Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology

by O'Brien, Cory

That is his name

  Set.

  I’m not talking about some kind of dick set

  such as you might purchase for an adult tea party.

  I am talking about the Egyptian god of the desert

  and also storms, darkness, and chaos.

  Basically if you are not having a good time

  Set is right there, flipping you off with both hands

  while jacking off

  with his third hand?

  Or maybe with a hand he stole

  FROM A BABY.

  What I mean is, Set’s a dick.

  The reason I mention Set

  is that he gets all butthurt over not being king of the gods

  so he has this great plan

  which is he makes this coffin out of wood

  which is like tailor-made for Osiris basically

  and then he calls up all the gods like “HEY, GUYS YOU SHOULD COME OVER

  I’M HAVING A WEIRD COFFIN PARTY.”

  And all the gods are like “Oh shit, weird coffin party.

  We’ll be right over.”

  So they all get there and Set is like “All right I made this coffin.

  Whoever fits perfectly inside it gets candy.”

  And of course, all the gods think this sounds like an awesome idea

  so they all take turns trying to get into the coffin

  and they all fail

  but then it’s Osiris’s turn

  and Osiris is like “I dunno, guys this seems like a transparent ruse.”

  but then he gets in the coffin anyway

  and it slams shut and locks

  and Set lines it with lead and throws it in the Nile river

  and everyone is like “Whoa, major coffin-party foul.”

  and Set is like “So I get to be king now, right?”

  AND HE DOES.

  So naturally Osiris’s wife Isis decides to go find him

  so she can at least bury him properly now that he has drowned

  and she finds out that the coffin has floated all the way to Byblos

  (which is actually just Lebanon in disguise)

  and gotten absorbed by an oak tree

  which got cut down

  and used to build a support pillar

  in a palace

  for the king of Byblos.

  Shiiiit.

  So Isis shows up in Byblos like “Hey queen

  my husband is embedded in your palace

  may I please extract him?”

  And the queen is like “Sure, go ahead.

  It’s not like he’s a major structural support or anything, right?”

  and Isis is like “Haha, sucker.”

  And she goes and removes the pillar

  WITHOUT DAMAGING THE PALACE AT ALL

  thus inventing Jenga.

  Except instead of delicately placing the coffin on top of the palace

  Isis takes out Osiris’s body and drags it back to Egypt

  and buries it in the desert

  so he can finally rest in peace

  apparently forgetting that Set is the GOD OF THE DESERT.

  So Set very quickly sniffs out Osiris’s grave

  and is like “Hmm I haven’t fucked with this guy enough.

  How about I tear him into fourteen pieces

  and then EAT HIS DICK.”

  So that is what he does

  and he chucks the other thirteen pieces all the fuck everywhere

  and then Isis is like “What is that noise?

  It better not be my husband getting ripped up and thrown everywhere.”

  BUT IT IS TOO LATE

  IT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED

  and Isis finds out and she is like “Seriously? I just buried this guy.

  Now I gotta go find all these body parts and bury them AGAIN

  even though Set will prolly just find them again and rip them into SMALLER pieces.”

  Anyway, she manages to find all the pieces

  (which have turned into full moons by the way)

  except for his dick

  because like I said

  SET ATE IT

  so Isis is like “Maaaan

  Osiris’s dick was like the most important part of his personality”

  so what she does

  is she makes a GOLD COCK

  and she hangs it around her neck

  and BAM

  Osiris is alive again

  with a golden dong

  thus laying the groundwork for Mike Myers’s cinematic triumph, Goldmember

  and also getting Isis pregnant with Horus

  because I guess that dick necklace was more potent than she bargained for.

  So ladies

  I guess the moral of the story is

  don’t wear a cock around your neck

  because unplanned pregnancy is the WORST accessory.

  THOTH IS JUST GIVING OUT SCORPIONS

  So Osiris is back in action and his dick is more blinged out than ever

  BUT ALL IS NOT WELL

  because as soon as Osiris gets resurrected

  ISIS GIVES BIRTH TO THIS DUDE NAMED HORUS.

  Actually, that is not the bad part

  because Horus is a pretty cool dude, honestly.

  No, see, the bad part

  is that seeing as Set was totally willing to EAT OSIRIS’S DICK

  just to prevent him from getting a proper burial

  all signs point toward he is going to murder the CRAP out of this baby

  especially since Horus is totally fated to murder Set if he ever gets old enough.

  So Isis is pretty careful about keeping her baby away from murder

  but then one day, Set is like “HEY, ISIS COME INTO THIS SPINNING MILL.”

  and Isis is like “SPINNING MILL, HOORAY.”

  And then Set is like “Oh, did I say spinning mill?

  I meant WRETCHED IMPRISONMENT FOREVER

  I AM SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION

  JUST KIDDING, TOTALLY NOT SORRY.”

  So Isis is understandably upset about this

  and so is this super-wise dude named Thoth

  so he comes down and is like “Hey, Isis how would you like to escape this prison?”

