Set-Typhon
In ancient times the Nile Valley was home to a number of neolithic tribes worshipping a multitude of gods. Their supreme deity was the beneficent Set (Seth).
Around 3400 BCE conquering tribes, of possibly Mesopotamian origin, brought rapid advancement in civilisation and Unification to Egypt. Archaeological evidence indicates that the conquerors had markedly larger bodies and skulls than the indigenous peoples. The conquerors had the sky god Horus as their chief deity. The descendants of the indigenous peoples were forced into Upper Egypt around Ombos (in modern Keneh). The struggle between the followers of Set and those of Horus was reflected in the mythology of the time. At the time of the Unification, Set and Horus were equals, while during the Second Dynasty Set replaced Horus as the royal deity.
As the indigenous peoples intermingled with their conquerors, their tribal gods became assimilated into the gods of their conquerors. The tribal gods became the nome gods of later times. Set however, always remained a god apart, and served as a rallying point for the oppressed indigenous peoples. History is always written by the victors, and so Set became the personification of evil. Apart from a few brief periods where various pharoahs attempted to bring back the worship of Set, he was feared and despised for primarily political reasons.
Set was associated with the inhospitable deserts. The deserts were thought of as realms of wild animals and the source of storms. This led to Set being thought of as a storm god. The deserts were known as the Red Land, in stark contrast to the fertile lands alongside the Nile which were known as the Black Land.
As the roads leading out of Egypt passed through the deserts, Set became known as Lord of Foreign Lands. When the Hyksos invaded Egypt, they identified Set with their war god, Baal, calling him Sutekh. Despite already having a wife, the Hyksos gave Set two consorts - Anath and Astarte. Anath was a war-goddess considered to be the daughter of Re. Astarte, in her war-goddess aspect was identified with Sekhmet, and in her love-goddess aspect was identified with Hathor.
Set was portrayed as a composite beast referred to as the Set animal. Set was often described as having red hair. He was associated with the scorpion, serpent, hippopotamus, crocodile, wild ass, wild boar and pig.
In the Pyramid texts, Set was associated closely with Horus the Elder and was very much portrayed as his equal. Set always appeared as a god who was a friend and helper of the dead. In the Book of Coming Forth by Day, Set was shown defending the Solar Barque on its journey through the underworld. He was the only god capable of killing the serpent Apep.
Set was seen as incredibly powerful, but with the passage of time, of history, his redeeming features were gradually pruned away leaving only a tendency towards evil. In the time of Ramesses, Set was associated with the harmful elements of the desert as well as the life giving oases. Perhaps his alleged evil nature is most clearly seen in the Osiris myths.
When the Greeks invaded Egypt in Classical times, Set became identified with Typhon. Typhon, in Greek mythology, youngest son of Gaea and Tartarus. He was described as a monster with a hundred dragons' heads, who was conquered and by Zeus. In many accounts, after being conquered he was confined to any of a number of volcanic regions, where he was the cause of eruptions. Typhon is seen by some to be the personification of volcanic forces while by others as the father of destructive winds (typhoons).
