Although Set was originally viewed as the son and defender of Ra and the Egyptian kings, his reputation amongst the people declined along with the rise of the cult of Osiris. Originally a vegetation god, Osiris became one of the pre-eminent gods of the Egyptian pantheon. His worship stressed the role of Set as violence personified; the murderer of his brother and usurper of his throne who, instead of standing alongside Horus, became his eternal enemy. This view of Set was encouraged during the Second Intermediate Period, when Egypt was invaded by the Hyksos, people from Western Asia, whose god Sutekh became identified with Set. Sutekh is a name and epithet of Set and was not the name of the god of the Hyksos.