Reading Notes: The Tale of King Rhampsinitus

-Rhampsinitus built the western portion of the temple of Ptah and two statues to Summer and Winter
-he ordered for a stone warehouse to be built for his treasure
-one of the builders made it where a stone could be removed from the outside in order to get inside
-the man became ill so he told his two sons about the stone
-the sons went to take some treasure at night
-the king was astonished that his treasure continued to disappear while the seals remained intact so he set traps
-on their next raid, one of the brothers got caught in a trap
-he decided that to save his brother, he must have his head cut off so no one would recognize him
-his brother did so
-the king hung the body from the palace to see who would come to mourn
-the mother of the brothers told her surviving son to retrieve the body
-using donkeys carrying wine, he tricked the guards and got them drunk
   -he shaved their right cheek before leaving with his brother's body
-the king told his daughter to find the criminal
-she said she would be the brothers bride if he told her the most artful and most wicked things he has done
-he told her about cutting off his brothers head and tricking the guards
-the princess tried to seize him but she grabbed the severed arm of the dead brother and he escaped
-the king was genuinely impressed with with the man's cunning so he promised to pardon him if he were to come forward
-he lived happily ever after, marrying the kings daughter and working in the kings court

The Pyramids at Giza. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Tale of King Rhampsinitus" from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).

Reading Notes: The Green Jewel

-Khafra tells a story about King Sneferu
-Sneferu was bored, finding no entertainment in the palace
-his scribe suggested he go boating, with the rowers being beautiful girls
-Sneferu, the scribe, and 20 girls sailed around a lake on a elaborately decorated boat and the girls sang all the while
-An oar handle hit the girl who was steering, knocking a green jewel from her hair and into the water
-She and the rest of the girls stop singing and rowing
-Sneferu asks why they stopped and the girls explain
-He offers to give her another green jewel but she only wants her own green jewel
-After explaining this to the scribe, the scribe utters magic words, parting the water of the lake, and retrieving the girls jewel
-He utters another spell and the water goes back to the way it had been
-The trip continued
-Later, at the palace, Sneferu gave the scribe gifts and marveled at what he had done

The Hooker Emerald Brooch. Source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Green Jewel" from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).