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Sett: God of Desert, Storms, War, Evil, and Chaos
Sett was not always a bad guy. Originally, he was a member of the Ennead—the council of gods.
After Sekhmet had destroyed most of humanity, Ra had the gods lift Nut (sky) far from the Earth. There, the gods would rule over the world from afar. In order to maintain order locally, however, Ra set Auser (Osiris) as ruler over Kemet and Asett, as his wife, to rule with him.
Sett grew jealous, for even the gods were not above becoming self-centered and selfish. One might wonder if Sett had had too many close calls with Apep. Had he become tainted with Apep’s intent—to subvert order with chaos?
So, throughout all of Egyptian myth, only Apep and Sett may be considered true monsters, for their intent was against that of peace and order, and toward self-concern and selfish need.
Seduced by Power and the Dark Side
A new day had begun. Ra was once again commanding his barge across the sky, towing the image and likeness of the sun to shine its light upon the world below. With him were Maat, the goddess of order, and Tehuty, the god of wisdom and knowledge. At the prow stood Sett, sword at the ready to strike against Apep should the great serpent attempt to interfere.
The sameness of this event made Sett a little crazy. Here he was, perched on the divine barge, doing the same thing over and over again, every day of the year, and every year, one after the other.
Below, he could see the humans and their varied activities. Some were coming together to build their separate civilizations. Sett admired the activity and the consequences of such building. He liked the sense of change and progress.
Then, Sett caught a glimpse of Asett and Auser, ruling over the greatest nation of the world—Kemet. The ribbon of water, which snaked through the desert, glistened as it reflected the sun’s light back up at him and at the other members of the divine barge.
“What is it like to rule?” he wondered. “What is it like to command others and to have them do your bidding?”
And as he wondered, he didn’t see that Apep was circling the barge, looking for an opportunity to strike.
“Sett!” yelled Ra. “What are you doing? Apep has taken a bite out of the sun.”
The younger god blinked several times and looked back toward the sun. Indeed, part of it had already become darkened and in the glare of the light that remained, he could see the shadowy form of Chaos writhing through the sky. Immediately, he struck at the beast, but it would not let go.
The sky became increasingly dark until all of the sun’s light had been snuffed out. Repeatedly, Sett struck at the beast and finally drove his blade into its heart. Slowly, Apep gave up its prize and light returned to the world.
Minutes later, he could see the eternal snake slithering away across the universe.
“Well done, my son,” said Ra. “Again, you have prevailed against Chaos.”
Sett nodded at the praise, but felt empty. Moments before, he had felt his own heart pounding with the excitement of conflict in action. Now, all returned to the sameness of boring order and tranquility.
Why couldn’t I have more conflict in my life? Sett asked of himself. To feel the excitement of a life-threatening challenge.
As Sett mulled over these dark thoughts, his eyes drifted once again down to the Great Hall from where Auser ruled over all of Kemet. “If I had his power, I’d use it to conquer other lands. That would be enough excitement to last several millennia.”
Later, as the day came to its completion, and the divine barge was taken over by the maintenance crews of the night, Sett wandered toward Kemet to pay his brother and sister a visit. The closer he got, the darker his heart became, and the more he resented that they had what he now desperately wanted.
The god of defense had now been seduced by the desire to attack. Halfway to Kemet, he stopped. There, in the bright, starlit desert, he pondered how he might achieve his deepest desires. But betrayal would not be easy. The remainder of the night he spent plotting against his brother and sister.
As the clarion call came for him to return to the divine barge, he looked down at his right arm and felt the blood coursing through his own veins. In his mind’s eye, he could see Apep swimming through his veins, giving his life new meaning.
Over the next several weeks, Sett talked in veiled language to many of the lesser gods and to some of the more powerful humans of Kemet. From his many conversations, he was able to discern the hearts of those who would be willing to help him in his quest for power. Over those many days, he built an army of like-minded who desired change—the same magnitude of change which had turned the universe from a realm of chaos into one of order.
