Egyptian history is full of myths and has always been fascinating for the readers since time immemorial. There are several mythical characters in the Egyptian stories that continue to attract the readers to the ancient civilization of Egypt. Myths help in providing the old indigenous account of culture, traditions to newer generations from the older ones. Egyptian myths have been transferred to newer generations from older generations and remind Egyptians of their glorious past. This paper discusses the Egyptian myth, other related aspects and the Egyptian mythical character Seth.
Seth is considered as the god of chaos in Egypt. This character is identified as the adversary of the Egyptian god Osiris. Since Seth was the god of chaos and adversary of Osiris, he is often portrayed as the negative `character but he was not completely negative because only he had the capacity to control the chaotic situations. Seth became very powerful and significant during the second dynasty of Egypt and he took the place of Horus as the guardian of pharaohs during the third millennium BC. Seth was defeated in an eight year long war with the Horus and lost the guardianship of pharaohs. In the deadly war, Seth tore the left eye of Horus but lost his leg and testicles. This war turned out to be a real detrimental war for him. Apart from losing his limbs, Seth lost the kingship and was thrown out from the soil of Egypt. He was also forced to compromise with Horus and to return his eye to him. Horus was declared the winner by the council of gods and was reinstated at his previous position. Seth was ousted from the Egypt but later on he was arranged to be a part of the sun.
The character of Seth has a significant role in the Egyptian mythology. Seth is portrayed as a human being with undetermined facial features. The character has been portrayed differently in many Egyptian books. On of the most famous and significant Egyptian book “the book of dead” recognizes him as “lord of the northern sky”. He has been said responsible for the clouds and storms. His appearance was fearful and people as well animals were afraid of him. The character of Seth represents simultaneously antagonist and protagonist in the Egyptian mythology and has been a substance of curiosity for the readers since the beginning. Seth is a powerful figure of the Egyptian mythology that has been portrayed negatively due to some of his negative deeds. The origin of Seth is considered at a foreign place other than the Egypt and perhaps this is the reason why Seth is depicted in a negative role throughout the Egyptian myths.
After having observed the abovementioned account of the Egyptian mythology and a character of the Egyptian myths, it is clear that myths are a very important part of any culture. These myths provide very significant information related to the culture and the traditions. The character of Seth is a very significant character of Egyptian mythology and attracts the attention of readers. The character represents the negative powers but it does not make his significance smaller in any ways. The character of Seth in the Egyptian mythological history is as important as other mythical characters are.
Works Cited
Muller, W. Max. Egyptian Mythology. Massachusetts: Kessinger Publishing, 1918.
Pinch, Geraldine. Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
