In the fourth in a series of articles exploring myths and tales from ancient Egypt, Dr Joyce Tyldesley introduces us to the New Kingdom story of the prince whose fate was foretold at his birth.
This EighteenthDynasty fantasyincludes elements that can be found in modern fairy tales; it may remind readers of Sleeping Beauty (the bad fairy at the christening) or Rapunzel (the princess trapped in her high tower). To the Egyptians, the story echoed the themes found in The Shipwrecked Sailor (travel away from home: AE99, p.20) and the Destruction of Mankind (the use of alcohol to deflect a destroyer; AE98, p.32). The tale follows the journey of an unnamed prince as he travels from Egypt, across the Sinai land bridge, to the faraway but real land of Naharin (more commonly known as Mitanni) on the Euphrates River. He travels by horse-driven chariot, a means of transport introduced to Egypt by the Second Intermediate Period Hyksos kings.
The Tale
There once lived a king who was sad because he had no children. He prayed to the gods that his wife might give birth, and they granted his wish. Nine months later a son was born. The king was beside himself with happiness. Then the Seven Hathors (see pp. 34, 35) arrived to declare the baby’s fate. The prediction was grim: “He will meet his death through a dog, or through a snake, or through a crocodile.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 101 من Ancient Egypt.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 101 من Ancient Egypt.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
INSIDE THE STEP PYRAMID OF DJOSER
Sean McLachlan explores the recently reopened interior of this iconic Third Dynasty Saqqara monument.
PER MESUT: for younger readers
She Who Loves Silence
Highlights of the Manchester Museum 29: An Offering by Queen Tiye for her Husband
Campbell Price describes an offering table with a touching significance.
Highlights Of The Manchester Museum 28: Busts Of Jesse And Marianne Haworth
Campbell Price describes the significance of two statue busts on display in the Museum.
TAKABUTI, the Belfast Mummy
Rosalie David and Eileen Murphy explain how scientific examination of the ‘Belfast Mummy’ is revealing much new information about her life and times.
Lost Golden City
An Egyptian Mission searching for the mortuary temple of Tutankhamun has discovered a settlement – “The Dazzling of Aten” – described as the largest city ever found in Egypt (see above). Finds bearing the cartouches of Amenhotep III (see opposite, top) date the settlement to his reign, c. 1390-1352 BC – making it about 3400 years old.
Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacharib's Departure and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem
BOOK REVIEWS
Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting Identities from the Graeco-Roman Period by Campbell Price
BOOK REVIEWS
Old And New Kingdom Discoveries At Saqqara
An Egyptian team working on a Sixth Dynasty pyramid complex near the Teti pyramid at Saqqara has made a series of important discoveries.
Map Of Egypt
What’s in a name? It is easy for us to forget that the names we associate with the pyramids – such as the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid or the Black Pyramid – would have been meaningless to their builders.
