Russ&Suzie

Trip Log
2008-11-27 14:30:08 (UTC)

Ancient Egypt stories

Continuing to read Chronicles of the Pharaohs by Clayton
with special focus on the Old Kingdom and fourth dynasty
(the folks who did the big pyramids of Giza as well as the
famous large sphinx there). Reading before bedtime
resulted in my dreams featuring those kings of 4600 to
4500 years ago, especially Khufu (the biggest pyramid plus
the huge solar boat that used cedar boards from Lebanon),
Khafre (he did the second biggest pyramid that retains its
limestone topping and also the sphinx), and Menkaure the
next in line who did the smallest pyramid. My "peace
imagery" mind caught onto the information that he
contrasted to Khufu and Khafre who were particularly harsh
in their pyramid-building. He reopened temples and
repealed oppressive measures. But the oracle at Buto (in
the delta), articulating Wadjet the sacred cobra that
protected pharaoh) said he'd last only six years after
which oppression would return. He determined to overcome
this stricture and worked to keep candles lit during the
night in order to lengthen his tenure. Legend had him
dying after the six years after all, but other sources
apparently tell it was 28 years, enough time to build an
even bigger pyramid.

These guys were fourth dynasty: the forebear who began it,
Khufu's father named Snefru, had a curious story told
about him in a papyrus now in Berlin (I recall we looked
at the Egyptian Museum when in Berlin but not this story):

Bored one day, his grandson told how the ruler wandered
his palace bored whereupon his "chief lector priest"
suggested he get rowed in the lake by the younger palace
ladies -- "all the beauties ... in the palace chamber" --
which Snefru thought a good idea, commanding "Let there be
brought to me twenty nets, and lets these nets be given to
those women when they have taken off all their clothes ...
and ... the heart of his majesty was happy at this sight
of their rowing." Clayton notes this may be the first
recorded use of fishnets in erotic context, later taken
over by fishnet stockings.

The excursion had its problems: one of the rowing ladies
lost her fish-shaped turquoise hair piece and would not go
on until she got it back. The king's promise of a
replacement wouldn't do. So the same chief lector priest
parted the waters to find it on a potsherd on the bottom
so the kingly excursion might continue.





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