Week 4 - Reading Diary

Oh, yeah! You know what time it is? That's right, playas! It's Ancient Egypt mythology time! This stuff is fantastic - whacked out, full of betrayal, and clearly one of the most intriguing mythologies in history.

Ra - here is one of the coolest gods ever. First of all, the strength of this guy is based on the position of the sun. Crazy awesome. But wait, there's more! He spends most of his time taking new forms and walking the earth, so he's not only a god, but he also takes the classic role of "the wanderer". It's such a rich story.

The secret name of Ra is a fantastic story. I'm quite interested in this stuff. The gods of Egypt seem relatively Greek, but something seems to set them apart from the gods of Greek mythology, who always seem to be incredibly human - possibly to a fault. However, the Egyptian gods are above the human race, most assuredly.

I think my favorite story, so far, is that of the Wax Crocodile. Crocodiles in general are a fantastic creature and play a very interesting role in the Egyptian mythology. I still don't entirely understand what the story means, but that's part of the intrigue for me. I think there's so much going on, symbolically, that I need to reread it and see if there is anything else I might can discover in terms of hidden meaning.

The Two Brothers is a pretty awesome story. I thought for a minute it was going to be like Cain and Abel, but no. It ended up nice and different. I really like the younger brother, Bata, but the elder brother, Anpu, also seems to have many virtuous qualities. For instance, Anpu travels for three years looking for a way to revive Bata, and succeeds! It's pretty awesome!

Then Bata becomes a sacred bull - what? Anyway, he eventually becomes a Pharoah, I guess, as he rules for 30 years. An interesting twist is that, upon his death, his brother, Anpu, takes over and rules in his stead.

The Book of Thoth - is it imaginary? Is it just part of a cruel trick? Or does it actually mean something? Who knows? It sure makes for some excellent poetry, though. Wait! It does exist! And in it is all the power of the universe? How cool is that? If you can't tell, I'm still really enjoying this business. The Egyptians had some pretty great stories to tell, if I do say so myself. Which I do. Because I just did.

Also, King Rhampsinitus has ties to the Greek. I told you there were relations there.