  And Isis is like “I would like that a lot.”

  so Thoth is like “Boom. You got it.

  Here, have some scorpions.”

  And Isis is like “WHAT, WHY WOULD YOU GIVE ME SCORPIONS?”

  And Thoth is like “Chill out. These scorpions will guide you to safety.

  I’m the god of wisdom, okay? I’ve got this handled.”

  so Isis takes Horus, and they follow these seven scorpions for like a WEEK.

  No one has any ideas where they are going

  probably because the guides in this scenario are SCORPIONS.

  SCORPIONS ARE NOT THE ULTIMATE GUIDES, MY FRIENDS.

  THEY ARE FANTASTIC AT STINGING THE CRAP OUT YOU

  BUT I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE NOT KNOWN FOR THEIR SENSE OF DIRECTION.

  But after a lot of bullshit, Isis and the scorpions and Horus finally arrive in some town

  and Isis goes and knocks on the door of some rich chick’s house

  and the rich chick is like “Oh, why hello there HOLY SHIT SCORPIONS.

  NO NO NO NO NO.”

  But so no sooner has the rich chick slammed her door

  than this poor chick is like “Hey there.

  I see you have some scorpions.

  I’m so poor that I have even pawned my fear of death.

  Come crash at my hovel.”

  But then PLOT TWIST

  the scorpions all throw a fit about not being invited
into the other house

  so they go inside and sting the crap out of the rich chick’s baby

  and she hears the baby crying and she is like “What’s that noise?

  I hope it’s not the sound of my baby getting stung by SCORPIONS.

  OH SHIT SCORPIONS.”

  And Isis hears all this commotion

  and she is like “SCORPIONS YOU ARE THE SHITTIEST GUIDES.

  NOW I HAVE TO SOLVE ALL THE PROBLEMS.”

  So she runs up to where the baby is busy dying

  and she is like “Hey, poison, get out of that baby.”

  And the poison is like “Maaaan . . . fine.”

  and then Isis leaves, like “ANOTHER DAY SAVED

  THANKS TO ME AND NO THANKS TO THESE SCORPIONS.”

  And then she ends up in the marsh she was supposed to check out

  and she hides Horus in the mud, like “Okay, son

  I am going to bury you in marsh filth now

  among poisonous animals some of which I KNOW to be irritable scorpions

  so just try not to move around too much. I’m gonna go get burgers.”

  So Isis comes back later

  and she is like “Hey, Horus would you like some burgers?

  Hmm . . . you don’t seem to be moving at all or breathing or anything.

  Oh noooo.

  Set, did you turn into a snake and poison my baby?”

  And Set is like “Yup.”

  And Isis proceeds to scream the most heavy metal scream possible

  it is so metal that it STOPS THE SUN

  or more accurately, THE SUNBOAT.

  And Ra is chilling in the boat with all of his hookers and stuff

  and it stops all of a sudden

  with one of those record scratch noises you hear in bad teen movies

  and everyone is like “Whaaaat?

  Thoth, go find out what Isis is angry about.”

  so Thoth goes down there like “Woman, I hooked you up with scorpions and everything. What now?”

  and Isis is like “Look, I know you are itching to get your bone on in the backseat of the sunboat

  but could you do me a solid and just revive my son real quick?”

  and Thoth is like “Oh yeah, no problem. Done.

  By the way, how were those scorpions? Pretty sweet, right?”

  and Isis is like “They were a pack of angry scorpions

  that you gave to a single mother with a child.”

  Anyway Horus is alive now

  but he and Isis still have to hide out in the marshes

  while his balls gather sufficient mass to allow him to murder Set.

  So basically the moral of the story

  is that scorpions are only good for one thing

  and that one thing is rad tattoos.

  HORUS JERKS OFF IN SET’S SALAD

  So Horus grows up

  and Isis is like “Hey, son, remember that asshole Set? The one who you are destined to ruin?”

  and Horus is like “I mean you never stop talking about him

  and also he turned into a snake and poisoned me to death when I was a baby.

  That tends to make people pretty memorable when they do stuff like that.”

  and Isis is like “Well, why haven’t you killed him yet?”

  and Horus is like “JEEZ, MOM, FINE GET OFF MY BACK.

  HEY, SET, I’M ’BOUT TO KILL YOU GET READY.”

  So Set shows up like “OH NO, YOU DIDN’T.”

  And Horus is like “HOLD STILL FOR A SECOND. LET ME STAB YOUR FACE.”

  And Isis is like “OH SHIT, STOP. I JUST REMEMBERED THAT SET IS MY

  BROTHER.”

  and Horus tries to break her legs

  but then she stabs him

  and Set gets away

  and Horus is like “Wow, Mom.

  Seriously?”

  But Isis heals him later so it’s fine.

  Wait, what am I talking about

  shit is so un-fine you could coat sandpaper with it and then use it to shave off a goat’s face.

  Because now Set is thinking as HARD AS HE CAN about how to screw over Horus

  and finally he’s like “I KNOW

  I will use my SEMEN to solve this problem.

