Reading Diary B: week 4, Egyptian Stories part 2

The Two Brothers: Part One

• Anpu the older brother and Bata the younger
• Bata lived with Anpu and did all of the labor for him
• Bata had an equal who was a god
• Bata was first to rise and took care of his brother and his oxen
• Anpu's wife hit on Bata which angered Bata
• Anpu's wife claimed Bata had beaten her
• Anpu went out to slay his brother

The Two Brothers: Part Two

• When Bata had returned to the byre, an ox had informed Bata that his brother is hiding with a dagger to kill him with. The 2nd ox told him to flee
• Bata cried to Ra, who heard his cries and caused a river full of crocodiles to flow between to the two brothers
• Bata had to explain to Anpu what had happened.
• Anpu went home and killed his wife
• Ra summoned the Khunmu to find a wife for Bata
• Hathor was given to Bata who he revealed his secrets to

The Two Brothers: Part Three

• Bata's wife went for a walk by the sea
• The sea spirit wanted to make her his so she ran home
• Acacia heard of the wants and got a lock of her hair that was sent away to Egypt to be washed by the kings washers
• The hair had a sweet scent to it that the king wanted
• He sent messengers to the acacia to retrieve her but Bata killed all of them
• He sent a woman, and the wife went with her.
• The acacia was cut down and Bata died for his soul was in the tree
• Anpu found Bata dead. He went to search for his brother's soul
• Anpu found the soul of  Bata in an acacia seed.
• Anpu planted the seed and Bata grew from it.
• Bata told Anpu that he was going to become a bull that will ride to where his wife is and he will ride upon him.

The Two Brothers: Part Four

• The king rejoiced in Anpu's arrival.
• Bata in bull form found his wife and told her he knew she was the reason that he had died
• The wife went to the king and told him she wanted to eat the liver of the bull because he spoke unkindly to her
• The bulls blood was dropped outside the gate of the palace
• Two Persea trees grew over night where the blood fell
• The wife knew Bata was in the trees and asked for them to be cut down
• As the trees were being cut down, the wife ate a small piece of wood
• The king made the baby the prince of Ethiopia.
• The new king Bata summoned his wife before him and he told her his true identity
• Anpu was declared the new heir and took the throne after Bata ruled for 30 years

The Book of Thoth: Part One

• Ahura was the wife to Nefer-ka-ptah.
• They have a child named Merab
• He read his ancestors words everyday in the House of Life
• He went to the temple to pray but ended up reading all the writings on the walls.
• A priest told him about the Book of Thoth
• The Book of Thoth holds all the magic power in the world.
• Nefer-ka-ptah wanted to do whatever it took to find the book
• In exchange for the book the priest asked to be buried
• The priest told Nefer-ka-ptah the location and he ran home to tell his wife of the book
• She didn't want him to go because the land he was going to was dangerous
• The family went to the Southern Land
• The highest priest greeted them and took them to the temple
• An ox sacrifice was made and a feast of honor was held

The Book of Thoth: Part Two

• On the fifth day Nefer and Isis made a magic box and put men on a boat in the magic cabin
• The magic boat was sent to the Southern Land and Ahura waited behind
• Nefer put a magic spell over the snakes and scorpions
• He faced the snake no man could kill, cut it into pieces, but it assembled itself again.
• He killed him differently and took the box and discovered what the priest said was true
• His wife read the book and was given the power too
• They made sacrifices and said back to the Northern Land

The Book of Thoth: Part Three

• Thoth became enraged when he realized Nefer had taken his book  and told Ra of this
• Ra gave him the authority to do what he wanted with the family
• On the trip back, Merab looked over the edge and by the power of Ra he was sucked into the river and drowned
• The boat sailed back to Koptos for Merab to be buried
• At the place Merab had died, his mother looked over the edge and was too pulled in and drowned
• They sailed back to Koptos for her to be buried
• Nefer felt the power of Ra sucking him in. He tied the book to his chest so that Thoth couldn't have it again
• He was drowned and the ship sailed on
• Nefer's body was found floating in the water by the barge
• The king had his body with the book buried

The Tale of King Rhampsinitus

• King Rhampsinitus builf the western portion of the temple Ptah
• The builder of the tomb died but not before telling his two sons the location of the kings riches
• The sons went to steal all of the riches
• One brother was trapped and his head was cut off
• The corpse was hung outside the palace but the brother wanted the body back
• The brother tricked the guards into getting the body
• The king was impressed with his ability to escape and granted him a pardon

Papyrus paper. Source