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Mythos Atlas

Egyptian Pantheon

Set

Also known as Seth, Sutekh, Lord of the Red Land

Illustration of Set, a deity of the Egyptian Pantheon
Illustrative imageIllustration of Set. Generated with an AI image model; not a historical artifact. About our images
  • chaos
  • desert
  • storms
  • foreigners
  • violence
  • strength

God of chaos, storms, and the desert. Brother and murderer of Osiris, enemy of Horus. Despite being a villain in myth, he also protects Ra's solar barque from Apophis each night.

About Set

Lord of Chaos

Set is the god of storms, deserts, and foreigners. He represents the necessary chaos (Isfet) that balances order.

The Protector of Ra

Though he is the villain in the Osiris myth (murdering his brother), Set has a heroic role as the only god strong enough to stand on the prow of Ra's solar barge and spear the chaos serpent Apophis every night.

Across traditions

Parallel figures

Figures who play a role like Set's in other traditions.

Worship and cult

Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Set

Storm, desert, and foreign lands. Early on he is necessary: strength, the night boat's defender. Later theology makes him the murderer. Both layers are historical. Do not flatten him into a devil with a festival.

Sacred sites

  • Ombos (Nubt) and the northeast frontier
  • Ramesside royal cult that claimed him

Festivals

  • Heb-Sed in some royal contexts
  • Later execration of Seth

Family

Parents
NutGeb
with
Nephthys
Set
Siblings
Osiris
Rivals
HorusOsiris

Relationship sources

  1. On Isis and Osiris (De Iside et Osiride) — Osiris sibling of Set

    Plutarch · Frank Cole Babbitt, Plutarch, Moralia, Volume V (1936), Loeb Classical Library; LacusCurtius transcription · On Isis and Osiris 12 (355D–356A)

  2. On Isis and Osiris (De Iside et Osiride) — Set spouse of Nephthys

    Plutarch · Frank Cole Babbitt, Plutarch, Moralia, Volume V (1936), Loeb Classical Library; LacusCurtius transcription · On Isis and Osiris 12 (355D–356A)

  3. On Isis and Osiris (De Iside et Osiride) — Osiris enemy of Set: Set murdered Osiris

    Plutarch · Frank Cole Babbitt, Plutarch, Moralia, Volume V (1936), Loeb Classical Library; LacusCurtius transcription · On Isis and Osiris 13 (356B–D)

Questions about Set's family
Who are Set's parents?
The atlas's kinship records name 2 parents of Set: Nut and Geb. Ancient accounts do not always agree on divine parentage.
Who were Set's spouses and consorts?
Spouses and consorts of Set recorded in the atlas: Nephthys.
Who are Set's siblings?
Siblings of Set recorded in the atlas: Osiris.

In the atlas

Where Set appears

Sources and further reading

Source notes

These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.

  • Plutarch, Isis and Osiris (trans. Babbitt) — 'Typhon' is Plutarch's Greek name for Set

    Catalog date: c. 100 CE

Appears in

Ancient and classical works featuring this figure.

  • Pyramid TextsAnonymous Egyptian priests

    Fierce god of desert storms whose conflict with Horus is ritually reconciled by the king (Utterances 215, 477)

About this entry

By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. . Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.

Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.

Family relationships come from the atlas's kinship records. Ancient sources often disagree on divine genealogy.

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Genealogy

Family tree

Set's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.

Open the full tree