Then, one day, Sett did not show up when the call came to board the barge of the sun.
“Where is Sett?” asked Ra.
“I do not know, my Lord,” replied Tehuty.
“Neither do I,” said Maat. “What will we do?”
“We will take turns warding off Apep,” said Ra with growing certainty. “We must maintain the order of time. The day must have its period of sunlight. We will find Sett later, when our work in the sky is done.”
About mid-morning, Tehuty was standing guard at the prow of the barge when he was distracted by a flurry of motion below.
“Ra!” he shouted. “Look! It’s Sett. He’s attacking Kemet.”
Ra looked down in horror as Sett and his mighty forces swept across Kemet, destroying the armies of Auser.
And as Sett approached the capital city, Auser came out to meet with his brother.
“Why do you do this, brother?” asked Auser. “Why aren’t you on the divine barge guarding the sun?”
A dark smirk crossed Sett’s face as he replied, “Just as Ra saw the changes that brought order to the universe, I am overseeing the changes that will demonstrate power and control in the universe.”
“At what cost?” asked Auser. “You are destroying order. Apep will surely have an advantage if you continue.”
“I know how to handle Apep,” said Sett. “After all, I’ve been fighting back chaos for thousands of years. No one is more qualified than I.”
“But—”
“Take him!” commanded Sett.
And the minions of Sett took Auser and bound him.
“Brother, I do this for the good of the universe.” Abruptly, Sett began hacking at his brother’s body, cutting it into more than a dozen pieces. Then, he turned to his chiefs and commanded them, “Each of you take a piece of my brother and take it to a major city of Kemet. This way, Auser will no longer have power over Kemet.”
The rest of the gods were shocked by what Sett had done, but his bold actions also engendered for him a measure of respect from nearly all of the divine beings. The only one not so touched by admiration was, of course, Auser’s sister and wife, Asett.
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Apep: Great Snake of Chaos (Egyptian Mythology)
There weren’t too many true monsters in Egyptian mythology, unlike the myths of many other cultures. The Norse had their Kraken and great wolf, Fenrir. The Greeks had their Scylla, Charybdis, Echidna, and Typhon. In Egypt’s lore, the only true monster was chaos which took the form of a giant snake. Its name was Apep (Apophis in Ancient Greek). We will look more closely at this creature in a moment.
Fearsome Gods of Egypt
Many of the gods of Egyptian mythology could, at times, be fearsome, but quite often it was to the enemies of Egypt (Kemet) or to those who had done great evil.
For instance, Am-heh, with a name that meant either “eater of eternity” or “devourer of millions,” had the head of a dog and body of a human, and lived on a lake of flame in the underworld. If you got on his bad side, no one but the god Atum-Ra could calm him down. But this was only another reason to live a good and righteous life.
Early in the history of the universe, Ra discovered that his mortal children—humans—had grown dissatisfied with peace and order. They wanted to overthrow Ra, the ruler of the universe, and were plotting to take his place. This deeply troubled Ra that his creation would be working with chaos to upend the order of things.
“What shall I do?” Ra asked of his fellow gods. “It’s all I and Sett can do to hold off Apep when I bring light to the world each day.”
“What should we do with anyone who threatens creation?” asked Hathor. “A criminal must be punished.”
“Or eliminated,” said Shu.
Ra brooded for a moment and finally nodded, turning to Hathor. “Do you have a suggestion?”
Hathor started to reply, but Tefnut spoke instead. “Hathor’s daughter, Sekhmet, could slaughter them. She seems well suited for that kind of task. As a lioness, she can hunt them down and devour them.”
Ra took a deep breath and said, “Sekhmet, come forth. I have need of your talents.”
The lion goddess moved forward to stand before Ra. “Yes, your eminence. How may I serve you?”
