Horus 𓂀

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE GOD OF CALAMITY WISHES FOR NAUGHT. Content warning for mentions of incest and age differences. Beneath the cut contains discussion of the manga series (which you can read a translation of here) as well as information from side comics, strips, and word-of-god from the author's Twitter account a_aries06

Q&A's on Author's Twitter

• Set #1 - Horus-related translation info: To be added
• Set #2 - Horus-related translation info: To be added

Active Timeline Info

• 18 years - It is 18 years from the time Horus was born to when he comes to meet Set.
• When Horus is a young child, he meets Set. Horus gets lost in the desert, Set's domain, and Set finds him and gets him home. *This Twitter is a promo for the story added to the special edition of the second manga. Written translation is here, but no one typeset it. (Thank you to 'drea for translating this!)
• Despite that Horus is told that Set is a bad person who killed his father, the following is observable during the time he grows up:
  • State of Egypt; Set intentionally studies with Thoth so that he can take care of Egypt while he waits for Horus to come for him.
  • Memories of Set finding him as a child in the desert. Set didn't know who he was, but kindly saved him and took care of him until he was safe again. The memory he has of Set is warm and kind, not the fratricidal lunatic he's been told about his whole life.
  • Stories of his father, Osiris, demonstrate that Osiris loved Set and was a kind, benevolent king. He was known for being forgiving toward his subjects and for giving Set special treatment, even if he made mistake after mistake. Every story of Osiris out there is not of a man who would want his son to seek revenge on Set, and yet he grew up being told that it was his duty as Osiris's son to kill Set. 
• In the main manga, Horus only appears in the final chapter as an adult. He arrives via the Nile on a boat with Anubis, Isis, Nephthys, and Neith with the mission of killing Set, who he calls Lord Uncle.

First Timeline Info (Ch.1)

• The first timeline ends when Horus is still a young child. He can speak, but hasn't yet grasped correct pronunciation of words. He calls Set "Unca Set," for example.
• Absolutely adores Set.
• Decidedly spoiled; he wants to learn Set's Sword Dance, a special performance only he has the right to perform annually. When Set tells him to figure it out himself (despite him literally being a baby), he cries to Osiris, who promises to talk Set into it.
• It should be noted that Osiris cared for Horus during this timeline and notably spoiled him.
• Osiris claims that Horus acts like Isis, but other characters (Set and the author) have made it clear that he acts more like Osiris.

Personality/Behavior

• Horus and Osiris hate each other - He wears Osiris's earrings because it's a "special attack" item for Set, not because they're his father's.
  • In the first timeline, Osiris cared for Horus, but in the current timeline, his heart was replaced with Apophis's and that sense of affection disappeared. To this end, the only thing Horus ends up being to Osiris is the means for Set to be returned to him, as his feelings for Set are one of the few pieces of "Osiris" left within him. (The heart, not the mind, is a person's soul in Ancient Egyptian lore.) 
    • This has never been explicitly stated, but as an observation: I can see why someone who's supposed to have been taught since he was a young child that his destiny was to hate/kill Set (someone who showed him kindness and affection and saved his life) to avenge his father (who doesn't give a damn about him) would be some intense fuel for hating him. His entire life was basically determined by Osiris's selfish desires (to his knowledge- he doesn't know what actually happened).
  • He hates his father out of jealousy because Set cares for Osiris more than for him. Osiris in turn hates Horus for refusing to kill Set and let them be together.
  • ---??? need help translating this one, having trouble figuring the intention out. :(
• Thoughts about Set - From Horus's POV, Set is a strong, calm, and perfect beauty. A dreamlike object of admiration. Set has suffered from a sense of insufficiency, however.
  • Horus works to try to soften Set up any way he can.
    • This is in reference to this comic, which is about men who say "The moon is beautiful." This is a significant statement from the Japanese cultural perspective, as this is often a way to confess romantic love for someone without using the actual words.
• Situation didn't happen- but implies that Horus would laugh at Osiris's dramatics while being scolded.
• He's overly affectionate when he likes someone, and a decidedly touch-friendly person. To the point that Set asks Thoth to basically find out what is wrong with him and hand him over by his face.
  • Basically goes "Tsk!" when he gets rejected. He's shown to be overly affectionate in other strips (including being happy Set is touching him when Set steps on his head), showing that he's borderline harassing with his affections toward Set. He is friendly toward other people (Ares and Anubis, for example) but is not as aggressive, likely because of the competitive nature of Set and Horus's fated battles and Horus having essentially a huge crush on him.
• He's something of a mama's boy. Like seriously, he tells her after he and Set have sex. This is a conversation that they have. And she tells him not to bottom again because Set is bigger/stronger than him, so he has to top. (This likely ties back to dominance, since they're supposed to be locked in an 80-year trial for kingship.)
  • She doesn't say that she can't bang him again tho, just that he's banned from bottoming.
• Horus is thirsty af. He's into Set stepping on him. He flirts with Set on the reg. Set tells him he has a nice butt and apparently that's the lame story of how Set finally comes for him (and then comes for him). 
• Horus is very independent in achieving his goals. Though he has those who support him and he appreciates it, he will absolutely refuse assistance or interference when it comes to his affairs. No seriously, he beheaded his own mother, Isis, for interfering in one of his first battles with Set.
  • Don't worry, gods can cut off body parts like it's nothing. Set cuts out both of Horus's eyes, Horus cuts off one of his balls, Isis cuts off Horus's hands. It's wild.
  • Horus isn't normally as violent as Set is, but is both capable of standing up to him and meeting his challenges, as well as having his own reactions. It is not shown that he randomly delivers acts of violence against anyone who rubs him the wrong way like Set, however.
  • The tweet is vague, but it refers to a battle in mythology that Set challenged Horus to under the sea after the counsel of gods first decided to give the throne to Horus without first killing Set. Set got pissed and challenged him to a battle under the sea. They both transformed into hippopotamus, and during the battle, Isis attempted to help Horus by throwing a harpoon. She hit Horus the first time, withdrew it, then hit Set, then withdrew it after he talked her into playing fair and letting them have their battle. Horus was so frustrated by the whole thing he swam up, abandoned the fight, and beheaded her. Unclear if this is the exact version that the mangaka intends to use, but it comes from The Great Quarrel story from Egyptian lore!
• He likes to gossip with friends at sleepovers. (Sleepover with Ares, who is of the same generation of gods. They're just talking about how amazing Set is, Horus starts to talk about the Cum Lettuce incident, and Set comes to step on his head.)
  • Horus is into the stepping because he's just happy Set is touching him. He's kind of kinky.
• Very confident. Shown at multiple points, from the way he holds himself to the way he challenges Set, a god of war who is much larger than him, constantly. He's been raised basically being told that his domain is the entire sky, when other gods have only held the sun, the moon, the desert, etc. When he's warned to be cautious about Set, Horus reassures Neith (goddess of war, Ra's mother, Horus's great grandmother and teacher) and Isis that he's not worried at all.
  • He shows no hesitation for sexual matters either and despite the fact that in ancient Egypt, bottoming was considered degrading, he is fine with doing it as long as Set pulls out.
• Anubis demonstrates extreme devotion to Horus, but Horus basically tells him to do whatever he wants because Horus is going to do whatever he wants. (Set tells Isis before he's born that Horus is strong-willed and spoiled and to be strict with him after his experience in the first timeline with baby Horus, but it appears he's maintained and perhaps worsened the attitude in the second timeline.)
• He's intelligent. Not only does Neith praise him for having exceptional military prowess, but he's readily able to invade Set's home without much effort.
• Knows when it's tactical to lie. Horus agrees readily with the plans to invade the capitol and overtake Set to Neith, Isis, and Nepthys's faces, but his expression doesn't reflect the seriousness of the situation everyone is showing, instead bearing a sort of distant expression. This is explained a moment later as he expresses that he knows what he's been told and what he knows to be true about Set, Osiris, and the state of Egypt (as previously stated) do not add up. His experiences show him having a much more thoughtful approach than simply obeying his family's orders to take the throne because that is what he was raised to do, but being wise enough to know that if he wants to go, he has to pretend to go along with the initial plan.

