The Mysteries of Set Trivia Quiz

Answer: Set initiating Osiris and making him God of the Afterlife

It was understood within many of the priesthoods that without the actions of Set, Osiris would not become God of the Duat and could not have opened the afterlife to all. In fact, Set actually carries Osiris into the Duat on his back, in the form of a great bull. Osiris was seen as a deity that did not change from within, and so needed the external force of Set to induce change.

Answer: The Adze

The Adze was a tool crucial to the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, which was necessary for the dead to be able to speak and take in sustenance in the afterlife. It was made from materials thought to be sacred to Set, such as the iron from meteorites and copper, and was made in the shape of a constellation associated with Set.

Answer: The northern circumpolar stars, specifically Ursa Major

Set was always associated with the constellation Ursa Major, and in early Egyptian history he was associated with the circumpolar stars as a whole, called the "imperishable stars" to the Egyptians. These stars were seen as separate from the cycles of the planets, stars, and other constellations, and were the original "location" of the Egyptian afterlife.

Answer: Sha Animal

The proper and original name of this creature is the "Sha." Set was not known as Typhon to the Egyptian, but only to the Greeks. There were many fantastic creatures in early Egyptian myth, including griffins and snake-headed lions.

Answer: It is a symbol of Destiny.

The Sha animal represents destiny, specifically negative destiny in ancient Egypt, or a destiny separate from the Gods. This included things like turbulence, illness, doubt, etc. In modern Set-honoring groups, the Sha is seen as symbol of self-deification, a positive separation from the Gods/Nature, as we now know things like illness are actually entirely natural and not separate from it at all. Set, on the other hand, was seen as being unnatural.

Answer: Taweret

Taweret is associated with the constellation Draco, one of the circumpolar constellations. She was thought to keep Set separate from the other constellations, planets, and stars. Sometimes she was envisioned as literally having Set on a type of leash, but not always. Taweret was another mother Goddess and was often associated with Nut, so can be further seen as a mother-figure to Set. Taweret is also sometime seen as the consort of Set.

Answer: God of Destruction

H. Te Velde wrote about Set as a God of confusion, isolation, and intoxication in one of the best academic studies of Set: "Seth: God of Confusion." Set is seen as a god of confusion because he interferes with the order of things, such as the rulership of Osiris which was shaken up by Set's actions.

This was tied to intoxication partly because of this confusion, as it is hard to think straight when intoxicated. It was also easier to forget the laws of Ma'at, the divine order, and act against it when you have less controls over your actions. Mainly Set was a god of isolation, being something apart from nature and the other Gods.

He was a loner, mostly on his own and rejected by the people and the gods alike in later times. However, this isolation also originally tied to the deification of the dead in the pyramid texts.

Answer: Set plays numerous roles in the pyramid text, ranging from psychopomp to vicious murderer

The Pyramid Texts are a mix of pre-written traditions and changes made by the Osirian religions later in Egyptian history. In many cases Set is a benevolent God that helps with the deification of the dead, but other sections also show him in the common, negative light as the murderer of Osiris and villainous God.

Answer: In a fetal position, head decapitated and facing opposite the body, with some small grave goods.

It seems that the physical self was not as important to the pre-Osirian religions, nor were grave goods, which later Egyptians believed would go with you to the afterlife. Due to this, mummification was not practices, as the body did not necessarily need to be preserved. Even today we tend to put small grave goods in with our dead, not believing they can take it or need it in the afterlife, so this is not evidence that the burials in Nubt were materialistic.

Answer: A fabricated animal

The Sha animal is actually a fabricated animal, not descriptive of any animal known to ever live. This was likely intentional to further show Set as something separate from nature and the other Gods. This animal can be recognized by its ears which get wider as they move further from the base of the head, a curved snout, and a straight tail, which is forked at the end.

Answer: The sole child of Nut

In early Egyptian history Set was known as "the son of Nut," as in the sole sun of Nut. He was likely worshiped as a central God prior to the worship of the sun, as the nomadic Egyptians relied more on rains and Oases than the solar cycle and cyclical nature of the Nile.