“The humans have become egocentric. Their selfishness threatens the very fabric of all creation. I want you to devour them all. Remove their kind from the world.”
“I understand, Lord Ra. But do you realize that once I start, the bloodlust will blind me to any other needs and plug my ears to any other requests?”
“I understand,” replied Ra. “Let it be done. Begin now.”
So, Sekhmet turned from the Ennead and all those gathered in attendance. She went out to the world at large and began slaughtering every human that she could find—man, woman, and child. With her claws, she slashed at their bodies, spilling their blood over everything. She would wallow in that blood and then drink it up. The carnage had begun.
The following day, as Ra moved the sun across the sky, with Sett at the prow of his barge to fend off Apep, he looked down at the world. From even there, he could hear the wailing. He could smell the fear and death.
“Tehuty?” said Ra, turning to the god of wisdom and knowledge. “What do you think of this thing that Sekhmet does below us?”
“While it is true that many of the humans were plotting to overthrow the gods, including you, my Lord, there were some who possessed righteous hearts. Certainly, those who held chaos in their hearts should be punished, but—”
“But you think it was wrong to kill them all.”
Tehuty nodded.
“And Maat? What do you say about all this?”
The goddess of order took several moments to gather her thoughts before speaking. She knew that quick words could create their own chaos. “My Lord, what you have started has its own wisdom. Certainly, the humans have now grown fearful of the gods and many have become repentant for their conspiracies. And I agree that a few were never so treasonous as to deserve such a painful death. If only there were some way to keep a few of the humans to see if the threat of extinction has made them sufficiently humble.”
“But how?” asked Ra. “Sekhmet said herself that she is unstoppable now that she has started drinking up the blood. Would it be valuable to save a few? They had such potential.”
Tehuty nodded. “Saving a few, my Lord, would be a good thing. How? Perhaps we could make Sekhmet drunk so that she would forget her bloodlust.”
Ra laughed and shook his head. “Brilliant suggestion, but how would you carry it out? I don’t see her slowing down to indulge in such things.”
“She seeks only blood,” said Sett. “Give her more blood.”
“Yes,” said Ra. “Make seven thousand jugs of beer. Thicken them and add a color to make them look much as blood. Then pour the beer onto the land before her so that she drinks it up instead of the blood.”
By the next day, the jugs of beer had been brewed, thickened, and colored. All of the gods helped to pour the red liquid before the rampaging Sekhmet. Sure enough, she stopped to drink it all and when she was done, she walked a few more paces and sleepily lay down to rest. When she awoke, Ra was there to give her a new command.
“My dearest Sekhmet,” said Ra.
“My Lord,” she replied, looking away as if burdened by a considerable guilt. “I feel my task is not yet complete.”
“But it is,” said Ra. “You have done well and I now need a few of the humans to remain alive so that they may learn humility from what you have accomplished.”
“I understand.”
And so, Sekhmet had become a scourge to humanity, but only for a brief while. Mankind had called her wrath upon itself.
The Meaning of Apep
Before creation, all was chaos—without form or purpose. This was known as Apep, and it took the form of a giant snake.
It was the job of the gods to dispel the darkness of chaos and to replace it with order and light.
Occasionally, Sett would become overwhelmed while attending to the prow on Ra’s barge. Apep would attempt to swallow the sun, blotting out its light, but always Sett would regain control of the situation, repel Apep and restore the light of the sun.
In the world of reason and science, we know that the “swallowing” of the sun was merely an occurrence of a solar eclipse by the Moon. The order of our physical universe is merely the result of physical law’s constancy and continuity.
Throughout Egyptian history, the pharaohs were agents of the sun in dispelling the chaos of the uncivilized folk who were always attempting to invade their lands. In many ways, those uncivilized people were agents of Apep, destroying the order of things. Thus, all of the Egyptian gods were monsters to the enemies of Kemet and to the instruments of Apep.
