The Punishment of Seth
What the Pyramid Texts fail to illuminate is the reason why Seth killed Osiris. Within them, it is an act that appears to be undertaken without any provocation or motive. There is no reference to jealousy, enmity or any reason for the attack occurring. However, it is possible that Seth was just the gullible pawn who carried out the attack instigated by Thoth to set in motion the divine drama of the death and resurrection of Osiris (Jacobsohn 1955, 193; Te Velde 1967, 82). Spell W151 states both Seth and Thoth failed to lament for Osiris and in Spell W152 Osiris is caused to live to punish both Seth and Thoth.
However, Spell T199a recounts that Thoth seized and decapitated Seth along with his followers; this could be interpreted that having instigated the murder, Thoth becomes a turncoat, eliminating his coconspirator to remove the only person who could incriminate him while winning favour with Horus and Osiris. Regardless of who instigated the action the murder was committed by Seth and the Pyramid Texts record his punishments. In Spell P327 in the presence of Geb and the two Enneads the charge is laid against Seth that he attacked Osiris; this Seth denied claiming instead it was Osiris who attacked him first. No punishment was recorded against Seth, but Atum awarded Osiris the land of Egypt.
In other spells Seth does not escape so lightly, but instead receives a number of punishments. As stated above in Spell W152 Osiris is caused to live to punish Seth but no information to what punishment entailed was detailed. Further spells, however, do recount Seth receiving a number of punishments, ranging from him being placed beneath the feet of Osiris (Spell T199b), being place beneath Osiris and forced to carry him (Spells P201, T145, T146, T202, T203, P480, P269, P447, and P304), being beaten (Spells T145, T146, T200, P333 and P488) and killed or sacrificed (Spells T197, T203, P53, P522 and P533). The punishments are not solely restricted to Seth, but are extended to his followers as well (Spells T197, P14), although no details of whom these followers were or if they played a part in the murder of Osiris. Considering the distribution of the punishment spells within the pyramids of Unas, Teti and Pepi I, there is an increase in the number and the severity of the punishments inflicted from those in Unas to those in Pepi I.
Body placed beneath the feet of Osirs (P. of Teti 1; P. of Pepi I, 1)
Geb puts his foot on Seth’s head (P. of Teti 1; P. of Pepi I, 1)
Seth forced to carry Osiris (P. of Teti 4; P. of Pepi I, 13)
Seth beaten (P. of Teti 3; P. of Pepi I, 5)
Seth, killed, or sacrificed (P. of Teti 3; P. of Pepi I, 5)
Seth bound and thrown on his side by Geb (P. of Pepi I)
Followers of Seth punished (P. of Teti 1; P. of Pepi I, 2)
Total (Pyramid of Unas: 1 - Pyramid of Teti: 14 - Pyramid of Pepi I. 29)
Within the texts in the pyramids of Unas to Pepi I the evolution of the relationship between Osiris and Seth is discernible with each pyramid providing additional details. This development the punishments inflicted upon Seth increase in number and severity, supporting the idea of the increase in popularity of Osiris during the 6th Dynasty and the beginning of the vilification of Seth. Having analysed Seth’s portrayal in the Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts the following chapter will consider the manner in which Seth was portrayed in the Middle Kingdom Coffin Texts which evolved from the Pyramid Texts.
Deconstructing the Iconography of Seth by Ian Robert Taylor