Answer: Seti and Rameses

Both the Seti and Rameses dynasties were from families dedicated to Set. In fact the Seti pharaohs honor him right in their name: Seti meaning "man of Set." Rameses II even built a new capital city of Pi-Ramses on the easter Delta. Some of Ramses II's children were known to worship Set, and served in garrisons where Set was the patron God.

Answer: Ra

Set was adopted by Ra to help fend off the serpent Apep, in what was likely the original Chaoskampf myth. For those unaware, the "Chaoskampf" myth is one where a hero challenges a chaos monster, generally a serpent. This appears in most religious traditions, from Egypt and Sumer to the stories of medieval knights and dragons. Within the myth Apep represents pure chaos, seeking nightly to return all ordered reality to pure chaos and non-existence.

It was up to Set to keep Apep from accomplishing this goal, and nightly Set had to defeat Apep to save reality.

Answer: An entertaining tale and a consensual relationship

While it is popularly thought that the story is of a real war between northern and southern Egypt, it was actually the people of Set, in upper (southern) Egypt which conquered and united the two lands of Egypt. There were also pharaohs after the unification, as early as the second dynasty, who honored Set and took a Set name.

In actuality, it was likely that Set and Horus once had a loving relationship common to dualistic traditions, and that the story with all its sexual exploits was told for entertainment purposes.

Answer: Dr. Michael A. Aquino

After leaving the Church of Satan, Dr. Michael A. Aquino went on to found the Temple of Set in 1975, which supposedly occurred after Dr. Aquino had a religious experience with the God Set. The Temple of Set still functions today in 2017. Mainly the Temple of Set is focused on self-deification, and members seek to separate themselves from the gods and nature the way Set was separated from the other gods and nature.

Answer: The Crown of Lower Egypt

Set can always be recognized by his unique ears, curved snout, and forked tail. While he sometimes wore both the crowns of Lower and Upper Egypt together, he was more associated with Upper (southern) Egypt. The crowns are not a defining trait however, for several Gods are seeing wearing one or both crowns.

Answer: Nephthys

Nephthys was one of Set's wives in mythology, and together they gave birth to Anubis. However, when the Osirian religion began to eclipse and rewrite the others, Nephthys was written to hate Set, and she cheats on him with Osiris, which leads to the birth of Anubis between her and Osiris.

Answer: The sandy banks of the Nile

Set was associated with all of these except the banks of the Nile. Red-heads were thought to be related to Set in some way, and some were even victimized when Set became viewed as a negative deity. Set was also the God of foreign people, and was often associated with their gods such as Baal and Sutekh.

It has been theorized that hate for Set really set in during the time Egypt was ruled by the Hyksos, foreign rulers who controlled Egypt for several generations. Strength and dominion were represented by the Was Scepter, which was based on the Sha animal and a symbol for Set.

This staff was carried by gods and pharaohs alike in artwork. Set was also associated with the desert and oases in it, likely due to the belief that Set was barren and could not have children, as well as the harsh nature of the desert, and the isolation of it from the rest of civilization.

Answer: Seti I

This map of the sky is part of the artwork in the tomb of Seti I, whose name means "man of Set." It depicts gods like Taweret, Sobek, Set, and many more, arranged in a way identical to the circumpolar stars of the north. It was actually Patricia Hardy, a High Priest of the Temple of Set, who originally discovered the meaning behind these illustrations and made the information available in academic journals.

There are a few other examples of such a sky-map as well. Previously it was thought that the Egyptians had a primitive understanding of astronomy, but maps such as these show otherwise.

In fact, the Egyptians were well versed in astronomy, and knew how to use the stars to predict things like the flooding of the Nile by using them as a measurement for time.

Answer: Jackals

Set was associated with pigs, hippos, donkeys, and several other animals in Egyptian history. It has been hypothesized by several Egyptologists that the Set Animal (Sha Animal) is based on a donkey, at least in part. Of course, this is not conclusive and Set is still generally considered a fictional animal.

It is unknown why Set was associated with pigs, though we know pigs were seen as unclean in the ancient world. He was associated with Hippos because of his strength and his ability to protect the king, and hippos are very aggressive and especially protective of their young.

The jackal was not associated with Set, but with Anubis, Set's child in some ancient myths and his nephew in others.