Egyptian Tales, 1st series | Page 9

tale, King Khufu, to whom it is told, orders
funerary offerings by the usual formula, to be presented in honour of
the king under whom the wonder took place. On the tablets of the
tombs in the early times, there is usually recorded the offering--or,
rather, the pious desire that there should be offered--thousands of
loaves, of oxen, of gazelles, of cranes, &c., for a deceased person. Such
expression cost no more by the thousand than by the dozen, so
thousands came to be the usual expression in all ordaining of offerings.
We are so accustomed to think of tedium as something modern, that it
seems strange to find in the oldest tales [Page 16] in the world how the
first king of whom we know anything was bored by his pleasures. A
reward for discovering a new pleasure is the very basis of the tale of
Sneferu; and the wise man's remedy of a day in the country is still the
best resource, though all that we know as human history has tried its
experiments in enjoyment since then. The flavour of the ballet thrown
in, by the introduction of the damsels of the household clad in fishing
nets, is not yet obsolete in modern amusements; and even in this
century Muhammed Ali had resource to the same way of killing time,
as he was rowed about by his harem, but on an artificial lake.
The use of two large oars for steering explains the detail of the story.
The oars were one on each side of the stern, and were each managed by

a steerer. From the tale we see that the steerer led the song of the
rowers, and if the leader ceased, all that side of the boat ceased also..
The position of the lost jewel upon the hair shows that it was in a fillet
set with inlaying, like that seen on early figures, such as Nefert at
Medum, who wears a fillet of rosettes to retain the hair; and the
position of the steering oar attached to a post, with the handle rising
high in the air, explains how it could strike the fillet and displace the
jewel.
The last tale is really double, a tale within a tale. It begins with the
wonders done by Dedi, and then goes on with the [Page 22] history or
the children about whom he prophesied to Khufu.
The village of Dedi was probably near Medum, as in the temple of
Sneferu at Medum an offering was found presented by a worshipper to
the gods of Ded-sneferu: hence the background which is here given for
the scene of Hordedef leading old Dedi. The translation of "the designs
of the dwelling of Tahuti" is not certain; but the passage seems to refer
to some architectural plan which was desired for the pyramid.
The story of Rud-didet is remarkable historically. She is said to be wife
of the priest of Ra, her children are sons of Ra, and they are the first
three kings of the Vth dynasty, and supplanted the line of Khufu. This
points to the Vth Dynasty having been a priestly usurpation; and on
looking at its history we see two confirmations of this. The title "Son of
Ra" is so common in most ages in Egypt that it is taken for granted, and
is applied in lists to any second cartouche; but it is not found until well
into the Vth Dynasty; the earlier kings were not descendants of Ra, and
it is only on arriving at this dynasty, which claimed descent from Ra,
through the wife of the priest of Ra, that we find the claim of each king
to be a "son of Ra." Another confirmation of this priestly descent is the
abundance of priesthoods established for the kings of the Vth Dynasty;
a care which agrees with their having a priestly origin; while in the tale
it is particularly said that they would build up the temples, furnish the
altars with offerings, supply the tables of libations, and increase the
religious endowments.
The names of the three children are a play upon the names of the first

three kings of the Vth Dynasty. User-kaf is made into User-ref; Sahu-ra
is written Sah-ra; and Kaka is Kaku; thus making allusions to their
births. The comparison of the hair to true lapis lazuli seems very
strange; but there is often a confusion between black aind blue in
uneducated races, and azrak means either dark blue or green, or black,
at present in Arabic. Lapis lazuli is brought in to the name of the queen
of Ramessu VI., who was called "gold and lazuli," Nub-khesdeb;
recalling the comparison here of personal beauty to these precious
materials.
It is noticeable here that in a tale of the Vth