Digital Maps of the Ancient World

Horus

Horus held a prominent position among Egyptian deities, fulfilling diverse roles, including that of the god of kingship and the sky, making him one of the most significant figures in ancient Egyptian religion.

Symbols: Eye of Horus
Cult Centre: Edfu and Nekhen
Parents: Osiris and Isis
Siblings: Anubis and Bastet
Consort: Hathor
Children: Ihy
Roman equivalent: Apollo
Greek equivalent: Apollo

Conflict with Set

Set coveted the throne of Egypt, which rightfully belonged to his brother, Osiris. To achieve his ambition, Set murdered Osiris through various accounts. While Egyptian narratives generally depict Osiris’s drowning, Greco-Roman versions detail a more intricate scheme. Set constructed a precisely fitting sarcophagus, luring Osiris inside before sealing it and casting it into the Nile.

Isis, Osiris’s wife, retrieved his body, yet Set thwarted her attempts to resurrect him. Set then dismembered Osiris’s body, scattering the pieces across Egypt. Isis and her sister Nephthys diligently gathered the fragments, missing only one, consumed by a fish.

Harnessing her divine power, Isis resurrected Osiris for a single night, during which she conceived Horus the Younger. To protect her son from Set’s wrath, Isis concealed Horus until his adulthood. When Horus came of age, he engaged in a protracted battle with Set to avenge his father’s murder. Eventually, Horus emerged victorious, ending Set’s tyranny and ascending to the throne of Egypt.