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| Depiction of Egyptian god Ra as a man |
The sun beat down on the ancient kingdom that Ra had watched over since the creation of this planet. Ra could feel the age in his bones with every step he took in this human form he had taken on so long ago to live among his creations and rule. Ra knew this form was weak but it held too deep of an emotional connection after the years that he had grown fond of it. Isis, a fellow god and creation of Ra, took the form of a powerful sorceress when joining the humans, but became annoyed with them rather quickly. Ra's love for the humans as well as his superior power, drove Isis to begin planning a sinister plot against him. Isis had heard that apparently Ra had been given a secret name from the ancient god Nu that granted him such tremendous power. Isis began trailing Ra to try and obtain something from him until finally Ra's humanly form's age began to show by drooling in his sleep. Isis, filled with malicious delight, hurried back to her lair and prepared a spell from this and created a viper that was to strike Ra while being invisible to humans and the gods alike. Isis quickly sent the viper out to attack Ra, who was walking alone in a quiet garden. Ra cried out after being bitten and injected with the viper's deadly venom. Ra cried out to his children, the gods, and pleaded for help as he could feel his strength fading quickly. Isis stepped forward among the gods and asked Ra to tell him his ancient name so that she could save him. Ra held out for as long as he could before he could feel the venom reaching further through his body that he caved to Isis' demands. Ra leaned in to Isis as he uttered,
"Ra"
Author's Notes:
Tweaked the ending of the original legend between Ra and Isis as Isis is victorious in getting Ra's secret name which didn't make sense as it seems like her plot is obvious once she asks for Ra's name. Ra being the creator (or father) of the world and gods I thought it would be funny to give him a dash of "dad," by taking Isis' inquiry literally.
Bibliography:
Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories Unit from the UN-Textbook
(http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/myth-folklore-unit-ancient-egyptian.html)
Hey Mr. Deany!
ReplyDeleteI really like your telling of this story! I am only vaguely familiar with the legend of Ra's death and the whole true names or secret names thing, but I found this retelling very refreshing. Ra's little dad joke at the end was a fun twist. I also was never really sure why Isis's ploy worked so well given its relatively see-through nature. In any case, good work!
Hi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI have no previous knowledge about the legend of Ra or any Egyptian mythology for that matter, but I like your take on this story. I think that the way that you portrayed the characters with descriptions about their age and lives really show the impact of the viper attack and the quest for power over the kingdom. Looking forward to reading more of your stories as the semester goes on!
Hey Brandon!
ReplyDeleteNice job on this retelling of the legend of Ra. I really don't know much about Ra other than he is supposed to be the sun god. I never knew the story of him taking on a human form, and I also didn't know about the secret name story. I guess I would have wanted a little more context on why Isis wanted to know the name, would it have given her his power? Also, why was the ending a "dad joke"? I guess I didn't quite understand it.