Half the time, I can't be bothered to care about the classes that I'm actually enrolled in and get graded on, but when the opportunity arises to attend an evening lecture on a topic well outside my course of study, I jump all over it. Go figure.
This was an Egyptology lecture by some scholar from Chicago or Texas or somewhere who generally focuses on ancient graffiti. He's discovered some remarkable shit about Set, it seems, and wants to share it with the world. The fellow was a pretty engaging speaker, confident and witty, though his accent made him sound like he was trying to swallow his words as he spoke. Sort of like a mild version of the guidance counselor from South Park, only without saying "m'kay."
He talked about alternate views of Set (Seth) throughout the history of Egpytian religion, went into the details of Set's changing iconography, talked a little about the syncretism that occurred when the Hitites and Levantines and Hyskos mixed with the Egyptians, stuff like that. A lot of it was stuff that I knew but some of it, Set as a benevolent force for example, was, if not new to me, at least presented in a different way, which helped me think about the material differently, too.
It was well-worth the hour. I hope Thursday's lecture on Louis Cha is as cool.
Comments (6)
I wonder if White Wolf has been going to these lectures, lol. There's some stuff in the new VtR book on Bloodlines that talks about a bloodline that follows Set as the defender of the world by keeping some nasty dragon-type-thingy in the underworld.
Then again, I think Conan would disagree with that on all counts.
Posted by Bard | March 8, 2005 1:20 PM
Posted on March 8, 2005 13:20
Apep or Apophis is the name of the dragon-thingie. In later mythology, it and Set essentially become synonymous (which I'd always known) but recent scholarship (I guess the sort that I listened to last night) shows where he was displayed as standing in the prow of the bark of the Sun and keeping Apophis away from Ra. This becomes the role of (and is usually ascribed to) Horus.
And Conan, well, he's actually quite conservative. Doesn't like any of this new thinking, no none at all.
Posted by Jason | March 8, 2005 4:00 PM
Posted on March 8, 2005 16:00
I thought Apophis was the serpent god who was killed by SG-1 in Season 3.
;-)
Posted by Bekah | March 10, 2005 7:47 AM
Posted on March 10, 2005 07:47
I wouldn't know. I don't watch Stargate. Never thought it was all that interesting.
Posted by Jason | March 10, 2005 8:31 AM
Posted on March 10, 2005 08:31
Feh!
Posted by Bekah | March 11, 2005 12:02 PM
Posted on March 11, 2005 12:02
Fie!
Posted by Jason | March 11, 2005 3:06 PM
Posted on March 11, 2005 15:06