Famous Last Words: Week 4

Another week in the books. It felt like a really long one, but maybe it was because the weather was so nice for the first half of the week. It was like it was mid-April outside. I am writing this week’s edition a little later than normal (it is monday Feb 2), but that is because I wanted to include the Super Bowl in my writing.

So here we go. Wow. Just wow. One of the craziest super bowls I have ever seen. I have been blessed to see so many great Super Bowls that have come down to the wire in my lifetime (i.e. Santonio Holmes in the corner of the endzone, David Tyree’s helmet catch, etc), and this year was no exception. It came right down to the wire, and just when you thought Seattle was going to win after a miraculous catch by Doug Baldwin, Malcolm Brown flew to the ball and made the game winning interception on the 1-yard line.

Most importantly, this game cemented Tom Brady’s status as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. 4 Super Bowl wins, 3 Super Bowl MVPs, and he hadn’t won since 2005. The fact that he has been able to play at such a high level for such a long time makes him the greatest, no doubt.

I had a great time watching the game with my girlfriend; unfortunately for her, she was cheering for the Seahawks. I was going crazy after the interception because I had won the bet (neither of us were really big fans of either team, so we picked different sides to make it interesting).

Last but not least, the commercials were lacking this year. There were not as many funny ones as there had been in years before. That was a bummer.

(Image Information: My girlfriend, the
birthday girl; a personal photo from
November 2014)

Essay: Women of Egypt

(Image Information: Depiction
of Isis; Web Source: Wikipedia)

This week, I moved from Greek Mythology to Ancient Egyptian Mythology. The last two essays have been over the role women played in part one and two of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and while the women in part two had more of an influence than those in part one, still no women were happy at the end of their stories. This week, I focused on the stories of Osiris and Isis as well as “The Two Brothers”, and analyzed the role women play in these stories.

Osiris, an Egyptian god, begins his story as he takes over the throne, after Ra ascended to heaven. Osiris built a glorious and honorable Egypt where he was known as “Osiris the Good” because he was so widely loved for his success. Unfortunately, he had an evil brother, Set, who desired the power Osiris held and plotted to take it from him. Enter Isis, the wife of Osiris. While Osiris was away, Isis successfully protected the throne from Set and his servants. Then, upon Osiris’s return, Set put his final plan into motion and successfully killed the king. Isis heard this news and was heartbroken. With Set on the throne, Egypt was thrust back into turmoil, so Isis set out to find her husband’s body. After searching for years, she finally found the body. She also gave birth to a boy, Horus, who was destined to overthrow Set and return peace to Egypt. On her way back, Set happened across his brother’s body and was so furious he had it cut into pieces and thrown into the Nile. Isis, determined to help her love find peace in the afterlife, went and found every piece of his body and gave each piece a proper burial. While she was not happy, her passion for her husband and the sympathy of Ra allowed her to successfully find Osiris’s body twice and give it a proper Egyptian burial. This is the first story I read where a women succeeded without going mad in the process.

In the tale of the two brothers, much like before, the women play a much less honorable role. The wife of the older brother, Anpu, attempts to seduce the younger brother, Bata, and then lies to Anpu about her doings, placing all the blame on Bata. This leads to Anpu attempting to murder Bata, and Bata’s decision to leave. Then, the gods create a wife for Bata, and this wife eventually decides to give Bata up and has him killed. These women, in the end, were both unsuccessful (Anpu’s wife was slain, and Bata’s wife gave rebirth to Bata so he could become king of Egypt) in their attempts to deceive their husbands.

In these Ancient Egyptian stories, mortal women played much of the same role as before. They are far inferior to the powers of gods and men. In this section, however, there was Isis, who did succeed in laying her husband to rest.

Storytelling Week 4: The Green Jewel

There was once a king who ruled over the entire world. His father, the king before him, died when he was just a boy, and being the only heir to the throne, the boy was thrust into the limelight. As the years past, he became more calloused to the many extravagancies he was capable of getting his hands on. He could have anything he wanted.

One day, the king woke up and could no longer smile. He was so depressed that nothing could make him happy. He watched the jester with disdain, and he ate his world-class food with disgust. Then looked out of his palace and saw several bricklayers whistling and joking while they worked. There was so much joy in their eyes, the king thought. Then it hit him. What he really wanted was someone he could share his experiences with. Someone he could spend his days growing old with, so he had one of his servants round up twenty of the most beautiful women in all of the land. He had his choice of the lot, tall ones, short ones, thin ones, fat ones, blonde ones, black ones. Unfortunately, after looking over the women, he felt no connection to any of them and had them returned to their homes at once. This search continued for a fortnight. Every morning and every evening, the servant would bring twenty of the finest women in the world for the king to behold, but every time, the king sent them all back home.

When his mother asked him what was wrong, the king dejectedly responded, “Mother, I am alone in this world. Because all of the others have lived in fear of me all their lives, I have no friends to call my own. And I’ve been shut off from the bourgeoisie for so long that I do not desire any of their women either. I am completely and utterly alone.” Upon hearing this, the king’s mother set out in an attempt to find something to make her royal son smile. She looked for almost three months, sending her findings back to the palace with servants, but nothing could please the king.

Then, one day when the king was solemnly looking out his stained glass window, contemplating putting an end to his misery, he saw something crawling along a rooftop in the distance. It was a little green blob. The king was intrigued by this thing and told his servants to fetch it. When the servants returned, the king finally found what he was looking for. He gazed into two eyes that seemed to stare right into his soul. It was a beautiful green cat.

