The VERY Messed Up Mythology of SET, God of CHAOS _ Egyptian Mythology Explained

When we talk about gods that have a villainous reputation, like Hades or Hel, we often learn they weren't nearly as evil in the actual mythology as pop culture has made them out to be. The real Hades may as well have been the god of minding his own business, and Odin confined Hel to the realm of the dead before she even had a chance to explain why half her body resembled a spooky, rotting corpse. But some gods are just as evil as their modern day portrayals, and today's subject is one of them. Set, the Egyptian god of chaos, hasn't made a ton of appearances in pop culture, but every time he shows up on screen he's portrayed as the most devious bastard in all of Egypt, a tricksy malevolent being hell-bent on plunging the world into chaos. You can think of Set as the mythological equivalent of Scar from The Lion King. He coveted the throne of his brother Osiris along with the nigh-infinite power that came with it, and he willingly spilt the blood of his own king to get it. You're in for some very messed up and messy mythology today, and you don't want to miss any of these disturbing details, so make sure you stay until the very end. Also if you haven't yet, remember to sacrifice those like and subscribe buttons to the algorithm gods because that not only supports the channel, but ensures you get more content like this in your sub box and recommended feed every Thursday. And you know what else supports the channel? Today's sponsor, Aura. As much as we might wish that we could all live in peace, the god of chaos loves to rear his head and disrupt our lives by sending demons to steal our souls from our bodies. And by that I mean scam artists who steal our personal information and credit card info. In case you missed it, AT&T just revealed that more than 73 million customer records were released on the dark web, and they recommended those affected use strong passwords, monitor their account activity, and even consider freezing their credit cards. Well, today's sponsor, Aura, does all that for me. They offer a ton of features to keep my family and I safe from invisible online threats. There's antivirus, VPN, password management, and identity theft insurance, and it's all handled in one app, so I don't have to download and pay for a bunch of different apps just because some company couldn't keep my data secure. On top of all this, Aura can also identify data brokers that are exposing your private info and submit opt-out requests on your behalf. It's been a huge help in reducing the spam I get, but it also protects me from hackers who could use this information to help them access my social media accounts, bank accounts, and more. So you can either let people continue to exploit and profit off your private information, or you can go to Aura.com slash JonSolo to start your two-week free trial. That link is in the description below, so you can get started right away. So Set, who also went by the names Seth and Sutech, had one of the most intimidating domains of any deity. He presided over deserts, storms, disorder, destruction, violence, eclipses, and foreigners, which seems random but might be a reflection of how the ancient Egyptians viewed foreigners as a potential source of chaos by introducing new beliefs and customs into their society. Set is the son of Geb and Nut, the primordial gods of the earth and sky, and he has four siblings. Two brothers named Osiris and Horus the Elder, and two sisters named Isis and Nephthys. But Set's birth was the most violent. Instead of waiting for his mother to push him out naturally like she did his siblings, he clawed his way out of her, putting his strength and ambition on display for all at the cost of causing her indescribable pain. Set would go on to marry his sister Nephthys, and in some myths, their union would produce the dog-headed deities who guided dead souls to and through the underworld. In other myths, Set was incapable of having children, his infertility stemming from his lordship over the desert, which provided the opposite conditions necessary for life. In other words, because Set's domain was dry as a bone, Set's bones stayed dry. Set also has a few other wives, but we'll talk about them later because their marriages don't happen until the end of his major myths and are a byproduct of the shenanigans he pulls, which I don't want to spoil just yet. Instead, I want to answer the burning question that has no doubt been on a number of your minds since you saw Set for the first time, what the hell kind of animal is he supposed to be? Unfortunately, I can't answer that question, because no one can, at least not beyond a shadow of a doubt. To this day, Egyptologists refer to whatever animal Set's supposed to be simply as the Set animal, because they just can't be certain what he is. He has a snout that curves down, long ears, a