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Egyptian Mythology: The Sun and Creation
Similar to the myths of some other cultures, Egyptian creation stories talk of a time before creation which was filled with void and chaos—an expanse called “Nu.”
To the Egyptians, the beginning of all things was Zep Tepi (“first occasion”). The void itself was described as a primordial body of water out of which rose up a mound shaped like a pyramid—a benben. This word is similar to the name given to the sacred bird of rebirth (compare Greek phoenix), the bennu.
From the ancient city of Khemenu (known to the late Greek rulers of Egypt as Hermopolis), their story of creation starts with the formation of eight gods of the Ogdoad.
Nu was male and his female mate was Naunet. Together, they represented the dead, primordial sea.
Huh was male and his female mate was Hauhet. Together, they represented the infinite expanse of that ancient sea.
Kuk was male and his female mate was Kauket. Together, they represented the dim murkiness which was a natural part of that primeval fluid.
Amun was male and his female mate was Amaunet. Together, they represented the opaque obscurity of that earliest of waters. This quality made it impossible to discover more about the water’s nature.
With all of them filled with the theme of water, it should be no surprise that they were symbolized as frogs (male) and water snakes (female).
When the Ogdoad came together, an imbalance was created which forced the emergence of the first benben, and from it, the appearance of the sun to give its light to all of material existence.
From the ancient city of Iunu (known to the late Greek rulers of Egypt as Heliopolis), the creation story takes on a somewhat different form.
To the people of Iunu, Atum created himself out of the watery void. In some versions, Atum is seen sitting on the primordial benben; in others, he is the benben itself. Atum represented the setting sun—where the day reaches its completion.
It’s interesting to note that the Hebrews also viewed sunset as the end of the day and the moment after the sun disappears as the beginning of a new day.
Because of Atum’s association with the sun, he was sometimes called Ra or Atum-Ra. Like many of the myths in other cultures, the gods are frequently described as if they have human-like form. For instance, Atum either masturbates or sneezes his first two children into existence. They are the god of air, Shu, and the goddess of moisture, Tefnut.
The First Tragedy in Creation
While Atum was working on one of his many creation projects, both Shu and Tefnut took an interest in their environment.
“What is this watery substance surrounding the island of creation?” asked Shu.
“Father did not say much about it. Only that it was here before he arrived.”
“Aren’t you curious about it?”
“Well,” replied Tefnut, “perhaps a little. What did you have in mind?”
“Father’s busy. We shouldn’t disturb him.” Shu nodded, gaining confidence in his new decision. “Perhaps we should explore it. Maybe, if we find something of value out there, we can bring it back to Father for him to use.”
Tefnut smiled and also nodded. Abruptly, she jumped into the primordial waters and swam away. Shu followed close behind.
Later, when Atum was ready for a break, he called for his children, but did not hear a reply. Soon, he became frantic. Creation was still brand new and Atum was still learning how to deal with the nature of reality and how to shape its form. Was there something he had missed? Could there be something in the tools with which he was working that created destruction? Then, he noticed a residual swirl in the primordial waters. In an instant, he knew his children had dove into those waters and had swum away.
“Oh! My dear children.” He feared that they might become lost in the murky gloom of that infinite void. His light would not reach infinity. They would not be able to see it if they swam too far.
“What to do?”
All of a sudden, thought and action became one. He plucked out his right eye and cast it into the void. “Find my children!” was the commandment and divine intention.
Not long afterward, this new goddess—the Eye of Ra—returned with the children in tow.
Atum was so relieved that he wept and each teardrop became a new creation, each one an individual human being.
The Supreme Council of Gods
After Atum had worked a while at creating the world and many of the new gods he had needed to help manage all of physical reality, he established a supreme council of gods called the Ennead. Its nine members were Atum-Ra and his two children, Shu and Tefnut, and their two children, Geb and Nut, and their four children, Auser, Asett, Sett, and Nephthys.
In contrast to the Ogdoad, which dealt primarily with the void of chaos, the Ennead handled physical existence.
