The Feast of The Tail Ch. 09

"Let me tell you a story, khered." Yuya said to his grandson Amenhotep in the morning, as they sat around the breakfast table. "About the olden days, before the first pyramid, before the first dynasty, of the evils beyond the desert."

"Am I not too old for stories? Is this another sabayt?" Hotep sighed as he rested his face in his palms, still tired from last nights festivities and a little hungover from the generous libations of irep he had shared with the visiting nobles.

"I have fourfold the number of years as you, boy, and I am not too old for stories," he winked. "You looked bored. Besides, it is a good story, and there is wisdom in all good stories."

"Go on then, grandfather." Hotep smiled unconvicingly as he picked at some bread and dates.

"In those days, in those golden days, in those nights, in those bewitching nights, in those years, in those distant years; in days of yore, before bread had been tasted for the first time there was a tree. The first tree." Yuya's eyes twinkled as he spoke. "During the Great Flood the force of the sea and the force of the wind uprooted the tree, but there was a woman who took the tree and planted it in her garden. She pressed the earth down with her feet and watered it with her milk. At the base of the tree a serpent immune to magic wrapped itself around its roots. At the crown of the tree a winged beast who breathed fire and water made its nest. At the centre of the tree, in the heartwood, the maiden made her home. The maiden who laughs with joy in her heart."

"This is a story from the east, isn't it grandfather?" asked Hotep. "I heard a similar story from the Babylonian ambassador. The guardian of the forest was slain by the hero Bilgames, the ancient king of Unug, so they could cut down the cedar trees to build cities and make boats and build the 'greatest' civilisation ever known."

"There are always two sides to every story." Yuya said. "This story is indeed thought to be about the Cedars of God, in the divine forest fought over by gods and men. In the east they will tell you it is a story of victory and cheer, their hero is celebrated for his bravery in slaying the 'beast' that lived in the forest. But even in their lands, among the people of the forgotten villages, there is another version, of the noble, humble, horned guardian of the forest who was beloved of all the gods. A man came and was overpowered by the guardian, but the man tricked him, he offered himself up in service and as soon as the guardian's back was turned he killed him and destroyed the forest. This version is about the pride and vanity of men. The so called hero had seen the impermanence of human life and wished to establish his fame, and through fame immortality, ensuring his name would live forever. He cared not for the forest, or the birds, or the noble guardian who lived within it."

"So what's the wisdom in this story?" Hotep asked, sitting up straight, suddenly interested. His grandfather always knew how to capture his imagination. "A warning against pride?"

"What do you think, ibib?"

Hotep sat for a moment as he thought to himself. Comfortable in silence together, Hotep looked across the Nile from the white stone balcony, watching the play of light over the water, while his grandfather sipped some sweet shedeh from a golden cup. "Well, there are two sides to the story. I suppose the lesson could be to not form an opinion until you have heard both sides, particularly when they are so vastly different."

"Very good! That is a very important lesson for any official, prince, or Pharaoh." Yuya praised his grandson warmly, his eyes creasing as an easy smile lit up his face. "What else?"

"Beware of deceit. You said the hero offered himself up in service to the guardian of the forest, but when his back was turned he attacked."

"Yes, exactly, exactly, another excellent piece of wisdom. As a prince, as a member of this family, you must always be wary of the motives of the people around you. If someone offers you something, ask yourself what do they gain from this? What is it they desire? Many Pharaohs have been stabbed in the back."

"Or had an asp slipped in between their bedsheets. Have you ever been deceived so terribly, Grandfather?"

"Many people have tried to deceive me, some have succeeded. When you get to my age you learn how to spot deception. There are some things you can only learn through experience, and that is why a young man like yourself must learn to listen to the advice of his elders. Remember the maxims of Ptahhotep: no one is born wise. That is why your father has named Djhutmose as co-regent, as other Pharaoh's have done with their sons, so that he may pass along his wisdom, and the wisdom of his predecessors to his successor while he lives. Intelligence is something you're born with, wisdom is something you must earn with patience."

