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By examining the folded fragments of Pleyte's plate, we can see it corresponds directly to Neves' coffin photo!
And I've learned something new about Set. In webland, someone spoke of Set having white skin. I was very suspicious, but after consulting some colleagues, I've learned there's some basis for this assertion:
In _The Origins of Osiris and his Cult_, by J. Gwyn Griffiths, we read:
"Red was a colour often associated with Seth in later times. In early texts, however, white seems to be the colour associated with him. Thus in a spell where Seth and his followers are commanded by Thoth to carry Osiris-King it is said of Seth:
'They make thy face white like white shrines.' (Pyr. 1659b)
Sethe in his Commentary on the Dramatic Ramesseum Papyrus aptly quotes this saying in connexion with the locus in that papyrus (section 36) where Seth is regarded as incorporated in the white shrine. He finds the basic reason for the association in the fact that white was the national colour of Upper Egypt, as exemplified in the White Crown of Upper Egypt; and on this point Kees concurs with Sethe." (pages 79-80)
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This face whitening is perhaps only for the Osiris transport duties, for I've not seen any image of a white-faced Set. I won't say they aren't out there, just that I haven't seen any!
Sunday, June 8, 2014
"White Faced Set?"
5:19am
I was looking through some photos, and found an interesting find in regards to the white faced Set spoken of in the Pyramid texts.
Look closely at the stela of Aapehty, usually at the British Museum:
The British Museum, EA 35630
Height: 9.850 cm (max.),Width: 7.720 cm (max.),Thickness: 5.010 cm (max.), Later 19th Dynasty, around 1200 BC
Aapehty's stela went to Leiden for an exhibit on "Egyptian Magic", where Monique van der Veen photographed it there, and graciously shared the photo!
As I look, both Aapehty and Set have very ruddy colored skin, the standard way male gods and humans were depicted. But look closely, and I can see no trace of red on Set's face!
While this isn't consistently the case, for instance the "Bull of Ombos" stela at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek shows a very ruddy faced Set, it's interesting to know that on some occasions, Set is depicted with a pale face.
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