| Seth is an important deity of the ancient Egyptian pantheon.The cult of Seth virtually ran through the whole history of the ancient Egyptian history.In the period of Naqada,Seth was the local god of Ombos and the patron saint of the Upper Egypt.After the unification of ancient Egypt,Horus became the great national God and Seth became the embodiment of the rebels.Seth was banished to desert;the cult of Seth suffered a temporary setback.In the period of the Hyksos Dynasty,Seth was regarded as a national God,the worship of Seth developed to the summit.After the expulsion of the Hyksos,Seth was rejected by the ancient Egyptians.In the era of Ramesses,owing to the pharaohs’ parentage and needs during the war,Seth’s worship get a brief revival.In the period of the third intermediate,Seth was relegated to an evil god,the worship of Seth thoroughly declined.The chequered fate of Seth and the ancient Egyptian politics is closely related.Seth’s cult has exerted an influence on the ancient Egyptian society.This article includes four parts as following:First,discussing the origin of Seth and the beginning of Seth’s worship.Seth’s image appeared earliest in the period of Naqada I,Seth-animal appeared on the scorpion crown header in late period of Naqada II,so ones guessed that Seth’s worship had born in the period of Naqada.During this period,Seth was regarded as the patron saint of Upper Egypt and Seth’s worship experienced preliminary prosperity.Second,discussing the evolution of the rise and fall of Seth’s cult.Firstly,analyzing two fairy tales,The Osiris Legend and The Contending of Horus and Seth.Those proved that after the unification of ancient Egypt,Seth’s reputation and status declined,Seth’s worship suffered a temporary setback.Then stating that the sixth pharaoh of the second Dynasty,Peribsen,worshiped Seth and used title including Seth’s name;the nomadic pharaohs of the Hyksos Dynasty regarded Seth as their patron saint.Those indicated that Seth’s worship has been prospered gradually and developed to its peak finally.Last,discussing that after the empire of ancient Egypt,Seth was looked as an evil god.During the twenty-sixth Dynasty,Seth disappeared from the ancient Egyptian pantheon,Seth’s worship thoroughly declined.Third,discussing the changes in Seth’s roles,images and centers of worship.Seth’simages changed from simple to diversified,and full of special exotic tint;Seth’s roles gradually increased,in addition to the patron saint of Upper Egypt and god of desert,it also served as the god of storm,the protection God of the Sun-boat and the god of war;its centers of worship was no longer confined to Ombos,that developed to other nomes of Upper Egypt,areas of the Nile Delta and so on.The development of those aspects of Seth reflected the evolution of the rise and fall of Seth’s worship from the side.Fourth,discussing the influence of Seth’s worship.Not only the ancient Egyptian political history bore a deep imprint of Seth’s worship,but also the festivals,customs and values of the ancient Egyptians suffered a profound influence from the cult of Seth.In addition,Seth’s cult also had influence on the foreign countries and promoted the development of foreign religious’ worship in ancient Egypt. |
