Post by lorifiya on Jan 3, 2012 21:59:37 GMT -5
Lord of Upper Egypt
Symbols: donkeys, fish, pigs, Seth-animal
Depiction: Depictions of Seth showed him as a mythical animal resembling a donkey or aardvark. He has big ears and red hair.
Mythology: Seth was the god of thunder and storms as well as the desert. His parents were Nut and Geb, his brother was Osiris, and his sisters were Isis and Nephthys. Though married to Nephthys, Seth never had any children, a fact that contributes to his association with the barren desert and infertility.
Upon his abdication of the throne, the older of his two sons, Osiris, succeeded Geb as king of Egypt. Once Osiris had established civilization in Egypt, he traveled to distant lands to teach others what he had taught the Egyptians. He left Isis to rule in his absence but Seth’s actions troubled her. While Osiris was away, Seth plotted to usurp the throne and take Isis as his wife. Isis’ fears were realized when, in the twenty-eighth year of Osiris’ reign, on the 17th day of Hathor (late September or November), Seth and 72 conspirators murdered Osiris. Seth and his co-conspirators threw the coffin containing Osiris’ body into the Nile. Isis recovered Osiris’ body only to have Seth tear it into 14 pieces, which he scattered all over Egypt. Nonetheless, Isis, with help from Nephthys, recovered every piece of Osiris’ body except his penis, which was eaten by the Nile fish. Using her magical powers, Isis reassembled Osiris and gave him life just long enough to conceive Horus, the future king of Egypt. Seth disputed Horus’ succession to the Egyptian throne and attempted to murder Horus but failed because Isis protected Horus by keeping him on a floating island. Collectively, the gods decided to punish Seth for committing fratricide by sending him into exile in the desert. Re did not support the decision of the gods and thought Horus too young to hold the kingship. To resolve the stalemate, Isis magically transformed herself into a beautiful woman and with tears streaming down her face told a story to the gods. The story told of an evil man who killed her husband and who was trying to steal her family flocks. Angered by the injustice of which Isis spoke, Seth proclaimed that the evil man should be destroyed and that the woman’s son should inherit the family flocks. With this judgment, Seth lost the throne of Egypt. After an 80 year dispute, the gods agreed that Horus, Osiris’ son, should have the throne and that Seth should be given the Semitic goddesses Astarte and Asat.
Never considered wholly evil, Seth protected the barge of Re when Re fought each night with Apep. Before it was conquered by Upper Egypt, Lower Egypt considered Seth their benefactor. When the two lands united, Seth and Horus were depicted together as the state deities. During the 19th Dynasty, pharaohs even took Seth’s name often in the form of Seti.
Symbols: donkeys, fish, pigs, Seth-animal
Depiction: Depictions of Seth showed him as a mythical animal resembling a donkey or aardvark. He has big ears and red hair.
Mythology: Seth was the god of thunder and storms as well as the desert. His parents were Nut and Geb, his brother was Osiris, and his sisters were Isis and Nephthys. Though married to Nephthys, Seth never had any children, a fact that contributes to his association with the barren desert and infertility.
Upon his abdication of the throne, the older of his two sons, Osiris, succeeded Geb as king of Egypt. Once Osiris had established civilization in Egypt, he traveled to distant lands to teach others what he had taught the Egyptians. He left Isis to rule in his absence but Seth’s actions troubled her. While Osiris was away, Seth plotted to usurp the throne and take Isis as his wife. Isis’ fears were realized when, in the twenty-eighth year of Osiris’ reign, on the 17th day of Hathor (late September or November), Seth and 72 conspirators murdered Osiris. Seth and his co-conspirators threw the coffin containing Osiris’ body into the Nile. Isis recovered Osiris’ body only to have Seth tear it into 14 pieces, which he scattered all over Egypt. Nonetheless, Isis, with help from Nephthys, recovered every piece of Osiris’ body except his penis, which was eaten by the Nile fish. Using her magical powers, Isis reassembled Osiris and gave him life just long enough to conceive Horus, the future king of Egypt. Seth disputed Horus’ succession to the Egyptian throne and attempted to murder Horus but failed because Isis protected Horus by keeping him on a floating island. Collectively, the gods decided to punish Seth for committing fratricide by sending him into exile in the desert. Re did not support the decision of the gods and thought Horus too young to hold the kingship. To resolve the stalemate, Isis magically transformed herself into a beautiful woman and with tears streaming down her face told a story to the gods. The story told of an evil man who killed her husband and who was trying to steal her family flocks. Angered by the injustice of which Isis spoke, Seth proclaimed that the evil man should be destroyed and that the woman’s son should inherit the family flocks. With this judgment, Seth lost the throne of Egypt. After an 80 year dispute, the gods agreed that Horus, Osiris’ son, should have the throne and that Seth should be given the Semitic goddesses Astarte and Asat.
Never considered wholly evil, Seth protected the barge of Re when Re fought each night with Apep. Before it was conquered by Upper Egypt, Lower Egypt considered Seth their benefactor. When the two lands united, Seth and Horus were depicted together as the state deities. During the 19th Dynasty, pharaohs even took Seth’s name often in the form of Seti.