long, thin tail that stands straight up, and skinny legs with either paws or hooves at the end. Some have suggested he most resembles an African wild dog, a donkey, a hyena, a jackal, a pig, a fennec fox, an antelope, or an aardvark. But none of them are a 100% match. I don't know how realistic it is, but I like the idea that none of those are correct, and he's actually an animal that's been extinct for so long, modern societies don't even know it existed. I'm not alone in this school of thought either. Wallace Budge, one of the most famous Egyptologists to ever live, suggested that the Set animal may have been a dangerous predator that was hostile to mankind, hence its association and so mankind hunted it to extinction to eliminate it as a threat. To be clear, this is just a theory, and although Wallace Budge has played an important role in the study of Egyptian mythology and history, nowadays his ideas are taken with a grain of salt because they aren't the most well cited and new information has been discovered that contradicts many of his interpretations. But it's a cool possibility, that's all I'm saying. Because if you saw a crude drawing of a platypus for the first time, you'd have no idea what that thing was either, right? It's got a duck bill, a beaver tail, and webbed feet. You'd try to fit it in one of those pre-existing categories when in reality, it's a creature entirely its own. And yes, I may have lifted that analogy directly from a Stanley episode I saw when I was 9, but that doesn't make it any less applicable. Now, despite Set's affiliation with the more toxic elements of life, and his role as the ultimate villain in the myths that we're covering next section, the god of chaos had no shortage of worshippers over the dynasties. Especially in the beginning. In pre-dynastic Egypt, that is, the nearly 3,000 year stretch of time leading up to Egypt's first dynasty in 3100 BCE, Set had a much more positive reputation. He was even the patron god of some areas in southern Egypt. As you can see in this carving, he and Horus are nodding the symbolic plants that represent northern and southern Egypt, the lotus and papyrus, around a human trachea, to represent the unification of the lands. But as the centuries went by, new kings took control of the kingdom, and with it, the kingdom's religious beliefs. The introduction of the Osiris myth, where Set betrays his brother to steal his throne, was a PR disaster that made Mel Gibson's look like he forgot to tell his wife bless you after she sneezed, and Set never fully recovered from it. So from then onward, his reputation largely depended on whoever held power. Some pharaohs, like Ramses I, Seti I, Ramses II, along with Setnakt, and Ramses III, all sought to embrace Set's strength throughout their reign and military campaigns, while others primarily followed Horus. Another influence over his reputation is whatever resource we use. Unfortunately, a number of surrounding cultures, like the Greeks, Romans, and Christians, also connected Set with evil beings from their own mythos, like Typhon, and since they make up a huge portion of our sources on this stuff, we're stuck using their misinformed perspective. The final nail in Set's coffin, though, a rather ironic choice of phrase as you'll soon see, was his association with deserts and foreigners. This led to him being associated with outsiders and the atrocities committed by the despised Assyrians who tried to conquer Egypt between 673 and 663 BCE. But at this point, I've talked a lot about Set being evil without backing it up with juicy details, so let's dive into some messed up myths. The story of Set's battle for the crown, the one that resembles an X-rated Lion King, has been explored on this channel a number of times. In my Osiris episode, I covered the first half and detailed his feud with Osiris, and in my Horus episode, I went through the second half where he gets physical with his nephew in more ways than one. I'm a little hesitant to cover the entire story all over again because I don't want to retread the same information you could get by watching those episodes, so to remedy that, I'm going to tell this story from Set's point of view and elaborate on why he's scarred. I know it looks kind of silly to be standing Set while wearing one of our beautiful Osiris sweatshirts that you can get right now by going to meremortals.store, but for the rest of this episode, just pretend the bottom says, is the worst. So this myth actually comes from Plutarch's essay called Isis and Osiris. Plutarch was a Greek philosopher and writer, so probably not 100% accurate to what the Egyptians believed, but it's one of the most detailed sources we have, so we're going to use it. In the early days of civilization, when King Osiris sat on the throne of Egypt and taught mankind how to farm and act civilized so they could live prosperous, happy lives, Osiris's