pursecute
others for thier various excuses for reasons. This is a Setian
mentality. So pretty much there is no freedom of movement, no freedom
of thought.

Standstill. Or being threatend or having to take defensive manuvering.
Of course life is not fixed or stagnant. This is a major theeme in
buddhism, for example. The impermiance of life. Nothing about it
remains, everything changes there fore the only constant, the only
thing which is 'impermiable' is change aka the impermiance of life.
When one attempts to fix things into being nonmovable or stagnant,,,,
we have chaos, strife and evil (isfet)

Sometimes this can sound pretty dismal, unless of course you want to
know who your enemies are or if they appear sooooooo strong (whether
people or conditions) Lord Set, Seb Ur can help you overcome these things

He overcame Apep, who is the personification of isfet.

The corrosive aspect is also in play especially if we think people or
conditions can't be overcom, Lord Set, Seb Ur can show us how to
wittle down these things into something managable.

Lord Set can teach us tenacaty of mind and spirit, he can teach us
cunning so that we don't have to be weak or powerles.

Sekhmet and Set from Christian Jacq

She rules band of messengers armed with knives, who wander through the
earth, brining illness, famine and death, notabley durring those times
of the year, the periods of transition when evil is swallowed up --
the passage from one year to another, and beginning of night. These
hordes are exorcised by the most competent magicians firstly as State
level and then in the private shere. To pacify Skehmet's anger, one
must use an amulet or statue representing her. Evil influence then
becomes beneficent, power is cleansed of its impurities. On the last
day of the year, she is invoked while recalling the role of the
assassins who came from the Evil Eye sowing panic and darkness,
hurling thier darts fromt heir mouths: may they stay far from the
magician. They will have no power over him for he is Ra, he is
Sekhmet. These words must be spoken over a piece of fine linen upon
which the gods are drwwn. The magi offers them bread and beer, burns
incense, makes twelve knots and put the material on the neck of the
one who wished to be protected. To ward off the murderers and
arsonists of Sekhmet, the magi takes the identity of Heru, the unique.
He speaks the spells over a wooden cane, hodling it in his hand. Then
he must leave his house and walk around it.

She whose power is great as infinity.


Set

When Horus, suffering from a headache, lies on a cushion, his brother
Set watches over him, and prevents him being attacked by demons who
wish to paralyse him.

This divine act is repeated on earth. The magician acts like a weaver.
He cuts off a piece of material, ties seven knots in it and attaches
it to the patients big toe. To succeed in this, the magus must take
the identity of Set, who has considerable power "I am he who has
divided that which was reunited. I am he who is full of vigour and
great in power, Set."

Let us not forget that the dead man has been given a perfect shroud,
which is also that of the initiant being reborn to life as a spirit
-Set's skin. THe house of resurrection will then be the very being of
the enemy, the adversary who has been vanquished and mastered by magic
power.

All the techniquet of the martial arts rest on the same principle, to
use the strength of the opponant who seeks to desrtoy you to increase
your own power.

Set is an efficient healer. In a special spell against the mysterious
"Asian illness' an appeal is made to Set who calms the sea. Thus the
bodily fluids themselves will also be at peace and the illness will go
away. If necessary, the sick man will be confined and his mouth closed
with the skin of the tortoise.

A magical papyrus from Paris teaches us that the magician invokes the
gods with the aid of a vase. He speaks to Set who is thought of as the
god of gods. The magician is so bold because Set's
power enables him to make the gods come at his bidding.

Set of the seven faces banishes the dead , enemies and advisaries both
male and female and the sow who devours the West.

The magi walkes at night with Heru in front and Set to his right. He
does not fear demons in the shadows and the dead can not disturb him.
It is he who threatens them: he can cut off thier hands, blind thier
eyes, close thier mouths. I am Heru-Set. Theh proclamation creating a
union beyond duality, beyond good and evil.

Spell 39

a bit of Spell 39

O Ra, your crew... may you rest there, for your possessions are there. Bring to the house, bringyour Eye to the house, bring what is good; may no evil opposition come forth from your mouth against me, being what you might do against me, for I am Set, who can raise a tumult of storm in the horizon of the sky like one whose will is destruction --so says Atum.

The Book of the Dead
faukner
copyrite 1979

Nubti

Kinda looks like Set is peeking out from behind Heru's back and oover his sholder doesnt it? This is a composite symbol with many ramificactions. First we have Heru as being prominant, but what does that mean exactally? Heru is 'vicoriuos' he is 'with in the laws of Ma'at ' he is an incarnation of Ra, he is the light of the sun.

