Reading Notes: Week 5 Ancient Egyptian Myths part B

Character Analysis

Some overall notes I have about these stories is that the female characters are usually just described as beautiful, worrisome, or treacherous. When I retell these stories, I'd like to give these women more background and personalities.

The God Thoth, Wikimedia Commons

Bata

• younger, hardworking, strong
• “it was he who drove the oxen to the field, it was he who ploughed the land, and it was he who harvested the grain”
• brings food to both anpu and his wife, rises early in the morning
• sleeps in a barn with cattle, talks to oxen
• prays to gods for protection, honest

Anpu

• older brother, has a house and a wife
• enjoys the fruits of bata’s labor
• eats and thrives in his house
• commands bata to do chores
• quick to anger, trusts his wife more than his brother

Wife of Anpu

• just described as a woman
• likes to do her hair and doesn’t want to do chores
• flirty and manipulative, liar

Bata’s Wife

• beautiful, everyone wants to be her
• betrayed Bata, manipulative

Oxen

• Bata’s friend
• wise animals who know all and warn Bata of treachery

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Nefer-ka-ptah

• liked to read about the ancestors
• adventurous, eager to learn, ambitious
• selfish, wants this so bad he is willing to let his wife and son die

Priest

• very knowledgeable and wise
• just wants a good party funeral

Ahura

• mother, concerned for her husband, doesn’t want him to leave
• has a child, Merab
• of course shes right

Thoth

• has a very cool book, is pissed that Nefer-ka-ptah took it
• seeks vengeance, drowns a child

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King Rhampsinitus

• rich, builds statues, leads a whole kingdom
• wants to find out who is stealing his riches, is shook
• angry but so impressed he pardons the brother and gives him his daughter

Brothers

• stealing the king’s riches because their father told them how
• brothers are kind, willing to sacrifice for each other
• smart, tricking the guards by getting them drunk
• i can't believe he used his dead brother’s arm as a fake arm

Bibliography: Ancient Egyptian Myths. Source