Set’s Music Corner ~ “Those Whom the Gods Detest” by Nile

Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest

Nile is a very heavy black metal band, who often incorporate Kemeticism into their lyrics. If you’ll remember the last song I reviewed, “Xeper-i-Set” by Dissection, while being about Set had a lot of Satanic, Aleister Crowley influences which I personally am averse to, not because I disagree with Satanism per se I just don’t like Abrahamic religion in general, nor do I like mixing it with paganism. I follow Set from a more Kemetic perspective, the Set known throughout the Oases and in Nubt/Ombos. Nile’s singer and lyricist Karl Sanders does do his research from what I have seen. Most of his songs are about “destroying the enemies of Ra”, but he explained his writing process on the same website where I found the lyrics, that he wanted this song to be more from the “bad guys’” perspective for a change, although with Set being lumped in with Kemeticism’s baddies once again. It would appear that he based some of the lyrics on the Book of the Dead. Here are the lyrics:

“I will not speak

The spell for not dying again

I will not speak

The spell for not dying again

I will not speak

The spell for not dying again

I am the murderous Seth

My hostility made manifest

In the rebelliousness that is humanity

Entwined in coils of wrath

I disrupt the continuity of the sublime

And defy the words spoken from the mouth of Ra

We are they whom the gods detest

We are they whom the gods detest

Unrepentant

I deny the secrecy of the texts

Impenitent

I blaspheme the sacred scrolls

Unwilling to submit

I embrace what Ra hath called profane

We are they

We are they

I shall not hail to he who rises and sets

I shall not bend to he who imprisons myriads at his will

He who would bathe in my blood

And drink my gore

Embraced within the coils of Set

I have no fear of the second death

Of being slashed with knives

Of being butchered on the slaughtering blocks

No God or Demon will feed on my entrails or drink my blood

No blind servant of the throne of Ra

Shall I willingly allow to devour me

No consuming flames of uttermost damnation shall I fear

No tongue speaking words of redemption shall ever penetrate my will

Darkly splendid I remain unconquered

Supreme and terrible Ra

Who maketh Gods and men tremble before thee

I am counted amongst legions of the unrighteous

Who dread not being immersed in pits of fire

We are They Whom the Gods Detest”

The lyrics seem to reflect a time when Set was being heavily demonized, like during the Ptolmaic or Roman eras. Ra was usually on Set’s side even when most of the other Netjeru were not, as even in the Plutarch version of The Contendings of Seth and Horus most people know of it was Ra who vetoed their vote to put Heru on the throne despite it being known that he murdered Asar. It makes sense for Ra to take Set’s side once you think about the other stories; Set protects Ra from the Chaos Serpent every night, not to mention that incident where Aset almost killed Ra to get his secret name, which I’m sure he didn’t just forgive and forget. I just can’t see Set ever being a rival to Ra. In fact, you could worship both synchronized as Set-Ra. 

Well, to each their own. Anyone else have thoughts on the lyrics? 

𓋹֍֎𓋹

~ Siamanto the Foreigner

 𓋷𓅁𓈖𓏏𓍯𓀭𓈖𓐎𓏺𓈉𓏏𓅂𓌙𓀀

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