Set and Horus Reconciled

©Joan Ann Lansberry, 9-18-07

This picture was inspired by a chance rare rainbow sighting:


First some thunder and rain, then some sunshine, makes rainbow

When I saw it, I thought thunder, rain and then sunshine, "Set and Horus are reconciled!" So I had to create a picture with the rainbow in it. I'm not sure if it's 'kosher Kemetic', if any ancient Egyptian ever had that idea, but it sure seems to work for me.

But perhaps they did...

The arm position isn't right, they would have held their arms in the 'embrace' hieroglyph, like they are doing in the amulet below, but in spite of this fault, I still like this piece.


"HORUS AND SET RECONCILED" Brussels Museum of Art and History via GEM
Engraved faience, Not before NEW KINGDOM, not after 19TH DYNASTY?
From the GEM site:
"The blue enamel seal takes the form of a cartouche representing Seth and Horus holding hands. The two gods with the heads of falcons are wearing the double crown of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. They are surmounting the hieroglyphic sign signifying gold. The handle of the seal is the transposition, in faience, of vegetable stalks tied together. The material indicates that it is probably an amulet..."


the back side of this amulet...

You can see where the necklace chain or rope would go through. I wonder if the 'vegetable stalks' have another meaning, perhaps a rainbow?

Here are some more useful thoughts regarding this image:

I came across the various titles of pharoahs, and narrowed in on one type, the Throne name or prenomen. Nesu-bity means 'King of Upper and Lower Egypt', but is more closely translated 'King of the Sedge and the Bee', as these are the hieroglyphs for 'nesu-bity':

Te Velde in Seth, God of Confusion refers to "Seth the lord of the land of sedges (t3 sm) e) after the partition."(page 61). Thusly, the sedge refers to Upper Egypt, Set's region, and the bee refers to Horus' region.


Upper Egypt includes the southern lands which had temples devoted to Set, in Kom Ombo and Naqada for instance. The goal of the King was to unite the two lands, thus being King of Upper and Lower Egypt. Seth Peribsen might have tried first, but Khasekhemwy (aka Khasekhemui) is given credit for succeeding. "The name Khasekhemui is sometimes supplemented htp nbwy imyw.f (the two lords who are in him, are reconciled.) Thus both Peribsen's Seth name and Khasekhemui's Horus-Seth name proclaim the reconciliation of Horus and Seth." (page 73, TeVelde)


(the two lords who are in him, are reconciled.)


Piece in display. The heart trivet has significance, too