  HEY, HORUS, WANNA HAVE SEX?

  And Horus is like “Well, normally I would say no

  but today I am an idiot, so okay.”

  and they have a bunch of sweaty sex

  but then right at the crucial moment

  Horus uses his lightning reflexes to parry Set’s manbatter

  because apparently it’s not gay if the jizz stays outside your butt.

  So then he’s got a handful of manana cream pie

  and he’s like “Eww, what am I going to do with this?

  I KNOW, I’LL THROW IT IN A RIVER.”

  and thus invents hand washing and pollution SIMULTANEOUSLY

  so now HORUS is thinking about how to fuck over SET

  and he’s like “Hmm . . .

  Apparently the name of the game

  is ‘get your semen inside of the other guy’s body.’

  I don’t make the rules

  I just make the jizz.

  Let’s make this happen.”

  So he sneaks into Set’s house and jerks off in his salad

  and then Set eats the salad and Horus is like “HAHA YOU JUST ATE MY SPOOGE.”

  Is it just me, or is spooge the single least attractive synonym for dickglue?

  Anyway, Set is like “BULLSHIT.

  LET’S GO BEFORE THE REST OF THE GODS

  AND NEEDLESSLY AIR OUR DIRTY LAUNDRY

  IN HOPES OF DETERMINING SUPERIORITY.”

  So they call together the other gods

  and Set is like “Guys

  I totally jizzed in Horus’s butt.

  That means I’m better than him, right?

  and Horus is like “You didn’t jizz in my butt. What are you talking about?

  Go ahead and call for your sperm.

  See where they’re at.”

  Yeah, apparently these dudes keep in touch with all their sperm.

  Talk about being a devoted father.

  Anyway, Set is like “FINE.

  OHHH SPERRMMMM. WHERE AAARE YOUUUU?”

  And the sperm is like “HERE WE ARE IN THE RIVER.”

  and Set is like “Dammit, Horus

  Did you block my cock?”

  and Horus is like “That is in fact exactly what I did.

  Now hold on lemme find out where my sperm is at real quick.”

  And the sperm is like “HERE WE ARE IN SET’S STOMACH.”

  And Set is like “NOOOO.”

  And everyone else is like “Wow.

  This is astonishingly stupid

  how about we settle this pissing contest with a reasonable competition

  like a boat race

  except the boats are made of stone.

  THAT’S PERFECT THAT’S NOT STUPID AT ALL.”

  So Set and Horus get their boats ready

  but Horus has a secret

  which is that his boat is actually MADE OF WOOD

  it’s just painted to look like stone

  which raises a couple of questions:

  First of all

  why didn’t anyone check to see if Horus’s boat was actually made of stone?

  And second of all

  since they didn’t

  WHY DID SET NOT DO THIS?

  DOES HE NOT REALIZE THAT STONE IS THE WORST THING TO MAKE BOATS OUT OF?

  I mean, maybe he thinks they are trying to race to the bottom of the lake

  in which case I understand

&
nbsp; either that or he’s SCRUPULOUSLY HONEST

  but we’re talking about the god of storms, chaos, and evil

  who has been known to do things like eat the balls of his enemies

  and then try to kill their babies

  and then when their babies grow up

  try to have buttsex with the very same babies

  so I feel like honesty is not top of his priority list.

  But anyway they have the race and Set’s boat sinks

  and Horus wins

  and as a result he gets to be king of Egypt

  and Set has to be his bitch forever.

  So the moral of the story

  is next time you are jockeying for a sweet promotion

  consider jizzing in your coworkers’ food

  but make sure to also brush up on your boat-racing just in case.

  MAYAN

  I’ve never been freaked out by a calendar even a little

  just getting a rise out of me with a calendar is a feat on its own

  but the Mayans are the MVPs of making calendars, man.

  You have to hand it to a culture that can make a calendar SO INTENSE

  that it is still freaking people out CENTURIES LATER.

  And they didn’t stop at just freaking people out.

  No, see, these dudes wrote a whole fan fiction for their calendar.

  It’s called the Popol Vuh

  and it is basically just a super-complicated code version of the calendar itself

  secretly translated by some Mayan dudes

  around the time that the Spanish were killing everybody

  and now

  it is time to take that sacred and clandestine work of those brave souls

  and mock the shit out of it.

  THE MAYANS HAVE THE MOST BRUTAL CALENDAR

  So there is this one Mayan dude, right?

  he has like fifty goddamn names

  Like Hurucan, and Gugumatz, and Heart-of-Sky

  and I’m not even really sure if he is one Mayan dude

  or like, a collection of Mayan dudes

  because they keep acting like he is two people

  but the two people never do anything independently

  so they’re basically just one person

  or some kind of hive mind.

  Anyway, we’re going to call this thing Quetzalcoatl.

  Quetzalcoatl is bored, because all there is anywhere

  is just a whole bunch of water and some sky

  and it’s not even interesting sky because there is no light

  so Quetzalcoatl is like “Okay, boom.”

  And there is some light