Reading Notes - Egyptian Myths (Reading B)

I read Part B of the Egyptian Myths, and I was really surprised by how much some of these ancient myths have in common with other stories. I love reading older stories because you can see how over time traces of famous myths have survived by being adopted by other cultures. For example, in the Two Brothers story, a younger brother is imbued with spirit of the gods and a faithful worker. He is then falsely accused of rape by his brother's wife, though she flirted with him, and the brother seeks to kill him. It honestly reminded me a bit of the story of Joseph in the Bible, wherein Pharaoh's wife flirts with him and when he declines, she accuses him of violating her and gets him thrown into prison. 

Dreams also play a prophetic role in the Egyptian myths, and magic is a major plot device. Some people don't like that magic can be used as a "deus ex machina" for plot progression. I'll admit, it makes for some really weird stories sometimes. It's like playing that game where everyone adds a sentence to the story and it just barely makes sense, and "magic" is the bridge from one non-sensical thing to the next. But I like that magic as a plot device because you make anything happen, and the reader just has to go with you. Woman talking to a banana, and the banana become a crocodile? Magic. Man riding a horse that turns into a duck and then the man turns into a singing bear? Magic.

Obviously, writing magic like that would be an abuse of the element, but the possibilities are genuinely endless. I am writing a story about Isis, and in her journey a lot of nonsensical things happen but they progress the story and are usually backed up by a description of her emotions or of some natural process. The best magic, at least in the Egyptian tradition, is loosely rooted in nature or feeling. Not only does this help me understand ancient Egyptian culture, but it gives me ideas for my stories.

"Thoth's Book" via Wikipedia

Bibliography:

Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907)