Physical Notes

• Height reference - doesn't include Horus, but can compare to Horus and Set heights in other art. Link Horus next to Set here.
  • In Jan 2022, the mangaka confirmed that Horus is 180cm, but he will grow a little taller as he gets older.
• When Horus is a baby through young child, his wings are visible. Horus still has his wings as an adult, but hides them like all the other characters hide their animal characteristics.
  • As adults, the gods do not hide their animal parts with magical powers. Then speaking about Set specifically, says that the beastly parts come out whenever he's tired or relaxed. Basically, if one of the gods needs a nap or is feeling too relaxed, their animal bits (in Horus's case, his wings) will pop out to say hello. This can't be magic though, since Set doesn't have magic. (I can't find any source for how this actually works though.)
• Horus's eyes are different colors-- yellow for the Eye of Ra, containing the sun, and blue for the Eye of Horus, containing the moon.
• Egyptian gods' flesh is allegedly made of gold and their bones of silver. Not super relevant, but interesting to know.

Mythology VS Manga

Though there are many different versions of what happened in mythology, the following events have been confirmed as canonical for this manga's universe:

• Horus is the sky god and eventually considered to be the god of kings. He's 18 at his grown point and has not yet claimed kingship from Set at his canon point.
• Horus and Set are locked in an 80-year battle over this, both canonically and mythologically.
  • Myth: Set killed Osiris for the throne, Horus came to get revenge. They're fierce rivals to the point that the other gods literally get sick of their shit at a certain point.
  • Manga: Osiris is killed by Thoth, but Set takes the blame for it and tells the pregnant Isis to flee to an oasis to raise Horus safely, to return and kill him when he turns 18. Horus is capable of standing up to Set, but seems to have developed a different type of desire and instead treats it more as competitive games. (Wink wonk.)
• Set destroys both of Horus's eyes, rather than just the left, as in Egyptian mythology. Instead of being healed by either Hathor or Thoth depending on the version, the left (traditionally known as the Eye of Horus, in which the moon resides) is healed by Thoth and the right (traditionally the Eye of Ra, in which the sun resides) is healed by Hathor (his eventual consort/wife, a cow goddess of love, daughter of Ra). The author says that the eye Thoth works on is the more powerful of the two.
  • In mythology, Horus offers the Eye of Horus to his father, Osiris, in order to offer him a means to resurrect in the world of the living and in this act of sacrifice, he gains healing magic.
    • Given his attitude toward Osiris in the manga, however, this is unlikely-- or at least not at the currently available canon point. 
  • Comic about how it happened.
• NSFW. Set and Horus both seem to be bisexual in both the manga and mythology. In manga's main story, Set doesn't express sexual interest in anyone (including never consummating his marriage). In mythology, Set and Horus have sex with Set on top, but Horus catches his semen with his hand. His mother Isis then cuts his hands off and throws them and the cum in the Nile. In both mythology and an in-manga insert strip, Horus cums on Set's favorite food (lettuce) and tricks him into eating his cum, so that when the gods check who was the "dominant" one by enchanting their semen to sing out from where they are, Set's is in the river and Horus's is inside Set.
  • He's fine bragging about it, too.