THE TORN PARTS OF SETH: A Consequence of a Dramatic Revenge

The paper discusses one of the most dramatic consequences in the famous myth of Horus and Seth. During their struggle, terrible actions were taken against the bodies of both gods, which ended with the triumph of Horus. Nevertheless, whether Seth was an evil deity or not, his corpse was treated severely, just as he did to the body of his brother Osiris. Some of his body parts were injured and torn out during the incidents of this fight, in his different animal forms. Many studies focused on the organs of the god Osiris, which were dispersed throughout the land of Egypt, and the efforts done by Isis to recollect them in order to revive her husband back, but a few tackled Seth’ organs. The current paper sheds light on the fate of Seth. It makes a comparative analysis through the different religious texts and the rituals to know how the corpse of Seth was tortured into parts, what were the similarities and the differences between the fates of Osiris and Seth, the different methods used, and the different manifestations of Seth that faced this fate of killing and torturing. It finally presents three similar steps in both myths to gain a better insight into the consciousness and mindset of the ancient Egyptians about the death of deities.