Set (Seth)
Set is the storm-bringing god of desert and disorder. Slayer and dismemberer of Osiris and rival of Horus, he also defends Ra’s solar barque from the chaos serpent Apep—embodying necessary chaos and contested power.
Story beats
- 1) Set murders Osiris, sealing him in a chest and scattering his body; Isis reassembles him, conceiving Horus.
- 2) Set and Horus battle in trials judged by the gods—boat races, transformations, and trickery.
- 3) Amid villainy, Set nightly spears Apep to protect Ra, showing a protective side against cosmic chaos.
- 4) Depending on era, Set is honored (for foreign lands, storms) or vilified, reflecting political shifts.
Context & symbolism
Set personifies disruption—drought, storms, ambition—and its dual role: destructive yet vital against greater chaos. His fluctuating reputation mirrors Egyptian history and relations with desert borders and foreigners.
His animal form (Set animal) with square ears and curved snout defies classification, underscoring otherness.
Motifs
- Set-animal head, was-scepter
- Red desert storms and foreign lands
- Spearing Apep on Ra’s boat
- Trials with Horus for the throne
Use it in play
- Choosing allies: enlist Set’s storm power to fight a greater serpent threat.
- Navigate a desert where Set’s favor shields or scours travelers.
- Stage divine courtroom drama: who rules after Osiris—Horus or Set?
- Steal or safeguard a Set-animal standard empowering border legions.