More Creation Stories
From the ancient city of Inbu-Hedj (known to the late Greek rulers of Egypt as Memphis), their story of creation involves the patron god of all craftsmen, Ptah. Here, the physical world was carefully crafted with intellectual precision, unlike the accident of Khemenu’s creation myth, or the sneeze of Iunu’s creation story.
Ptah possessed an innate ability to see a desired end result in all its details and to find all the necessary resources for its fabrication.
Egyptian myth placed the mental faculties in the heart, rather than in the brain. It was said that when Ptah spoke from the heart, the things he visualized became manifest in physical reality. As he would speak the name of something, it would suddenly appear. His spoken word was the source of all other gods, physical objects, and mortal beings.
At creation, Ptah was connected to Tatjenen, the god of the first benben.
In some respects, Ptah is similar to the Abrahamic God of Judaism and Christianity where creation was more an activity of intelligent intention. In some other respects, Ptah’s method of creation—from the heart—mimics the nature of prayer. Philosopher Rod Martin, Jr. notes, “Prayer, when done right, comes from feeling or ‘the heart.’ It never comes from thought or the words on someone’s lips. A fearful heart, asking for salvation, will receive more to fear. A confident, but humble heart, asking for anything, will receive that thing instantly. And most people are not too confident about instantly, so time (delay) becomes part of the delivery.”
From the ancient city of Waset (known to the late Greek rulers of Egypt as Thebes, and in modern times, Luxor), we receive still another version of creation. To them, Amun was an invisible force behind every aspect of creation and also an element of the Ogdoad. Amun’s form encompassed everything—from beyond the deepest underworld, and the highest of the heavens.
When Amun uttered his first cry, it shattered the sameness of the infinite nothingness and gave birth to both the Ogdoad, and its eight gods, but also the Ennead, and its nine gods.
To the people of Waset, Amun was a mystery shrouded in darkness for even all of the other gods. And the attributes and skills of all the other gods were merely one aspect or another of Amun. The inhabitants of Waset considered their city to be the location of the original benben.
The Sun—A Pivotal Aspect of Creation
Central to all of these stories is the appearance of the sun. All of Kemet (Egypt) worshiped at least one aspect of the sun. In fact, Heliopolis was literally “sun city.”
When Atum plucked out his eye in order to find his children, Shu and Tefnut, that new goddess not only had the ability to perceive, but also the ability to cast the necessary light on her surroundings in order to see more clearly. The Eye of Ra has been represented throughout Egyptian myth by various goddesses. The list is long and includes Bastet, Hathor, Mut, Sekhmet, and Wadjet. This “eye” was sometimes symbolically represented as the solar disk. On the back of the American dollar, it may also be the eye in the benben that is glowing above a truncated pyramid.
A number of gods were more directly associated with the sun. Of course, there is Ra, who represented the sun at or near zenith, when its blazing light does most of its work in nourishing the plants of the physical world.
Naturally, the sun has different aspects to its daily cycle. Khepri took the first visible slot of the day as the sun rose. Because of this “newborn” state, he also represented rebirth.
The lesser god, Aten, represented the perceptible disk of the sun, but not any of its life-giving warmth or light.
As we’ve already seen, Atum represented the setting sun, which ties in thematically with his status as a source of creation. The setting sun completes each day, and Atum was able to complete each creation by giving it form, substance, and persistence.
And Ptah was long associated with the sun after it set. During each night, the sun replenished itself, preparing for the new day. Besides his skills as a craftsman, Ptah was also a god of the arts and biological creation (fertility).
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A Captivating Story of Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Horus
Perhaps the most important myth of Ancient Egypt is that of Osiris. In it, his wife Isis and his son Horus battled against his brother Seth.
The spellings with which we are most familiar are modern versions of the Greek. The original Egyptian names were more like the following:
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Osiris—Auser
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Isis—Asett
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Seth—Sett
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Horus—Heru
The double “t” at the end of Asett and Sett is not traditional, but it helps to distinguish the name “Sett” from the common English word “set.”
