Myths about Western Desert

This myth describes the origin of the Khamsin, the scorching fifty-day desert wind, which is said to be the residual heat of the goddess Sekhmet's breath. Created by the sun god Ra to punish humanity, Sekhmet’s fury was so great that her presence permanently scorched the Western Desert. Even after being pacified by the gods, her fiery essence remains as a seasonal gale that sweeps across the...

When the sun god Ra grew old, he discovered that humans were plotting against his divine rule. He sent his daughter Sekhmet, the lioness-headed goddess of destruction, to punish them in the harsh Western Desert. Her bloodlust became so great that she nearly destroyed all of humanity, until Ra intervened with a clever trick involving red-dyed beer.

After the long conflict with Horus for the throne of Egypt, the god Set was assigned to rule the barren reaches of the Western Desert. While Horus maintained order in the fertile Nile Valley, Set became the master of the Red Land, commanding the fierce storms and protecting the sun god Ra from the serpent Apep. This myth illustrates the ancient Egyptian balance between the life-giving river...