"Do you think Djhutmose will make a good Pharaoh?"

"I do. Don't you?"

"Sometimes I think he is too arrogant."

"It runs in the family." laughed Yuya. "But you are humble, Hotep, that is why you are my favourite. You take the counsel of the learned man as well as the unlearned. You spare the time to sit and drink shedeh with your old forgotten grandfather. Because of this," he said seriously, "you must help guide your brother along his path." Yuya took a sip from his cup, lowered it and gazed over the rim towards his grandson."Do you ever wish to wear the double crown?"

Hotep paused, thinking about his answer. "It's alright," reassured Yuya, "I know you love your brother."

"I have thought of it." He admitted.

"And do you think you would wear it better than he?"

Hotep was quiet a moment, and then, "I think I would."

"Do not wish such a thing upon yourself, my boy. Trust your grandfather. All men think that they would be the better leader and covet such power, but once they have it they realise how it can be a curse."

"Why a curse?"

"When you are the Pharaoh you are responsible for all the people of Kemet. You are no longer a man. You are no longer an individual. You are a God, and all the prayers of the people are laid at your feet. And all their blame too. When you are Pharaoh you cannot make choices based on what you want, you can not be selfish, not ever. And for all the good that you do, no one will thank you for it."

"But how can you know? You have never worn the crown."

"I use the eyes in my head. I have seen how it wears a man down. Behind the whitest linen, behind the ostrich feather fans around his throne, underneath all those layers of gold, your father is a lonely man."

They were silent together a while, Hotep lost in thought, his grandfather sipped his drink, and let the boy take his time. A goose cackled from under the balcony, there came more sounds of splashing and honking, presumably there was a squabble among the geese below.

"If you love your brother," Yuya spoke at last, "watch over him. You will not have to carry this burden, but you can help your brother carry his. We are a family, the most noble, the most strong, but we are only strong when we are together." He paused a moment. "There is a great evil in our land."

"What do you mean, grandfather?"

"Stories don't spring up from nothing."

"What? Are you at the irep instead of the shedeh? You are not being yourself."

"I am. I truly am." Yuya's voice was low, firm, purposeful.

Hotep looked at him, really looked. He seemed serious. "What do you mean by evil?"

"I have great fear in my heart, ibib. I have heard things that cannot be believed without being seen. I have seen things I cannot unsee. And I am sorry to burden you with them, but I cannot wait for your father to take my words from his ears and into his heart. He thinks I am telling another one of my stories. He thinks I have gone mad. But you, khered, are one who listens. You make time for me. You trust me. Don't you?"

"Yes..." He replied hesitantly. "But, what are you asking me to do?"

"All I ask is that you believe in me. There is an evil in these lands, and I will show it to you."

Notes for this chapter on the ancient Egyptian language

Khered - child

Sabayt - An ancient Egyptian term for a genre of pharaonic wisdom literature

Irep - Traditional Egyptian grape wine

Bilgames - Sumerian for Gilgamesh. Bil-ga/bilga meant "ancestor" and meš/mes meant "hero". The name literally meant the ancestral hero. He was possibly a real king of Uruk who was later deified and became a hero of ancient Mesopotamian mythology. I've chosen to go with the Sumerian spelling over Akkadian, because although Akkadian had replaced Sumerian at this time, Sumerian was still the language used as a sacred, ceremonial, literary and scientific language in Akkadian-speaking Mesopotamian states such as Assyria and Babylonia until the 1st century AD. I imagine the Babylonian ambassador referring to Gilgamesh using the old language out of reverence for names

Unug - Sumerian for Uruk. One of the first cities in the world, it became a city state, and by 3100BC was the largest urban area in the world

Ibib - beloved

Shedeh - A sweet drink possibly made with pomegranates or red grapes. It was described in ancient Egyptian poetry as having the taste of a lover's voice

The Maxims of Ptahhotep - An ancient Egyptian sabayt written during the Old Kingdom. This piece of wisdom literature outlines the virtues of ancient Egyptian culture and how to live according to Ma'at