Seth (SLASH'EM)
| Religion in NetHack |
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- For the chaotic god of the Wizard pantheon, see Set.
In SLASH'EM, SlashTHEM, and Hack'EM, Seth is the chaotic god of the Undead Slayer pantheon.
Origin
Set, also known as Seth or Sutekh, is a god of deserts, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners in ancient Egyptian religion. He was lord of the Red Land (desert), where he was the balance to Horus' role as lord of the Black Land (fertile land). Set's most important role is in the myth of his brother Osiris, where he is portrayed as the usurper who murdered and mutilated Osiris. Osiris's sister-wife, Isis, reassembled his corpse and resurrected her dead brother-husband with the help of the goddess Nephthys - the resurrection lasted long enough to conceive his son and heir Horus, and many subsequent myths focus on the conflict between Horus and Set.
Despite the antagonistic roles outline above, temples to Set were somewhat common throughout ancient Egypt, many of which where close to temples dedicated to Nephthys, and Seth's cult persisted into the latter days of ancient Egyptian religion. Set was also depicted as a protector of Ra during Ra's journey across the sky: the Amduat describes Set as having a key role in overcoming the dark serpent Apep, and some Late Period representations even give him a falcon's head when he takes on the guise of Horus. The demonization of Set took place after Egypt's conquest by several foreign nations in the Third Intermediate and Late Periods; as Set was the traditional god of foreigners, he became associated with foreign oppressors, including the Kushite and Persian empires, and the Greeks would later associate Set with Typhon, since both were considered monstrous and evil forces of raging nature.
