Week 4 Storytelling: The Kind King and Loyal Dragon

There was once a great King and Queen who ruled over all of the land. Peace and happiness was abundant under their rule, and all of their subjects loved them. The King had a pet Dragon who was his best friend and confidant. The King had gotten lost in the Great Forest as a child, and the Dragon, who was also young, found the King and returned him to the safety of his kingdom. From that moment on, the two were inseparable. The King grew strong and wise over the years, and the Dragon was always by his side.
The King met the Queen when he was walking through the streets making conversation with the people in his kingdom, as was his custom. She caught his eye as she was collecting water from a well, and the King immediately fell in love. He charmed her with his jokes and calm demeanor, and she sang with a voice likened to that of the most heavenly angels. Within a month they were married, and the three - the King, the Queen and the Dragon - lived in harmony for some time.
One day many years later, a traveller happened upon the castle where they stayed. He was weary, for his travels had taken him a long way through the Great Forest. The traveller asked for a bed and to be fed, and the King was happy to oblige. The traveller received a room in which to stay and a bath so he could relax a little, for he was quite exhausted from his journey. The King requested that he attend dinner in the great hall with himself and the Queen.
The traveller took his rest, and made his way to the great hall to dine. Upon his arrival, the King greeted him heartily. When the traveller saw the Queen, their eyes locked, and the two were struck with desire. Dinner was served and conversation was had, but the traveller and the Queen could not resist staring at each other. The King took no notice, for he was so in love with his Queen, and he was certain of her love for him.
When the dinner was over, the traveller thanked his gracious host and made way to his room. A few minutes later, a handmaiden of the Queen delivered a message to the traveller, asking him to meet her in a secret passage. The traveller, led by the handmaiden, made his way to the secret passage where he found the Queen waiting for him. They talked and drank wine, and they fell madly in love with one another. They made a plan to run away together.
The next day, the King woke to discover that his wife was gone, as was the traveller. He was distraught and heartbroken. He cursed the gods, he cursed his wife, and he cursed his kind nature for letting the traveller stay in his castle. The King called upon his Dragon to find the adulterous pair, and to do what must be done. The Dragon took flight on his mighty wings, and scanned far and wide with his sharp eyes. He discovered a set of footprints, two sets to be exact, that disappear into the Great Forest. With a mighty breath, he set fire to the Great Forest, hoping to discover the Queen and the traveller. He did not discover them until the entire forest had been set ablaze. They knelt before him and begged for forgiveness, but the Dragon's loyalty to the King was unwavering. The Dragon inhaled deeply, and set the lustful lovers ablaze.
The Dragon returned to the King and shared the unfortunate news. The King wept for ten days and nights, and his tears filled the ashes of the Great Forest. The tears he cried gave new life to the forest, but it became a haunting place, full of ghosts and monsters. All that can be heard when the wind whistles through the trees are the cries of the Queen and the traveller as they were burned to a crisp. And the King lived out his days with his loyal friend, Dragon. The End.

Painting The Storm, by Pierre Auguste Cot, found on Wikimedia here.
I chose this painting because it looks like lovers are fleeing into the forest.

Author's Note: I wanted to base this story on the story of the Wax Crocodile. In the original story, a scribe's wife falls in lust with a handsome young man, and they have an affair. When the scribe learns about what had happened, he carves a crocodile out of wax and puts a spell on it. He releases the wax crocodile into the lake where the handsome young man normally bathes. The wax crocodile comes to life and snatches up the young man while he bathes. The scribe's adulteress wife perishes when the scribe orders her to be tied to a stake and burned alive. I took out the magic crocodile, and replaced it with a dragon, which sounded way cooler to me. In the end, both of the lovers burn, just like the adulteress in the original story. In a way, my story is about loyalty. The dragon and the king have a long history of friendship, and they have never betrayed one another. I added their friendly backstory to make the dragon's actions seem more justified. I also added some drama by having the cheating couple try to run away. This made the story a little more exciting. The moral of the story is that a loyal friend is better than a disloyal wife, no matter how beautifully she sings, and that bad things can happen to good people.

Bibliography: Based on The Wax Crocodile, from Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie, found here.

Week 4 Reading Notes: Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories

I have never studied ancient Egyptian mythology, and I found the creation story very fascinating. I love that it resembles Greek mythology in that Ra came from Nu, the first existing god, and Ra actually became more powerful than Nu, like Zeus and his Titan father Cronos. I like that Ra then creates whichever gods he sees fit, and anything he thinks of appears before him.
The story of Isis and Ra's secret name piques my interest by showing similarities to biblical and greco-roman mythology. The serpent created by Isis reminds me of the serpent that tempts Eve in the biblical creation story. The serpent is also a symbol of evil. Like the Greek and Roman gods, the Egyptian gods also show human characteristics of evil, deception and lust for power. They are not represented as perfect, sinless deities.
I found the story of Ra's journey through Duat, the underworld, long and tedious. It seems like everyone is a serpent at one time or another, both good and bad. I find it curious that Ra just creates gods and beings as he sees fit. However, it is an interesting concept that at night time the sun god Ra is making his way through the underworld.
In the story of Osiris, I get the idea that Ra was not a very good ruler of men on earth. Osiris comes along and teaches men how to farm and how to pray, and all is happy and peaceful. Then, of course, Set had to come along and ruin everything. Some people just don't like peace.
While I think Set is a morally bad guy, I understand the necessity of conflict in storytelling. The story is boring if it is always peaceful and happy. Something bad must happen to stir the pot. And, for some reason, I have a feeling that I will read more about Osiris later.
Unlike greco-roman mythology, gods and men alike seem to come back to life quite frequently and easily. It seems like Isis was going to take a baby and try to summon Osiris' spirit into him. I would have liked to read that, and perhaps I will write about that. I prefer that idea to the actualities of Osiris being mummified and brought back to life to become god of the dead.
Talk about action! The story of the wax crocodile was my favorite. There is drama and conflict when the scribe's wife falls in love with the young man. There is magic and revenge when the scribe creates a real, monster crocodile out of wax, who in turn eats the young man. Then, as if that wasn't enough, they burn the scribe's wife at the stake! Whoa.

Photo of sculpture of Set, Osiris and Iris. Found on Wikimedia, here. I chose this image because I find the story of these three to be the most interesting.

Bibliography: Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie, from the Ancient Egypt Unit, found here.