Through the Eras

LiteratureUNCERTAIN DOOMINTRODUCTION: The Doomed Prince contains elements associatedwith the myth of Osiris and does not occur in a recognizablehistorical period. Additionally, sections ofdialogue repeat verbatim in the text. These elements aretypical of the new style of narrative composed in theNineteenth Dynasty (1292–1190 B.C.E.). The author alsoconsiders the nature of fate. Because the papyrus lacksan ending, it is not clear whether or not the prince isable to escape the doom mentioned in the story’s moderntitle. The story occupies four columns on the back(verso) of Papyrus Harris 500. The numbers in parenthesesgive the column and line numbers.(4,1) It is said, there once was a king to whom noson had been born. [After a time his majesty] begged ason for himself from the gods of his domain, and theydecreed that one should be born to him. That night heslept with his wife and she [became] pregnant. When shehad completed the months of childbearing, a son wasborn.Then came the Hathors to determine a fate for him.They said: “He will die through the crocodile, or thesnake, or the dog.” When the people who were with thechild heard (it), they reported it to his majesty. Then hismajesty’s heart became very very sad. His majesty had [ahouse] of stone built [for him] upon the desert, suppliedwith people and with every good thing of the palace, andthe child was not to go outdoors.Now when the boy had grown, he went up to hisroof, and he saw a greyhound following a man who waswalking on the road. He said to his servant, who was besidehim, “What is it that is walking behind the man whois coming along the road?” He told him: “It is a greyhound.”The boy said to him: “Have one like it broughtto me.” Then the servant went and reported (4,10) it tohis majesty. His majesty said: “Bring him a little puppy,[so that] his heart [will not] grieve.” So they brought hima greyhound.Now when many days had passed and the boy wasfully grown in all his body, he sent to his father saying:“To what purpose is my sitting here? I am committed toFate. Let me go, that I may act according to my heart,until the god does what is in his heart.” Then a chariotwas harnessed for him, equipped [with] (5,1) all sorts ofweapons, and [a servant was given him] as an attendant.He was ferried over to the eastern shore and was told“Go wherever you wish,” and his greyhound was withhim. He went northward across the desert, following hisheart and living on the best of all the desert game.He reached the Prince of Nahrin. Now the Prince ofNahrin had no children except one daughter. For her ahouse had been built whose window was seventy cubitsaway from the ground. Ha had sent for all the sons of allthe princes of Khor and told them: “He who reaches thewindow of my daughter, his wife she shall be.” Nowwhen many days had passed and they were at their dailypursuit, the youth passed by them. Then they took theyouth to their house. They washed him; they gave fodderto his team. They did everything for the youth. Theyanointed him; they bandaged his feet; they (5,10) gavefood to his attendant. And they said to him by way ofconversation: “Whence have you come, you goodyouth?” He said to them: “I am the son of an officer ofthe land of Egypt. My mother died; my father took anotherwife, a stepmother. She came to hate me, and Iwent away, fleeing from her.” Then they embraced himand kissed him on [all his body].[Now when many days had passed], he said to thesons: “What is this you are doing [here?” They said]: “Forthree [months] now we are here passing (6,1) the time [inleaping. For he] who reaches [the] window of the daughterof the Prince of Nahrin [will] get her as [wife].” [He] said tothem: “If only my feet did [not] hurt, I would go leapingwith you.” They went leaping in their daily manner, whilethe youth stood at a distance watching, and the gaze ofthe daughter of the Prince of Nahrin was upon him.Now when many days had passed, the youth cameto leap with the sons of the princes. He leaped, hegods awards Horus the throne as the rightful heir ofOsiris. The story seems somewhat satirical and possiblyreflects political events in the Nineteenth or TwentiethDynasty.THE DESTRUCTION OF MANKIND. This story ispart of a larger work called The Book of the HeavenlyCow. The oldest copy known today was inscribed in thetomb of King Tutankhamun (1332–1322 B.C.E.), andscribes also inscribed it in five other royal tombs of theNew Kingdom. The last known copy was in the tombof Ramesses VI (1145–1137 B.C.E.). Thus all the copiesdate to the New Kingdom, but the language is MiddleEgyptian, the vernacular of the Middle Kingdom(2008–1630 B.C.E.). Scholars disagree about whether anauthor composed it in the Middle Kingdom or if it isan original work of the New Kingdom. The story describesthe sun-god Re becoming tired of humanity’swickedness. Re sends his daughter Sakhmet, a lioness142 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)