All Set!

[felis_ultharus]

So in preparation for the game on Sunday, I did a little research into ancient Egyptian mythology. I'm beginning to realize that the books I'd read on it as a kid were really oversimplified.

There's a tendency of people writing about old pagan beliefs to imagine these things are unchanging -- like Christian scripture is supposed to be. But actually, pagan gods changed with the times.

The version of the Egyptian stuff I'd always heard was the latest version -- where Set was evil, and killed Osiris. That's how he always enters pop culture, too -- as a kind of pagan Satan.

Seems that's a late development. The early Set was a pretty nice guy, who actually helped the rebirth of the sun every day, instead of trying to stop it. He was the chief deity of Lower gypt, but he seems to have gotten demoted several times after Upper and Lower Egypt merged.

Another thing I've learned from two sources (one of them Wikipedia, the other The Encyclopedia of Homosexuality) is that the early Set was homosexual.

Wikipedia suggests this had to do with his role as a personification of the desert, deserts being barren. The Encyclopedia mentions homoerotic stories between him and Horus, the old chief god of Upper Egypt, who eventually became Osiris and Isis's son and god of justice.

Interestingly, Set became more evil as he became less homosexual. Sort of like some ex-gays I could mention :p

Comments

[man-dragora.livejournal.com]

Egyption mythology is my favourite. And you are right it changes A LOT!! Did you know that in their creation myth the first god actually masterbates and his seimen creates the world? LOL
It's a VERY sexual story from what I remember. MYself, I like the later stuff where Horus becomes the son and even later when Amen-Ra gets wedged into everything LOL. SO researching Egypt for D and D? hehehe good :P

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

I didn't hear that one, but I'm not surprised. These stories get so Disneyfied before they enter mass-consumption in our culture.

And as for Egypt, your character could be from Mulhorand. It's an area of Forgotten Realms based on ancient Egypt, from the Amen-Ra era. It's also just to the north of the place where your character will start, so that could be a tie-in :)

[sorceror.livejournal.com]

Actually, I heard that in one version of the legend the way Horus lost his eye was... um... well, never mind. O_o

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

We both read archdiva's journal. I think we're both well past TMI ^_^

[helenseidolon.livejournal.com]

Set was also identified with foreigners. The Egyptians thought the Hyksos (invaders who ended the Middle Kingdom) worshipped Set, or, at least, they identified the deity they worshipped with him. I strongly suspect that was an element in his becoming evil.

[felis-ultharus.livejournal.com]

That's what Wikipedia suggested, too, and it does make a lot of sense.