The king spent the rest of his days with the now royal green cat. He named her Jewel. The king and Jewel lived happily ever after.

(Image Information: A green cat; Web Source: Messy Beast)

Author's Note: This story is loosely based on The Green Jewel from Donald Mackenzie's Egyptian Myth and Legend. In the story there is a king who is sad, and in an attempt to cheer him up, one of his servants attempts to cheer him up by suggesting him to go on a boat on the lake with a bunch of beautiful virgins. The king, thinking that this may work, decided to go. Enjoying the fanciness of the boat and the beauty of the girls and how the girls sing with their sweet voices, the king's sadness fades, and he begins to cheer up. Suddenly, one of the girls lost a beautiful green jewel, and deeply upset, stopped her rowing. The king, confused by why his great day was slowing, demanded an explanation. After the girl finally said what happened, the king's scribe used some magic to retrieve the jewel back from the bottom of the sea.
In this story, I threw our the girls and the boat and inserted the mom and the cat. By making the king younger, it makes sense that he would find happiness in a green cat. I would be super happy if I found a green cat because meow.

"The Green Jewel" from Donald Mackenzie's Egyptian Myth and Legend (1907)

Reading Diary B: Ancient Egypt

Here are some notes on the Ancient Egypt Unit pt. B

The Two Brothers

This is a story about two brothers, one older and one younger. The older, Anpu, and his wife take care of the younger, Bata, and in return, Bata does many chores for them. One day, while Anpu is out in the fields with Bata, Bata returns to the house to get some seed, and comes across Anpu’s wife. She tries to seduce him, but he quickly refuses. That night, when Anpu gets home, his wife pretends that Bata was the evildoer and wanted to harm her. Now Anpu is furious.

Anpu planned to slay Bata, but the oxen gave Bata enough of a warning for him to escape. Praying to Ra, Bata asked to be saved, and between the two brothers Ra created a crocodile infested river. Then, Bata told Anpu what had happened and said he could no longer return to live with Anpu. Anpu, in rage, returned home and slayed his wife. Then he grieved for his brother.

Bata, during his travels, came across several gods who felt pity for the boy and made him a beautiful wife. He protected her as long as he could, but one day the wife gave Bata up. Once it became apparent to Anpu that his brother had died, he returned and searched for his soul for four years. Once he found it he restored his brother and they embraced. Now, Bata, disguised as a bull, is going to get his wife back with the help of Anpu.

Upon entering the kingdom, Bata told his wife who he was, and she had the Bull put to death, but where the blood spilled, two trees were grown. Then, she had the trees cut down, but a piece of wood was stuck in her throat, and not too long after that, she gave birth to Bata, who ruled over Egypt for 30 years, and when he died, Anpu took his place.

(Image Information: Anpu bringing Bata
(the bull) to the king; Web Source:
Perankhgroup)

The Book of Thoth

In this story, Nefer-ka-ptah seeks the legendary Book of Thoth. This book is supposed to hold many secrets of magic and anyone who reads it will gain amazing abilities. Nefer-ka-ptah, ignoring the advice of his wife, goes in search of it. He successfully reads the Book of Thoth and gains all the powers. Then, he brings it to his wife and she does the same. The two feast and rejoice and head for the Northern Land.
Eventually, Thoth discovered that his book was stolen and got revenge on Nefer-ka-ptah. First by killing his son, then his wife, then him. It was a very cyclic story (Part III) and was almost word for words for both the son and the wife. In the end, Nefer-ka-ptah was buried with the Book.

Reading Diary A: Ancient Egypt

Here are some notes on the Ancient Egypt Unit pt. A

The Secret Name of Ra

This story is actually quite interesting compared to the other Greek Mythology stories I read the last two weeks. Isis, the female god, tricks the almighty Ra into giving her his secret name (which basically holds all of his power). Isis leaves a venomous snake to bite Ra, and then says she can heal him only when he gives her his secret name. She is very cunning and smart.

Osiris

This little piece talks about when Ra ascended to heaven and Osiris took over. Osiris the Good, as he was fondly called, took Egypt from nothing to a very stable life. People grew crops and planted trees. People built temples and praised the gods. Osiris was just the leader the people of Egypt were looking for. Peace was in the city, but there is always someone looking to stir up trouble. Osiris’s brother, Set, was far more evil and desired the power his brother had.

The Death of Osiris

Set successfully trapped Osiris in a coffin, had his minions seal it shut, and tossed it into the Nile. Set was ruler of Egypt now and he did as he pleased. Egypt became a place of danger. Even queen Isis was not safe. She spent her days inconsolably searching for Osiris. Ra felt pity for her and offered up Anubis to help her.

Journey of Isis

On her journey, Isis gave birth to a boy, Horus. This boy was destined by the gods to return to Egypt and kill Set. Although Set knew of this boy, he was well concealed and Set could not find him. Even when the boy was bitten and killed by a scorpion, the gods brought him back to life. His destiny had already been written. Also, a determined Isis found Osiris’s coffin only for it to again be stolen by Set. In anger, Set had Osiris cut into pieces and thrown into the Nile. Then, Isis went and gathered every piece, burying it where she found it. Isis’s determination for Osiris’s body to find peace is driven by her deep love for him.

(Image Information: The Eye of Horus; Web Source: Wikipedia)