brother, Set, decided that since he was the stronger of the two, that he would make a better ruler. So on the days Osiris spent away from his throne, working first-hand with the mere mortals, Set recruited 72 conspirators that would support him in his bid for the throne. Once all the pieces came together, there was little doubt in Set's mind over whether he was doing the right thing, but then he found out his wife Nephthys had been canoodling with Osiris behind his back, and that was the final spark Set needed to light his fire. One day, Set invited Osiris to a gathering attended by his 72 conspirators, and during the party, he wheeled out an extravagant coffin that he announced would be given to whomever it fit perfectly. Then, after lulling his brother Osiris into a false sense of security, Set lured him into the coffin, then slammed down the lid. And the text doesn't say this, but I'm pretty sure his last words to Osiris were, With the help of his conspirators, Set quickly nailed the coffin lid shut and poured molten lead on it, ensuring that Osiris could never escape. Then, they threw it in the Nile so it would be carried out to sea. Finally, Set was free to take his rightful place on the throne, and Egypt would now have a king strong enough to defend it. What Set didn't expect, though, was for his sister Isis to get involved. Isis was Osiris' wife, and she managed to find her husband's body. When Set heard this and learned she planned to resurrect him, he knew he had to finish what he started. He hunted the body down, and when Isis left it unattended so she could go make preparations, he dismembered it into as many as 42 pieces and scattered them all across Egypt, leaving all the king's horses and all the king's men with no chance to put Osiris together again. Until Isis figured it out, that wily minx. Twice now, Set had saved Egypt from this weak ruler, and he was about to save it a third time, but lucky for him, because his brother had spent so long in the land of the dead, he had to stay there. Of course it worked out for Osiris, though, because things always work out for Osiris. He lost his throne in Egypt, but of course he was just given a new one in the underworld. What's worse, before he went back to zombie land for good, he got Isis pregnant, and their baby was, apparently, to be the next god of kings. Set would have happily slaughtered that baby the moment it was born, but Isis went into hiding right when Osiris returned to the underworld, and when she came back, the baby was nowhere to be found. Turns out, he was left in the care of some wise and lyrical mentors who taught him about their problem-free philosophy, or rather how to deal with the problem that was his uncle. But Set wasn't just going to give up his throne that easy. King Set meets with this wannabe usurper from the outskirts of the kingdom, named Horus the Younger, and they each make a case for their right to rule in front of the Aeneid. The Aeneid was a governing body of nine gods who weighed in on important cosmological matters. The identities of those nine gods vary depending on what part of Egypt you're looking at. Some areas chose very specific deities, while others didn't believe in the Aeneid at all. Regardless, the divine nine couldn't come to an agreement, so they referred the matter over to Ra, the god of creation and the sun. In some versions, he sides with Set, but most of the time, Ra says that Horus was clearly the rightful heir because his father was the king. But Set says that's some bulls**t. Set was older, wiser, and stronger than Horus, and to prove it, he demanded they transform into hippos and see who can hold their breath the longest. Because lung capacity is an important quality in a king. Last thing you want is to listen to him wheezing when he's at the podium making speeches. Ugh, Colin Firth isn't getting any Oscar noms for that one. Well Horus agrees to this contest, but it ends in a stalemate thanks to some divine intervention. From his mommy! Isis just had to get involved and tried to sabotage Set with her harpoon. Only she had terrible aim and hit Horus first. When she hit Set with her second shot, he appealed to her as her brother and she felt guilty, so she recalled that one as well. And get this, Horus was so mad that his mom didn't help him cheat his way to victory that he just said f**k the contest and chopped off her head. Then he ran into the mountains with it like a coward. The great and honorable Set was able to avenge his sister though. With Ra's blessing, he pursued Horus through the mountains and tore out his eyes. Granted, he wasn't supposed to tear out his eyes, he was supposed to bring him to the Besides, the goddess Hathor, who is either his wife or mom depending on your source, found him wandering the desert bloody and eyeless, so she healed him up with gazelle milk and took him back to the Aeneid. At this point, the Aeneid