Myths, Religions & Legends Power Ranking TOP100
I wrote a book ranking the most powerful gods, monsters, and heroes from world mythology, religion, and legend in order of strength! Of course, the rankings reflect a great deal of my own subjective judgment, but the reasoning behind each placement is grounded in the lore and episodes of each mythology, so I think it’s a book that will feel reasonably convincing.
This time I’d like to introduce some of the characters featured in the book’s ranking. Of course, many more characters appear in the ranking beyond those introduced here, so I think anyone interested in mythology, religion, and legend will enjoy it!
Rank 44: Set (Egyptian Mythology)
Overview
Set is the god of war in Egyptian mythology, said to wield the power to whip up sandstorms and rule over the desert. In the myths, he killed his brother Osiris and tried to seize the throne, and fought Horus for the right to rule — only to lose — leaving him “often portrayed as a villain and in a somewhat unfortunate position” in the stories.
The episode that best demonstrates Set’s strength is the “Contendings of Horus and Set” recorded in the ancient Egyptian Chester Beatty Papyrus I. This conflict is said to have lasted for 80 years, during which the two engaged in numerous contests.
At one point, Set and Horus dove underwater and took the form of hippopotamuses, competing to see who would surface first. In another fierce battle, Set gouged out both of Horus’s eyes, while Horus fought back and damaged Set’s testicles.
Ultimately, it was Osiris in the underworld who sent a threatening letter to the gods, which finally resulted in the throne being granted to Horus. After his defeat, Set was assigned to Ra’s solar barque and given the role of fighting Apep.
The most important episode demonstrating Set’s power is the “Guardian of the Solar Barque.” Every night, when the sun god Ra passed through the underworld, the chaos serpent Apep attacked the barque. Apep was a terrifying being that sought to devour the very order of the world, but Set stood at the prow of the barque and fought and repelled Apep night after night.
Set’s power is described as “the storm itself,” and he is recorded as a being possessing violent power that surpassed even the other gods. It was precisely this extraordinary martial force that allowed him to fend off Apep every single night.
Reason for This Ranking
The battle with Horus is somewhat difficult to evaluate in terms of pure strength, as it involved numerous episodes and various types of contests rather than straightforward combat — but even so, being the greatest rival of Horus, the king of Egyptian mythology, suggests an extremely high level of divine standing.
But more significant than that is the episode of Set fighting Ra’s archenemy Apep and defending the solar barque throughout the night — this clearly shows that Set’s power is on par with Ra and Apep at the highest level within Egyptian mythology.
Taking this perspective into account, I placed Set at this position in the ranking.
