Reading Notes: Part B for Week 5: Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories - The Tale of King Rhampsinitus
The story that I found most fascinating out of this section of reading is The Tale of King Rhampsinitus. The story tells of a wealthy king who ruled over Egypt, possessing great wealth and riches. Yet, with the cunningness of two brothers who steals his treasures, the king is distressed and bid to find the robbers. This story illustrates the ingenuity of the common man and the remorse of the king.
The story begins with King Rhampsinitus, who reigned over Egypt. He possessed great wealth and commanded that a strong stone chamber be constructed to store his wealth. However, one of the builders, in his cunningness, set a stone in such a way that it could be removed from the outside of the chamber.
Upon the completion of the chamber, the king deposited his abundance of treasures inside and placed guards outside the entrance. Yet, the man who devised a secret way to thwart the king's precious treasure chamber was stricken with sickness. So, he told his two sons about the secret about the stone. Upon his passing, the two sons proceeded under the cover of nightfall to exploit their father's plan.
The two sons arrived at the chamber, removing the stone and carrying away much of the king's treasures. The king, amazed at this feat since the seal to the door remained whole, eventually set traps inside the chamber after repeated instances of the robbers carrying away his treasure.
Soon, the two brothers returned, and one entered the chamber, only to be caught in a trap with no means of escape. Fearing retaliation, the brother instructs his sibling to behead him, for then the king shall not know who he is. So, the other brother beheads his own blood and escaped in the night.
Morning came, and the king discovered the headless corpse hanging in his chamber. He had the corpse hung and guarded so that anyone who felt sorrow for the man could be caught. Meanwhile, their mother mourned in secret, imposing upon her remaining son that he should recover the corpse less she divulge to the king of their acts.
So, the brother hired asses adorned with many skins of wine and headed off towards the palace. Arriving at the palace, he removed the stoppers of the skins, allowing precious wine to run down the highway. The soldiers ran forth to help, only to fall victim to the cunning son who managed to get them drunk and steal the corpse of this brother back from the king.
Angered, the king sent forth his own daughter to deceive the brother and have him caught. Yet, the brother managed to escape her grasp. Astonished by the cunning and daring robber, the king proclaims that he shall be offered a free pardon and generous reward upon his appearance. So, the king gave the robber his daughter's hand in marriage, in awe of the robber's ingenuity.
I particularly enjoyed this story because it tells of how the common men under the king's rule were able to thwart him, stealing his treasure and making a mockery of him and his guards. I was also interested to read about the king's change of heart for the robber, praising him instead of punishing him. The king was utterly shocked with the robber's ingenuity and audacity that he even offered his daughter's hand in marriage to the common man.
Bibliography: The Tale of King Rhampsinitus from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald MacKenzie (1907)
The story begins with King Rhampsinitus, who reigned over Egypt. He possessed great wealth and commanded that a strong stone chamber be constructed to store his wealth. However, one of the builders, in his cunningness, set a stone in such a way that it could be removed from the outside of the chamber.
Upon the completion of the chamber, the king deposited his abundance of treasures inside and placed guards outside the entrance. Yet, the man who devised a secret way to thwart the king's precious treasure chamber was stricken with sickness. So, he told his two sons about the secret about the stone. Upon his passing, the two sons proceeded under the cover of nightfall to exploit their father's plan.
The two sons arrived at the chamber, removing the stone and carrying away much of the king's treasures. The king, amazed at this feat since the seal to the door remained whole, eventually set traps inside the chamber after repeated instances of the robbers carrying away his treasure.
Soon, the two brothers returned, and one entered the chamber, only to be caught in a trap with no means of escape. Fearing retaliation, the brother instructs his sibling to behead him, for then the king shall not know who he is. So, the other brother beheads his own blood and escaped in the night.
Morning came, and the king discovered the headless corpse hanging in his chamber. He had the corpse hung and guarded so that anyone who felt sorrow for the man could be caught. Meanwhile, their mother mourned in secret, imposing upon her remaining son that he should recover the corpse less she divulge to the king of their acts.
So, the brother hired asses adorned with many skins of wine and headed off towards the palace. Arriving at the palace, he removed the stoppers of the skins, allowing precious wine to run down the highway. The soldiers ran forth to help, only to fall victim to the cunning son who managed to get them drunk and steal the corpse of this brother back from the king.
Angered, the king sent forth his own daughter to deceive the brother and have him caught. Yet, the brother managed to escape her grasp. Astonished by the cunning and daring robber, the king proclaims that he shall be offered a free pardon and generous reward upon his appearance. So, the king gave the robber his daughter's hand in marriage, in awe of the robber's ingenuity.
I particularly enjoyed this story because it tells of how the common men under the king's rule were able to thwart him, stealing his treasure and making a mockery of him and his guards. I was also interested to read about the king's change of heart for the robber, praising him instead of punishing him. The king was utterly shocked with the robber's ingenuity and audacity that he even offered his daughter's hand in marriage to the common man.
Treasure Chest with Jewelry - Courtesy of ThoughtCo
Bibliography: The Tale of King Rhampsinitus from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald MacKenzie (1907)
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