and Ra were getting real sick of Horus and Set's bickering, so they told the gods they have to kiss and make up. But Set may have taken this a little too literally. If you've seen my episode on Horus or follow Messed Up Origins on TikTok, then you already know what's coming, because I just made a short about this. But if you haven't heard it, brace yourself. Because that evening, Set generously invites his nephew to his home and puts together a fine meal for them to enjoy. The two have a tense but pleasant enough time, then Horus falls asleep. And this is where things get weird. Look, I know I'm supposed to be pro-Set this time around, but I just can't get behind what he does next. In fact, I can't even say it without getting demonetized. I'll speak in euphemism. Set squirted his man-mayonnaise right into Horus's buns. Oh, okay. The following evening, the two meet in front of the Aeneid again and fill them in on their dinner date. And that's when Set revealed the night ended with him dominating Horus, which caused the Aeneid to recoil in disgust. Not at Set, mind you, but at Horus for allowing himself to be dominated. GAYYYYYY! I know I play that clip every time we talk about this story, but it doesn't get old for me. Well, you can imagine the looks of surprise on the Aeneid's faces when they summoned Set's godly goo and it rose out of the nearby river. Then when they summoned Horus's, it busted out of Set's head and formed a golden disc that the god Thoth would use as a crown. Which does not seem sanitary. For reference, Thoth is the mythological equivalent of Lion King's Rafiki. So that's like if Rafiki made a crown out of Simba's a**. Anyway, for those confused about what exactly happened here, when Set squirted into Horus, Horus caught his love load in his hand and then threw it in the river. Then the next day, he put his own baby batter onto some lettuce that Set ate. So it looked like he dominated his uncle. But luckily, he didn't actually have to. It was all about the optics. Well, once again, Set refused to accept the law, so he challenged Horus to a boat race. But I'm just gonna save you some time and tell you that he lost that one too. The agreement was that they both make boats of stone. But Horus actually used much lighter pine wood and covered it with limestone plaster. So it only looked like stone. And Set didn't realize this until after his own stone boat had already sunk and Horus' kept cruising along. So out of anger, he turned himself into a hippo and took a big old chomp out of Horus' boat. But at that point, the race was already lost. Now listen, I understand that Horus has won every single contest that they've held so far. Beside the breath-holding contest that ended in a stalemate. But Set, like, really wants this. The Aeneid and Ra weren't so sure what to do at this point. So at Horus' request, they got Big Daddy Osiris involved. As you can imagine, when Osiris was told about this dispute, which had been going on for about 80 years at this point. He was furious that there was even a question as to who was the rightful ruler. He reminded Ra and the Aeneid exactly whose son they were messing with. By threatening to send an army of undead savages to tear out their hearts and bring them to the underworld. The Aeneid found this to be a convincing argument and declared Horus the king of all Egypt and the god of all kings. As for Set, his fate varies by the source. In some versions, Ra recruits him to ride with him on his sky barge as the personification of thunder. And to defend reality from Apophis, the primordial snake that embodies disorder and darkness. In this variant, he's also given two wives, Astarte and Aenat, as consolation prizes. All in all, not a bad deal. Definitely better than the fate Scar suffered at the end of The Lion King. Which ironically is closer to Set's second murder attempt of Osiris. In other versions, the Aeneid doesn't take kindly to all of Set's sneaky attempts at securing himself the throne. So they imprison him in the Great Bear Constellation. Hopefully nowhere near the bear's butthole. In there, he's guarded by his wife Tewereth, the guardian of childbirth and fertility. Not a couple you would expect to be together, but if these contests are any indication, Set clearly enjoys the hippopotamus form. So let's not kink shame. Okay, Derek? But hey, now you know all there is to know about Set, the Egyptian god of chaos. So get out of here, will ya? Get out of here! Can't you see we don't want you anymore? If you enjoyed this episode and want to learn more about mythology and folklore every Thursday, make sure you sacrifice those like and subscribe buttons to the Algorithm Gods, then comment what other deities or pantheons you want me to cover next. I'll see you all again next week with a very special deep dive into a classic children's story. Until then, my name is Jon Solo, and remember, Jon shot first.