Reading Notes: Egyptian Myth and Legend Part A

(Ra the Egyptian god of the sun and kings)

(source: WikiMedia Commons)

With the first two weeks subject matter being fairly familiar to me from previous experiences it definitely was far more difficult to begin choosing where to start my reading for the week. Ancient Egypt was the subject matter that most caught my attention; mostly due to the Brendan Fraser series of Mummy films and my roommate’s recommendation on the story, he is Egyptian himself. I do find it uncomfortable to consider writing a story centered on a pagan religion and retelling a story in a manner that is presentable for the time period of the writings. Using the multiple gods or creating new ones with similar positions in the universe for the reader to interpret seems to be something that is not quite suitable for my form of writing or comfort either. As I read more into the post it becomes clear this is a background in history focused on the meanings and purposes each god serves. If I were to write a new story using a similar method of a variety of different main characters it is likely my storytelling would come across more in the way of a comedy. I could use each character as a quasi retelling of the pagan god it originates from, with a setting in a similar Middle Eastern nation like Egypt, or even possibly a setting in another desert area such as Nevada here in the states. After introducing and providing the background of the characters the story could then shift to a more narrative driven, with each new story being told focusing on a different one of the main gods or characters from the narrative universe.

Bibliography: Egyptian Myth and Legend, Donald Mackenzie (1907), http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/egypt-creation.html