Reading Notes: Egyptian Myth and Legend, Part A

Creation:

• The world began as a vast expansion of water and a bright, shining egg appeared to float on the water
• The gods that arose from Nu, the god of brightness, were: Ra- the divine father and ruler, Shu- the wind god, Seb- the earth god, and Nut- the goddess of firmament
• Ra desired to be the Creator and the words he spoke came to life, making mankind in front of him and him the first king among men
• Could write a funny family rivalry and argument between "siblings"  about who is stronger and who is wiser as they all arise from the egg

The Secret Name of Ra:

• Ra's daughter, Isis, wished to have the same power as he so she crafted a magical serpent to bite him, knowing that she would only break the spell if he were to tell her his secret name
• All of his children gathered and she was the only one who was not sad. She saved him at the last minute when he sent his name from his heart to her heart
• Could change the story so that the other children suspect what she is up to and manage to stop her before they realize she is the only one who can save Ra

Ra and Hathor:

• As Ra was growing old, he heard of rebels speaking against him and his ruling, so he asked for Nu, Seb, Tefnut, and Nut's guidance in how to punish them
• Nu recommended his eye ascend from heaven as Hathor and kill all of the men who had spoken against him so that she could drink and wade in the blood
• Could give the eye a personality of its own before it turns into Hathor and explore what it saw as it looked for the rebels
  

The Sun's Journey:

• Ra decides to make a journey through the dark, twelve hour-divisions of night in Duat in a barque accompanied by Nu, Nut, and Thoth
• Throughout his journey he encounters the newly dead, the underworld god Sokar, the jackal god Anubis the divine judge Osiris, the dark serpent Apep, the god Horus, and Isis, who is the wife of Osiris.
• Could expand on one particular encounter of his journey, such as the jackal god Anubis or the dark serpent Apep, and describe their battle                           

(Ra on his river journey through Duat from Wikipedia)

Osiris:

• When Ra grew old and rose up to heaven, Osiris took his place and ruled over Egypt during a savage time of hunting and battles with decrees of wisdom and peace
• His consort, Isis, gathered wheat and barley and urged Osiris to teach men how to farm, toe harvest, to prepare bread and meals, and how to plant and pick fruit trees
• Osiris left to travel the world and teach the same wisdom and lessons to other men, leaving Isis reigning in his place and his evil brother Set plotting to kill him with his followers
• Could change the character of Isis to someone secretly evil and plotting with Set to overthrow Ra with phony farming lessons

The Journey of Isis:

• Isis gave birth to her son Horus, but Set found out where they were so Isis fled with Horus into the night and traveled to Buto, where the goddess Uazit would keep him safe
• The coffin of Osiris drifted onto Byblos, Syria and was erected unknowingly into a pillar for the king and queen. Isis told them who she was, she received the pillar and cut the chest out
• While visiting Horus, Set found the coffin and chopped Osiris' body into fourteen pieces that Isis later found in the ocean and buried
• Since Isis did several terrible things to get the coffin from the king and queen, I could expand on the insanity and vengeance Isis had to find the body

King of the Dead:

•  Horus grew into a man and challenged Set as he continued to rule and persecute many people and they went into battle many times until both were wounded
• The god Thoth descended from heaven to heal both of them and decided that Horus was the rightful king and should have the throne
• Ra heard the cries and grief for Osiris so he sent Anubis to reattach the severed portion and wrap them in cloth, signifying the first mummy, and he became the Judge and King of the Dead

The Wax Crocodile:

• A scribe created a magical wax crocodile to cast into the lake behind his house whenever his wife and the handsome youth she was having an affair with swam there
• Upon touching the water, the crocodile came to life and snatched the youth up who was neer to be seen again
• The wife was then burned at the stake in front of their house for cheating on her husband
• Could create an entirely new twist where the crocodile actually falls in love with the wife and steals her away instead to take her to his humble abode. There could even be a spell where she becomes an animal as well

The Green Jewel:

• One day King Sneferu was very bored, so his scribe suggested they take twenty virgin rowers out on a boat and enjoy the beauty of the day and the girls' sweet singing 
• The lead girl at the oar suddenly stopped when she lost a green jewel from her hair and since she would not have another to replace it,  the scribe cast a spell to part the waters so that it could be returned to her
• Could have the scribe lose control of his spell and the water crashes on top of all of them so that they must return to land and avoid any crocodiles in the water

(The green jewel photo from Flickr User Michelle Tribe)

Bibliography:
Link to Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie.