Week 4 Essay: Why Ancient Egypt is so Important

This unit was a very fun and exciting read. I love Ancient Egypt. I think it is one of the coolest and most interesting times in history, as well as empires of the world. The mythology they had was so different from everything else that was going on in the world, and yet, it was so similar to things going on in other mythologies. The story of the two brothers felt so much like Cain and Abel from the Bible, as well as The Wax Crocodile is seemingly similar to Joseph being tempted by the wife of Pottifer, but with a different outcome.

Regardless, the one issue I have with this unit is that it is not long enough. There is so much more to what is going on and the mythology is so full of so many gods and stories that one little unit discussing only a small handful of tales is simply not going to cut it. I enjoyed the reading greatly, but I want more. I want a lot more. Of course, I have the capabilities to go off and read some more stories from this mythology at my convenience, but the mythology of Ancient Egypt is already so glossed over in most historical accounts and classes, that I hate to see it receive similar treatment here.

To make a long story short - there should be much more Ancient Egypt mythology in this class. Like Greek mythology, it has comedy, tragedy, and gives explanation to the world and especially the mindsets of those living in this area at the time of one of the greatest empires in history. Egypt was always much more than just the pyramids.

Egypt

The stories.

Week 4 Storytelling: The Lustful Jaws

"I have a hunger."

She sat on her patio and sipped on a cup of coffee, much like every morning. The only difference was her husband's new gardener - Lucas - was out in the yard, trimming the hedges. Lucas was a young man, hardly 17, but he was good with his hands and he knew how to clean the place up. This was quite an impressive feat in the light of her husband's large estate.

Her husband made it big in the Stock Market a few years ago and has simply lived off the profits ever since. Of course, with the kind of money he was bringing in, he changed some. He wasn't quite as fun as he once was. He was rather concerned with keeping tabs on his money. To be honest, he seemed to do little outside of counting the money he was organizing into various funds.

"I have a need."

Lucas was paid well by her husband, too. With the money he was making, he could to go to college and beyond. He would tell them all the time about his desires of becoming a physician. How cute. She was more interested in what he could do for her. This is why she had skipped out on playing tennis today. She had other plans in mind.

"I have a desire."

She walked up to Lucas. "Would you like to take a break and come get a drink?" Lucas wiped is brow, rose from the crouch he was in, and followed her into the house and into the kitchen. This was too easy. She had him in a matter of minutes. Only when the sounds of wheels on gravel came in through the bedroom window did she think about what to do when her husband came home.

"Our Little Secret"

"Quick! Go back to the yard! I'll stall my husband." She ran down the stairs and into the foyer, just as her husband was walking in. "Hello, honey! What are you doing home so soon?" He shrugged his shoulders, clearly weary of a long day of staring at papers and numbers. She helped him out of his suit jacket and walked him into the living room. "You must be worn out. Let me make you a drink."

About this time, a thump came from above her husband's head. Lucas was making too much noise upstairs. Her husband got up and went to investigate. "No, honey! Don't go up there! It's not like - it's not what you - Lucas came on to me! He forced me into it!" Her husband turned to her, his face red, and then turned back to the stairs where Lucas was now standing, holding his pants up by his hands and only one arm through a shirt sleeve.

"I have a hunger."

Lucas was immediately fired. After yelling at him and literally throwing him out of the house, he huffed up the stairs and not a word came out of him for several hours. She got off scot free. It was sad to see Lucas go, and so young, but there would be other men she would come across. Not to worry. Blaming the whole thing on him was ingenious of her, she knew. Her husband was easy to work over.

Eventually, she walked up to the bedroom herself and walked in on her husband packing a suitcase. Was this really happening? No! It couldn't! What would she do? Where would she go? Then, she noticed the clothes were his. "Where are you going?" He did not respond. "Honey, what are you doing?" He said nothing. She sat on the bed, and watched him work for what felt like hours. Once he was all packed, he grabbed his suitcase, walked down the stairs and out the door - out of the house and her life forever. He left her the house and a lot of what came with that. She simply had to work a small job to make a little extra cash. Soon, she was even able to afford another gardener.

"I have a hunger."

Author's Note:
I took this story from The Wax Crocodile of Egyptian mythology. I wanted to do something a bit more modern with it and I didn't want there to be a physical crocodile present, so the crocodile become represented by the woman's sexual desire. The two "wrongdoers" of the story are devoured by these metaphorical jaws. Lucas is sent away and loses his chance at school and a better future, and while not much happens to the woman, she ultimately loses who she was before the story takes place, consumed by this desire. Since it was from her perspective, I couldn't show who she was before, so that's why I added the "I have a hunger" bit. Plus, it adds a little poetic feel to the story. Also, I really liked having only her being the one to talk. It seems like no one else's words were important to her, just as she and her husband are not named, because Lucas as a physical entity is all that matters to her, physically.

Also, never do a Google Image Search of simply the word "Lust". Friendly advice.

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.