The Divine Usurper: Set’s Violent Ascension

Following the murder of Osiris, Set seized the throne of Egypt, ushering in an era marked by tyranny and chaos. Ancient sources disagree on the duration of his rule—the Turin King List claims he reigned for at least a century, while Manetho’s Aegyptiaca (compiled during the Ptolemaic era but now lost, preserved only in later references) records either 29 or 45 years. Set’s reign was defined by brutality, particularly in the nomes where his cult held sway, such as Upper Egypt’s 19th Nome and Lower Egypt’s 11th Nome. His followers enabled his oppressive rule, as he “drowned the land in his wicked schemes.”

One of Set’s first acts was imprisoning Isis and Nephthys in a weaving workshop in Sais. Isis, grief-stricken, wept until her eyes hollowed. The duration of their captivity remains unclear, but Set assigned Isis labor every 30 days, suggesting months of confinement. Nephthys, locked in Set’s home, eventually rebelled, attacking him and fleeing to aid Isis—though she was forced to abandon her son to Set’s cruelty. This child, possibly the aggressive crocodile deity Maga, was said to have bitten off Osiris’s left arm, an act that cursed his town and led to his tongue being severed. Despite bearing Set’s children, Nephthys secretly loved Osiris, a betrayal that may have fueled Set’s fratricidal rage.

The Hidden Heir: Horus’s Perilous Childhood

Isis eventually escaped, pregnant with Horus, and sought refuge in the northeastern Delta at Chemmis—a floating island near Buto, according to Herodotus. After ten months, she gave birth to Horus, but Set sensed the child’s arrival when his bed shook violently at the moment of delivery. Isis raised Horus in secrecy, shielded by the magic of goddesses like Nephthys, Wadjet, and Hathor, who served as his protectors.

Set, enraged, hunted for Horus for years, burning marshes and uprooting papyrus, but Isis’s spells kept him hidden. In one confrontation, Set transformed into a hippopotamus, while the local deity Heru-Behdety (Horus of Behdet) assumed the form of a mighty youth, spearing Set and driving him back.

Horus’s childhood was fraught with suffering: nightmares, venomous bites, and illnesses plagued him. Isis, ever the devoted mother, employed healing incantations to soothe him. In one spell, she invoked Ra to banish the “evil diseases” sent by Set. Another myth describes Horus being poisoned, requiring Thoth’s intervention to expel the venom with sacred words.

The Cosmic Trial: Horus vs. Set

When Horus came of age, he demanded his rightful throne before the Ennead, the council of gods. The ensuing trial spanned 80 years, marked by deception, violence, and divine politics. Set argued his strength made him the rightful king, boasting of his nightly battles against Apophis, Ra’s serpentine foe. Horus countered that inheritance, not might, should determine kingship.

The trial took bizarre turns:
– The Stone Boat Contest: Set challenged Horus to a race using boats carved from stone. Horus disguised a wooden vessel as stone, while Set’s mountain-carved boat sank instantly.
– The Semen Trick: Set sexually assaulted Horus, but Isis retaliated by impregnating Set with Horus’s seed, exposing Set’s claim of dominance as fraudulent.
– Osiris’s Ultimatum: The deceased Osiris threatened the gods from the Duat, demanding justice for his son. Fearing his wrath, the Ennead crowned Horus king.

The Aftermath: Order Restored

Horus’s victory reestablished ma’at (cosmic order). Set was exiled or, in some versions, bound to serve Ra as a storm god. Horus ruled for 300 years, purging Egypt of Set’s influence—destroying his statues, erasing his name, and crushing rebellious nomes. Divine rule eventually passed to Thoth, Ma’at, and demigods before the era of human pharaohs began.

Legacy: From Myth to Kingship

The Horus-Set conflict became a foundational myth for Egyptian kingship. Pharaohs embodied Horus, the rightful heir, while Set symbolized chaos to be subdued. The myth also influenced later traditions:
– Christian Parallels: Isis nursing Horus may have inspired Virgin Mary iconography. Horus spearing Set echoes Saint George slaying the dragon.
– The Eye of Horus: Symbolizing healing and restoration, it represented the moon’s phases and royal power.

The struggle between Horus and Set was more than a divine feud—it was a metaphor for Egypt’s eternal battle between order and chaos, a theme that resonated through millennia of pharaonic rule.