Set is said to be rather fond of fish. When He drowns and dismembers Osiris in Egyptian mythology, He feeds Osiris' phallus to a fish. This particular fish is a member of the Mormyridae or “elephantfish” family. They’re called “elephantfish” because their snouts resemble elephant trunks. In fact, you might say that the faces of these fish bear a striking resemblance to the face of the Sha animal. In the city of Per Medjed or Oxyrhynchus (a Greek name which means “Town of the Sharp-Snouted Fish”) the fish that swallowed Osiris’ penis was an especially beloved religious symbol. This is especially interesting since Oxyrhynchus was located in what archaeologists call “Upper Egypt” (i.e., the southern and most desert-like half of the country, which was dedicated to the cult of Set in predynastic times). It’s ironic that a barren desert god would be associated with an aquatic animal, but it makes perfect sense to me at least. If you’re accustomed to living in an arid desert wilderness, what might you expect heaven to be like? You’d probably imagine it to be a place where there’s never any shortage of water, like an oasis, a lake, or maybe even an ocean. The fish, in turn, would be seen as a powerful symbol of hope. Interestingly, Oxyrhynchus was one of the first Egyptian cities to accept Christianity under the Coptic Church. (Numerous non-canonical Christian texts have been discovered there.) Early Christians used the Ichthys or “Jesus Fish” as their primary religious symbol long before they switched to using the crucifix, and perhaps this is something that attracted the people of Oxyrhynchus to Christianity.
Set's Sacred Critters: The Elephantfish
(Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
#setian #setianism #sutekh #kemetic #Egyptian #polytheist #religion #god #animals #critters #fish #mormyridae #elephantfish #symbols #ichthys
