Seth, also called Set, was an ancient Egyptian god of chaos, storms, violence, darkness, and desert land. He was also a god of desert animals, serpents, pigs, hippopotamuses, and crocodiles.
Seth was identified with an unreal animal that had the body of a jackal or greyhound; a long neck; a thin, curved snout; rectangular, upraised ears; and a stiff, forked tail. Seth was often portrayed with a human body and the head of this beast.
The Egyptians saw Seth’s violent characteristics as potentially beneficial. They believed that Seth defended the sun god, Re, during his daily journey across the sky when the dangerous Apophis serpent threatened him.
Egyptian kings attributed their ferocious warlike power to Seth. His cult flourished in the Egyptian delta where the Hyksos invaders settled during the 1700’s B.C. (see Hyksos). Seth was also popular among the pharaohs of Dynasty XIX (about 1292-1190 B.C.).
In the myth of Osiris, Seth appears as the villain. Seth is jealous of his brother Osiris, who is the reigning king of Egypt. Seth tricks Osiris, kills him, and cuts him into pieces.
