October 17, 2024

192b: Seth's Lore

1 hour 18 minutes

Warrior, protector, murderer. By 1300 BCE, the Egyptian god Seth had become a complex and multi-faceted deity. Chaotic and destructive, but not "evil," Seth played an important role in the gods' realm and our own. This legend developed and evolved over centuries, from the earliest religious literature to the imperial age. In this episode, we explore Seth's role, appearances, and descriptions in the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, Book of the Dead, Amduat, and Book of Gates. And we try to get to grips with a god who was (quite literally) two-faced...

Episode details:

Date: c. 2400 - 1300 BCE (Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms up to the reign of Sety I).

Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.

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Music intro and outro by Michael Levy.

Music interludes by Luke Chaos and Keith Zizza.

Logo image: The hybrid deity Herfy ("Two-Face"), combining the powers of Horus and Seth. Hour 10 of the Book of Gates, from the tomb of Tausret in the Valley of the Kings (Line drawing by Dominic Perry, based on photo by Erik Hornung).

General studies: Erik Hornung, The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife (1999) at Internet Archive. John Darnell and Colleen Manassa Darnell, The Ancient Egyptian Netherworld Books at JSTOR.org and the Society of Biblical Literature.

Pyramid Texts in English translation and Egyptian hieroglyphs (Pyramid Texts Online by Vincent Brown).

Coffin Texts in English translation by Raymond Faulkner (1973—1978): Volume I, Volume III. I have been unable to find a copy of Volume II online; if you are aware of one, please let me know. Egyptian Hieroglyphs available in Open Access via the University of Chicago.

Book of the Dead in English translation by Raymond Faulkner (1982 edition) at Internet Archive. Edited volume of scholarly articles available at The University of Chicago (2017, edited by Foy Scalf). Additional English translation, transliteration, and commentary by Stephen Quirke (2013).

The Amduat (Book of the Hidden Chamber) in English translation, transliteration, and Egyptian hieroglyphs by Erik Hornung (2007).

The Book of Gates in English translation, transliteration, and Egyptian hieroglyphs by Erik Hornung (2013).

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