Set: The Egyptian God Who Balanced Chaos and Order

Set: The Egyptian God Who Balanced Chaos and Order

Yesterday we spoke about Horus, and that led me to look more closely at his rival, Set. I found a far more complex villain than I expected. Set was associated with the desert, storms, and chaos. Most mythologies have a God connected to chaos. The Norse had Loki although he was more of a trickster.

To the ancient Egyptians, these were not only negative forces. The desert could destroy, but it also defined the edges of their world. Storms could bring anxiety and danger, but they were still part of the natural balance.

In the story, he is the brother of Osiris. He was jealous and ambitious and this is what made him kill Osiris and take the power for himself. Did he believe he was stronger, more capable, or even more deserving? Or was it simply a fear of being overshadowed?

When Horus, Osiris son grew up, he challenged Set. But he did not give way. Their battles were said to have lasted for many years. Some suggesting eighty years. Set was not weak nor was he easily defeated. He fought fiercely.

Set was not entirely rejected by the Egyptians. In some traditions, he even protected the sun god Ra during its nightly journey. That changes everything. It suggests that even chaos itself had a role, that even destructive forces were part of keeping the world in order.

Set may not have been loved in the same way as Horus, but he was not meaningless either.

Do you think figures like Set were meant to represent the darker parts of human nature, or something far more necessary?

Image info:

Horus, Uniter of the Two Lands and Set tying upper and lower Egypt together