Sutekh’s Music Corner ~ Kotipelto - Battle of the Gods

 Sutekh’s Music Corner

 

I felt like having a look at the different songs I know that have to do with Set, which are all on my devotional YouTube playlist “Dua Sutekh” by the way. The first one is going to be the first song I ever heard that directly mentions Set, “Battle of the Gods” by Kotipelto. This is the solo project of Timo Kotipelto, best known as the singer of the power metal band Stratovarius. Power metal, by the way, typically has clean vocals, and the music is generally less loud and dark and more melodic than in black metal or death metal, very little growling and screaming too. And this is the case with Kotipelto as well. His first solo album, “Waiting for the Dawn”, was released in 2002 and is a concept album mostly about ancient Egypt. There are songs dedicted to Ra creating the world, the afterlife, the Sphinx, Ramses the Great, and this, the battle between Set(h) and Horus. Here are the lyrics:

𓋹֍֎𓋹

He was raised to avenge, to make things right

He could feel the anger running in his veins.

In a foreign land, he began to understand,

He must overthrow his uncle for his reign.

Learning how to fight, using his might

Getting ready to avenge his father's death,

With power in his arms and a will to win

He will fight until the last breath.

They have started the great battle of the gods.

Who'll be ruler, it goes on for days and nights.

When the fight begins Seth seems to win,

More powerful than ever before.

But Horus has the thumb that Seth once cut off,

By swallowing it he wins the war.

Now Seth is captured his hands are tied,

But he gets some help from inside.

Using the surprise Seth plucks out Horus' eyes

And plants them in the ground with pride.

They have started the great battle of the gods.

Who'll be ruler, it goes on for days and nights.

They meet again and the fight begins,

The battle rages on until the end.

Finally Seth is beaten and Horus wins,

But will that turn an enemy into a friend?

𓋹֍֎𓋹

So, perhaps not my favorite retelling of the story, but it’s neat that there is a song on this topic at all, I suppose. I like how it ends on a hopeful note, with “Will that turn an enemy into a friend?” The song doesn’t necessarily paint Set as irredeemable. Was there a version of the myth where a thumb is severed and then swallowed? I have yet to come across that version. There are a lot of better episodes from the Contendings of Horus and Set that could have been included in the song besides this one. Why not sing about the boat contest? (Probably because that story makes Horus look like a cheater.)

Anyway, overall I like the song, still play it on occasion. Give it a listen too if you like. I know of several other songs about Set that I can review. 

𓋹֍֎𓋹

~ Siamanto the Foreigner

 𓋷𓅁𓈖𓏏𓍯𓀭𓈖𓐎𓏺𓈉𓏏𓅂𓌙𓀀

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