Who is this Set guy? The perception of Set changed a bit depending on the redion and the dynasty. Even now, among those hard core Reconstructionalists of Kmt Traditons to those who fancy themselves as such you will get a few differant answers.

ohhh citing sources
The Book of Doors
by Anthon Veggi and Alison Davidson

The Egyptian Book of the Dead
by Budge

The Sacred Tradition of Ancient Egypt
by Rosemary Clark

Various Writings by Petrie

His name, shown in a plethera of spellings and ways from Sutekh to Seth basically means 'throne', 'to cut' 'tail' and 'stone'.

The myth according to Plurtarch (and any egyptologist will warn you that greeks are known for thier fabrications while citing them in the next paragraph...) is that Set was born of the Third day, neither at night nor at the right place or the right time, apparently he bore his way out of a wound he infliced in Nut.

Of courser this will bring anyone to the question regarding the right day and time, and what is this third day?

Aparenty shu said that Nut and geb were NOT to have children. EVER. Not durring the year, nor the day or night. or something like that. So, Djehuti interviened and baught an extra five days from the moon. Im not entirely sure I get all that, since Djehuti one of the Ntr associated with the moon, but more on that later. The Ntr born to Nut and Geb were as folows: Wsr (Osirus), Wst (Isis) Set, Nebt-Het (Nephthys) and according to some myths... Heru the elder. He was thus 'born' out of order and durring the New Moon. From kmt Tradition to Celtic, the new moon is a time for reflection and meditation. (see the do not do any kind of crafworking clause most traditions teach as well)

Not to be confused with the son of Wst and Wsr. That Heru was an incarnation of Ra. (the one in the pic above)

Wsr decided to go a roving and teach. He left his brother Set in charge of Kmt/Tamery.

As far as old kingdom myth goes Set was a rather descent guy. He was worshiped in the Southern Lands and in predynastic times, and the Lybian deaserts as benevolant, yes he is the Ntr of storms, but those storms braught water to the land.

Keep in mind, the rulers of the Southern lands held the title of Sa Set, or Sutekh. His crown was silver whitek, representing the harsh white deasert heat.

In early myths Set assisted the dead in climing the ladder to heaven, there are hymns in this regard. Also in the older versions of funery text of the journy throught the Dudat (underworld) Set is the one who kills Apep every night, it is said that he is the only one strong enough.

Now on to Set and his relation to Heru the Elder (not to be confused w/the guy in the above pic)
[Im redundant with this because many authors, good renoun egyptologists dont seem to notice that heru the elder born of Geb and Nut is not the same Heru born of Wst and Wsr]
Set and Heru the elder were regared as equal, opposite forces working in congunction for balance and unity of the material world. Some authors go so far as to say they are twin ntr.

Heru the Elder was Ntr of the day sky,personifying Light
Set was the Ntr of of the night sky, personifying darkness and death.

(actually both Heru's are viewed this way...probably why things get so confusing)

heru and set of course represent the completeness of day followed by night, wakefullness and restfullness.

When Wsr comes back from his walkabout, Set is rather testey, to say the least. So he kills off Wsr and then engages in a very long back and forth battle with Heru, son of Wsr.

Niether won. Some of those battles were pretty messey too. Heru lost an eye, Set lost his left nutsack.... among other things.... intestines and body parts flew... Heru was alwys defeating Sets compatiots in the form of The Sun disk (now you know what the sun and winges thingie represents -- the smiter !)

In the end they are braught to arbitration before the rest of the Ntr. It is Geb who decides what is what. At first he decides that Heru gets the Northlands whial Set gets all the deasert, and then Geb goes back on it and decides that Heru will in fact rule the two kingdoms of kmt/Tamery. That is the end of that, you would think Set would rais a fuss, but he didnt. Ma'at /Law, order/jusctice was very much respected by the Ntr.

So what all does Set represent?
He 'govorns' the forces of choas, so he is like the great devider of order which leads us into disorder.... seperation, isolation. He is NOT the ntr of 'evil' that woudl be apep.
His, is a cosmic state ... order must be broken down in order for creation to occure. With out the struggle through adversity, what would we conqure? How would we become stronger? I have met a few Kemetic Orthadox practitioners who believe it is Set that assists us through adversity and teaches us how to become strong both mentally and physically.
On the flip side
Evilllllllllllllllllllllllllll may use 'chaos' at great leangths, of course, but that doesnt mean that chaos is itself evil.
and of course weirdo psudo satanic groupies calling themselves the house of set.

Nubti
The figure of Heru and Set represents the over comming of the base chakra
the conquering of the lower/fixated self in order to advance toward a more spiritual exsistance.


Then Set, the strong one, the son of Nut, said "As for me, I am Set, the strongest of the Divine Company. Every day I slay the enemy of Ra when I stand at the helm of the Barque of Millions of Years, which no other god dare do."