The Audience Engagement Specialist

What was the Typhonian Beast?

Also called the Set Animal, it is something of a historical mystery from Ancient Egypt.

The Egyptian gods had animal heads and animal forms, and were associated with animals, nearly all of which were commonplace: the ibis, the ram, eagle, etc. However, the Egyptian god Set is unique in that he is associated with a creature that is purely mythic or a creation of the imagination, the Typhonian Beast. It looks like something midway between a donkey, anteater, and a greyhound, with square long ears and a forked tail.

What was the Typhonian Beast, anyway? There are many theories. One theory is that, since it has no obviously fantastical attributes, and is seen elsewhere in Egyptian art in other contexts beyond religion or myth, it is a kind of ordinary animal that went extinct in ancient times. This isn’t too farfetched. Europe had a species of lion that went extinct in the Bronze Age (hence, stories in Greece about heroes like Hercules fighting lions). Another theory is that it is a kind of unusual breed of domesticated dog, something similar to a greyhound or saluki. The unusual tail and ears could be because of ear-clipping and body modification, which were commonly practiced.