Set stood out quite a bit from the other gods of Ancient Egypt. For one thing, Set wasn't always the god of chaos he is now remembered as. Originally, he had been a faithful ally of Ra, helping to defend him in his nightly battles with the true embodiment of evil, the serpent Apep. But with each new dynasty, the Egyptian pantheon was reorganized, with gods rising and falling in prominence. As Set was the god of foreigners, he fell into disfavor when Egypt was ruled by invaders during the Second Intermediate Period and became cemented as an evil god as Horus worship became more popular. The story of how Set killed his brother, Osiris, ruled Egypt for years, and was dethroned by his nephew, Horus, who wished to avenge his father may have influenced mythologies in different cultures for millennia, perhaps even inspiring Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.
Asides from his evil ways, another distinctive feature of Set was the mysterious nature of his totemic animal. Many of the Egyptian gods were depicted with the heads of various animals. However, the animal associated with Set has proven impossible conclusively identify. It was either an animal that may be extinct now or one that never existed in the first place. Many theories have been proposed of the Set animal being an extremely stylized version of a more familiar animal, though which one has always been a subject of debate.
When Animalians moved to Egypt, people wondered what kind of Animalian would stand in for Set. Of course, the Council of Gods weren't about to include a member with such an infamous reputation. But they had a more inventive and interactive way of feature Set. As Set had no official animal, a season Set lookalike contest was held. Various male Animalians were encouraged to do their best impression of the gods of deserts and storms. Black body paint and Egyptian costumes were provided to make them look as close to Set as they can get.
Of course, there were a few limitations. The idea is to look as close to the Set animal as possible. So only Animalians who meet the minimal physical description can apply. Still, that leaves quite a lot of room for interpretations. Certainly enough room for the various canine species of Egypt to apply. While Anubis may be the official jackal god and Wepwawet was the official wolf god, Set could have an extremely stylized version of either of them. Or even a fennec fox.
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"I feel kinda silly doing this," said Lars as he adjusted his costume.
"Relax, it's only for fun," said Philip.
"I think dressing up like this is only for theater and Halloween," said Lars.
"Technically, this is kinda theater," said Philip.
"Very low theater," said Lars.
"Well, at least we won't have to hang around long," said Philip, "I don't think fennecs are gonna make into the finals."
"Yeah, there's quite a bit of competition," said Lars, looking at the other contestants. They seemed to cover just about every plausible explanation for the interpretation of the Set animal. And also a few implausible ones. "What's that one?" asked Lars, pointing at some sort of canid Animalian.
"I talked to him," said Philip, "He's an aardwolf."
"I thought wolves were already covered," said Lars.
"Actually, aardwolves are a kind of hyena that's specialized in eating termites," said Philip, "They're shyer than other hyenas."
"Hmm...still, I'd wager the aardvark over the aardwolf," said Lars, "Or maybe the donkey."
"The donkey? Really?" asked Philip.
"By all accounts, Set was an ass," said Lars.
"Oh, ha, ha," said Philip dryly, "I'm sure you're the first one who thought of that joke."
"So what's your bet?" asked Lars.
"I kinda think the okapi's probable," said Philip, "Though now that you mention it, the donkey is a good candidate."
"You realize the okapi lives a long way from Egypt," said Lars.
"Egyptians traded all along the Nile," said Philip, "I'm sure they've gone far south enough to see okapis."
"Still, it's going to be hard to pick out Set among them," said Lars.
"Perhaps," said Philip, "But I hear it isn't just one species that always wins."