From: "mluban@netzero.net" Date: Tue, 12 May 2009 17:29:25 GMT To: AEgyptian-L@rostau.org.uk Subject: AEL Two Interesting Demotic Tales As told by Herodotus, a certain king of Egypt, called "Pheros" was struck with blindness during the time of a high Nile when a gale blew with great force. Pheros was punished, ostensibly by the river-god, Hapi, for having the temerity to hurl a spear into the turbulent waters [The king as harpooner is a theme that has been seen in the art]. And so Pheros lived as a blind man for ten years. In his eleventh year [of reign], he received an oracle from Buto [ancient Pe and modern Tell el-Fara'in] that the term of his affliction had come to an end and that he could regain his sight if it were possible for him to rinse his eyes with the urine of a woman who had never slept with a man other than her own husband. The urine of the wife of Pheros did not prove helpful, nor that of other women whose urine the king tested out. The unfaithful women were rounded up and gathered in a town called Erythrebolos ["red clod"], and burnt up along with the entire place. Diodorus Siculus agrees in most respects with Herodotus when it comes to "Pheros". However, Diodorus adds the information that the wife of a common gardener effected the cure for blindness, and Pheros married this woman. Moreover, the oracle advised Pheros to offer unto the god of Heliopolis, Ra. In this version the faithless women are burned in a place that was called "Bolos". So the difference in the location are perhaps just a whim of the translator, since "Bolos" remains just "clod". Heliopolis, according to Diodorus, is where Pheros erected his two giant obelisks in thanks for the return of his sight. Kim Ryholt recently published a Demotic version of the above tale from a somewhat fragmentary source discovered among the Carlsberg Papyri. In this Demotic piece, composed some centuries after Herodotus and Diodorus, the king does not hurl a spear into the waters but, presumably into the chest of the husband of a woman he covets, while his heart is "raging like the sea". The gods may have been displeased with the pharaoh on account of his deed, because he does lose his sight. However, in a dream, he is told that the tears [not urine] of a virtuous woman, who had known no other man except her husband, would effect the cure. However, the 40 wives of the ruler were made to weep and he only became worse. Therefore, an end was made to these concubines. The son of the king, herein called "Necho" [n k3w], relates to his father how he met a virtuous female in the city of Heracleopolis, near the Faiyum [Hnn nswt, modern Ihnasya el-Medina]. From this lady's tears the pharaoh is able to make an eyewash, regain his sight-- and then the story breaks off. The second interesting [but little known] Demotic tale has to do with a man who wished to get rid of his wife so that he could marry a lady who was royally connected. Due to a lacuna, it cannot be learned from the papyrus fragment just what he did to her to put her out of the picture--perhaps poisoned her, choked her, or hit her over the head. At any rate, the man shut his wife into a coffin and gave it to the Overseer of the Necropolis. Evidently, the wife did not receive the benefit of mummification, possibly indicating that the husband did not want anyone to view his handiwork or ask any questions. However, once at the necropolis the wife awoke in her coffin with a start, probably began to make some cries, leading the people at the cemetery to believe that she was a goddess. After indicating that this wife was in a state of wrath over what had been done to her, the papyrus unfortunately breaks off. This story set me to thinking about why would those at the necropolis believe the woman was a goddess. The most obvious answer was that she was a dead woman who had come back to life, that a miracle had occurred. Therefore, the lady must have super-human ability if she could defy death in such a manner, even after having been shut up in a wooden coffin. It is my thought that this tale affords a hint, albeit admittedly a small one, as to why Queen Ahmose-Nefertari was shown with a pitch-black face after her death. She was, indeed, deified as a goddess [revered especially by the necropolis workers at Deir el Medina]but the color of her skin was perhaps meant to indicate resurrection. Possibly, at some point prior to her ultimate demise [in old age if the mummy identified as hers is the correct one] the queen had gone into a comatose state, been given up for dead, and then made a "miraculous" recovery. Such things have been known to occur, if rarely, in the history of the world and, lacking embalming, people used to be terrified of being buried alive. Reference: "The Petese Stories II"4 by Kim Ryholt, Copenhagen (2006) Marianne Luban Author of "The Pharaoh's Barber" A mystery set in the court of Thutmose III http://tinyurl.com/5qqvzt ============================================================================== From: "Nathalie Andrews" To: Subject: AEL AEL Date: Sun, 17 May 2009 20:49:36 +0100 Hello, Is there anyone else currently on the AEL List? Is anybody in the process of reading any texts? I am a doctoral student, writing my thesis on the Papyrus of Ani. I would love to discuss the language and get as much practice in translation as I can, but this list has been completely silent since I joined. :( Nat ==============================================================================