Throughout all of Egyptian myth, there is very little actually said about Osiris (Auser) himself. Most of what is said comes after his betrayal by Seth (Sett).
Imagining the Osiris Myth
As they had done for all the ages of man, the priests of the great city of Iunu had crossed over the Ne’weya during the twilight hour after dawn and before sunrise. But this morning vigil at the temple plateau was more somber than usual. All of Kemet was in mourning for their dead ruler, Auser.
The death of a god was not to be taken lightly. Such things tended to throw the entire universe out of balance. Sett had gone over to the dark side of reality. No longer did he stand on the prow of the sun barge, fighting off Apep—the great snake of chaos. Instead, Sett had become chaos. He had betrayed his brother, Auser, and had murdered him. If the priests could believe the rumors, Sett had hacked up Auser’s body and flung the parts all up and down the great Ne’weya and its life-giving waters.
As the eastern horizon brightened, the priests performed their daily ritual, burning a handful of grain in sacrifice to the great god, Ra—giver of light. His return to the skies above the mortal realm would be to look upon a world greatly saddened by what had happened to the children of Geb (Earth) and Nut (Heavens). Their offspring, Auser, had been murdered by his brother, Sett. And their offspring, Asett, had been made a widow by the same action.
When the priests had returned to Iunu, they heard the news that Sett had taken control of all Kemet. Asett, Auser’s lovely wife, had fled into the hills to the West. Or so people were being told.
Ahmose of Zau made his way into the temple and toward the large meeting hall. Outside the hall, he saw a familiar face. At first, he could not put a name to that visage. Something about it all didn’t make sense. What was a beggar doing in the temple at this hour? And why would he recognize a beggar? Then, the truth struck him. That was no beggar, despite the shabby clothes she wore. That was Asett, herself! The goddess was in disguise.
“Your eminence!” said Ahmose, loud enough only to be heard by her. “What are you doing here? It’s not safe!”
She turned and bade him to come closer.
“I need your help,” she said. “Sett has robbed us all, but especially me. Auser and I wanted to have a son. If we act quickly, it is still not too late. I need for the priesthood to gather all the pieces of Auser. They are to bring them together so that I may perform sacred rites and to consummate the union which was denied us. Our son will become the rightful ruler of Kemet.”
Ahmose looked confused, but nodded slowly.
“Why do you hesitate?” she asked.
“I don’t doubt your powers, eminence. It’s just that Sett is undoubtedly looking for you and I fear for your safety.”
“What do you suggest?”
“I am from Zau, here in the Delta. I know of several places where we could bring together the pieces of your husband and find the peace and security required for your ceremony.”
“Good. And thank you …”
“Ahmose, your eminence. My name is Ahmose. I’ll see to it right away.” He turned to leave.
“One more thing,” said Asett. “We also need to have Auser’s royal accessories. Do you know of someone who can steal them away from Sett and his forces?”
Ahmose thought for a moment and nodded. “Yes, your eminence. I know of some officers who are still loyal to you and to Auser.”
“Thank you, Ahmose.”
“My lady.” The priest hesitated. “Has Sett become corrupted by Apep?”
The goddess shook her head. “I don’t know, yet. Perhaps. He had held that duty for so long, fending off the attacks of chaos. Others have taken over those duties. We can only hope they do as good a job without becoming corrupted.”
Within days, all of the pieces had been returned to Lower Kemet and Ahmose had found a warehouse in Zau perfect for the sacred ceremony to be performed.
Within the week, the new god, Heru, had been born, with all the attributes needed to rule. The young god had all the skills of the father and the wisdom of the mother. In addition, Heru had the gift of sight, like his namesake—capable of seeing clearly everything from afar. And like the falcon after which he had been named, Heru also had the swiftness to strike hard at his enemies.
