Set

God of chaos, storms and desert; slayer of Osiris.

Parentage

• parent: Geb
• parent: Nut

Domains

• chaos
• storms
• desert

Powers

• Slaying and dismembering his brother Osiris
• Spearing Apophis from the prow of Ra's barque
• Wielding strength surpassing all other gods
• Commanding storms, thunder and the desert wastes

Epithets

• ꜥꜣ-pḥty egyptian · aa-pehty · cultGreat of strength; the mighty god of force and stormPyramid Texts; Ramesside royal names (e.g. Sethy = 'he of Seth') (primary)
• nb tꜣ-šmꜥw egyptian · neb ta-shemau · cultLord of Upper Egypt; Seth as the southern complement to HorusPyramid Texts (the union of the Two Lands under Horus and Seth) (primary)
• nb pt egyptian · neb pet · cultLord of the sky; Seth who defends the sun-barque against ApophisBook of the Dead; the solar barque texts (Seth spears Apophis) (primary)
• nb-pḥty Egyptian · neb-pehty · cultLord of Strengthte Velde, Seth, God of Confusion (secondary)

Relations

• sibling: NephthysFull sibling — shares the same attested parentage (Geb & Nut) per the figures' cited genealogy.
• interpretatio: BaalReciprocal of canaanite_baal.interpretatio — New Kingdom scribes render Levantine Baal as Seth (Seth-Baal of Avaris). Preserves the violent storm-power; a striking break — Egypt maps the Levant's beneficent rain-king onto its own god of chaos.Egyptian-Hittite treaty of Ramesses II (storm-gods written as Seth); cf. the Four Hundred Years Stela (primary); H. te Velde, Seth, God of Confusion (1967) (secondary)
• enemy: OsirisPlut. De Iside 13 (primary)

Sources

• existence: Pyramid Texts, Utterance 580 (primary)