In the first month after his birth, Heru held many battles against his uncle. The young god was so successful in waging combat that Sett feared he might lose the war.
Ever wanting to find an advantage, Sett challenged young Heru to a battle under water.
“We should become as hippopotami and face each other beneath the waves. If either one of us surfaces before three months are up, we will forfeit. Are we agreed?”
To Heru, this seemed reasonable. Soon, they were under water battling against one another.
Asett feared for her son’s life and vowed to help him win. From the sky, she hurled massive harpoons at the hippopotamus below, but she had struck the wrong beast.
Heru cried out, “Mother, you have struck me. Please be more careful with your aim.”
Asett studied the scene more carefully and soon realized that her son was in pursuit of Sett. There her brother was, several dozen meters ahead.
Several times, she took careful aim, but the harpoon glanced off Sett’s wet body. But finally, a harpoon stuck and Sett surfaced.
“Please, dear sister,” said Sett, “take pity on your poor brother.”
Asett showed her brother mercy and let him heal from his wounds.
Later, Heru confronted his mother. “How could you show him mercy after he tried so many times to kill me?” Suddenly, Heru cut off his mother’s head and hid it from her in the mountains to the West.
When Ra, the sun god, heard what Heru had done to his mother, he bound the young god’s hands and restored to Asett her head. Then, he gave her a crown of protection so that no one could ever do to her what Heru had done.
But while Heru was bound, Sett swooped in to take advantage of his enemy. Abruptly, he plucked out Heru’s eyes and made him blind.
Asett forgave her son for what he had done and wept at what had happened to his eyes. She consulted with Tehuty, the god of wisdom and knowledge. There, she learned that new eyes could be fashioned for Heru from the old arts. Soon, Heru could see again. Once more, he went on the offensive, taking every opportunity to beat his uncle in battle.
Again, it looked as though Sett would lose everything, partly because his sister, Asett, was interfering in his war against Heru.
Sett made his way to the great council of gods—the Ennead. There, he begged the council for a meeting to discuss with Heru their differences, but without the interference of Asett.
They agreed to a meeting. So, Sett sent out word to Heru that he wanted to meet at the Island of the Middle Ground and let the Ennead judge between them. And Sett commanded the ferryman not to let anyone of the likeness of Asett to journey to that island.
The following day, the council met. There, Sett and Heru presented their cases while the council listened. In the meantime, Asett disguised herself as an old woman and bribed the ferryman with a gold ring so that she may pass to the Island of the Middle Ground.
When she arrived, she turned herself into a young maiden so that she could distract Sett and help him to fail. As she served the guests more wine, she caught Sett’s eye and he called her near.
“My Lord Sett,” she said. “I am so grateful for all you have done. Your bravery makes my own hardship seem more durable.”
“Hardship?” replied Sett with concern. “What could make such a beautiful woman less than happy?”
“An intruder has invaded my home, killed my husband, and stolen my son’s birthright.”
“Damn him!” exclaimed Sett. “The man should be publicly executed for his crimes. We shall do that immediately.”
“No, please!” she replied. “Do not kill him. I would never wish to have anyone’s blood on my own hands. Banishing him from the land would be sufficient to set my heart at ease.”
“Then,” said Sett loudly, “he shall be banished.”
“Thank you, my Lord Sett. For the home is Kemet, my husband was Auser, my son is Heru, and the intruder to be banished is you!”
Suddenly, Sett realized that this young wench was none other than his pesky sister. His own words had condemned himself and all in front of Heru and the gods of the Ennead. He was outraged.
Asett flew away, calling out her words to mock her brother. “You have condemned yourself, dear brother. What say you?”
“The ferryman should be punished,” said Sett. So, the next day, Sett had the toes on both the ferryman’s feet cut off because he had disobeyed Sett’s command not to let Asett across.
Heru soon won the war and banished Sett from Kemet for all time.
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