The Golden Goblet

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Golden Goblet Cana Academy® Guide LEADING A DISCUSSION ON THE GOLDEN GOBLET Mary Frances Loughran & Julia DeCelles-Zwerneman PUBLISHED BY CANA ACADEMY® www.canaacademy.org © 2019 Cana Academy® All rights reserved. Unauthorized uses prohibited. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations or excerpts embodied in published materials permitted by copyright law: in that case, the source of the quotations or excerpts must be included in the published materials. For permission requests, contact the publisher via the Cana Academy website. i ©2019 Cana Academy® THE GOLDEN GOBLET Eloise Jarvis McGraw (1915-2000) Grade Level: 6 ISBN: 0-14-030335-9 Recommended hours: 4 INTRODUCTION The Golden Goblet was written in 1961 by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. The book follows the story of twelve-year-old Ranofer and takes place in the ancient city of Thebes, which served as the capital of Egypt at the time the story takes place. Queen Tiy, wife of Amenhotep III and mother of Akhenaten, is the current queen of Thebes. She lived roughly between 1390 and 1353 BC, setting the story sometime during the 14th century BC. This guide includes the following: • A brief introduction to some geographic and historical background • A glossary of important terms • Discussion questions for each chapter • A list of broader questions suitable for closing discussions and writing assignments THE WORLD OF RANOFER, SOME HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Golden Goblet takes place during the reign of Amenhotep III, who ruled Egypt as pharaoh from 1390 to 1353 BC. His wife was Queen Tiye, and his successor was the famous pharaoh, Akhenaten. Central to the plot is ancient Egyptian religion. Although difficult to summarize briefly, this religion was marked by a fascination with the role of the dead, ancestors, and the afterlife. Burial was an important and revered practice in ancient Egyptian culture. After loved ones died, they were buried with whatever belongings would be necessary to protect and sustain them in the afterlife, including food, furniture, and clothing. Members of the royalty were often buried with jewelry and other expensive goods. The presence of this buried treasure tempted tomb robbers to loot the royal tombs, selling the burial goods for a fortune. Tomb robbery was considered highly sacrilegious and a serious crime, often punishable by death. The pharaoh was viewed as an important link between humanity and the gods, and he was revered both during life and after death. Some pharaohs, including Amenhotep III, even went so far as to be deified during their own lifetimes. Ancient Egyptian religion was polytheistic, but the most important deity was Ra, the god of the sun. His importance was due in part to the significance of solar cycles to farming in the fertile land of the Nile region. 1 ©2019 Cana Academy® Spoken today by descendants of the above Germanic grammar but written in Hebrew alphabet Traditionally, ancient Egyptian religion held that there were three important elements of a person’s spiritual essence. Here is the Encyclopedia Britannica's brief description: The most significant of these were the ka, which was the vital essence of a person that was transmitted from one generation to the next, the ba, which granted freedom of movement and the ability to take on different forms, principally in the next world, and the akh, the transfigured spirit of a person in the next world.1 Although it is not essential for the teacher to cover all facets of ancient Egyptian religion, students will need to have some basic familiarity with some of these ideas. IMPORTANT GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS City of the Dead: located on the western side of Thebes; most artisan shops and craftsmen operated here Thebes: the capital of ancient Egypt during the Middle and New Kingdoms, located along the Nile and about 500 miles south of the Mediterranean Street of Good Fortune: the street on which Zau lives and works Street of the Crooked Dogs: the street on which Gebu and Ranofer live Street of the Masons: the street on which Wenamon lives Valley of the Kings: the valley near Thebes where many pharaohs and other members of ancient Egyptian royalty were buried 1 https://www.britannica.com/topic/ancient-Egyptian-religion/The-Gods 2 ©2019 Cana Academy® GLOSSARY To augment student understanding, we have included the following glossary of important terms. The number in parentheses indicates the page on which the word is first used. Adder (12) Common venomous snake Amulet (8) A charm often inscribed with a magical incantation or symbol; used for protection against evil Ankh (41) A cross with a loop for its upper vertical arm; emblem of life Anneal (22) Adder To heat and then cool; used in the process of softening and making metals less brittle Anubis (49) Jackal-headed god of death in Egyptian mythology “By Amon” (13) Analogous to “by God”; Amon was a major Egyptian deity Crucible (7) A vessel for melting substances at high temperatures; in this context, used to melt gold Deben (22) Ancient Egyptian unit of weight Goldhouse (8) A workshop where gold objects are made Ingot (7) A mass of metal cast into a convenient shape for storage or transportation Ka (20) One third of the soul, as conceptualized by the Crucible ancient Egyptians ©2019 Cana Academy® 3 Matt (left) and Osiris (right) Kheft (18) Ghost of the deceased “Land of the West” (28) Reference to the afterlife Maat (18) Egyptian goddess of truth, justice and harmony Month of Hathor, season of growing (8) The third month of the ancient Egyptian calendar; corresponds to November 10 through December 9 Osiris (39) Egyptian lord of the afterlife Ouzait (41) An amulet shaped like the Eye of Horus; symbol of wealth and good fortune; used as protection for the wearer Papyrus (29) A tall perennial plant of the Nile valley; commonly made into strips and pressed into a material to write upon Ra (31) Egyptian sun god 4 ©2019 Cana Academy® Shenti (30) Piece of linen fabric commonly worn around the waist Thoth (18) Egyptian god of writing, magic, wisdom and the moon Waif (36) A stray person, often homeless and malnourished CAST OF CHARACTERS The names of many of the characters are unusual and, as a result, may be difficult for students to remember. We have therefore included a short list of the main characters below. Teachers may direct students to keep track of these with page references in an index of their own making. They are listed here in alphabetical order. Gebu: Ranofer’s abusive half brother Heqet: one of Rekh’s apprentices; close friend of Ranofer Ibni: Rekh’s Babylonian porter Pai: foreman at Gebu’s stone-cutting shop Amulet depicting Ra Queen Tiy: Queen of Thebes Ranofer: the main character, 12 years old Rekh: the goldmaster at the shop where Ranofer works as a porter Sata: the First Craftsman at Rekh’s goldhouse Setma: a Nile-boat captain; acquaintance of Gebu Thutra: Ranofer’s deceased father Wenamon: a cloaked stonemason; associate of Gebu and Setma Zaohetep: craftsman at Gebu’s stone-cutting shop Zau: a famous goldsmith and friend of Ranofer’s deceased father; held in high esteem at the Pharaoh’s Palace ©2019 Cana Academy® 5 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS We recommend reading assignments of approximately one chapter per assignment, about twenty to thirty pages. These discussion questions are intended for the teacher’s use only. They should not be given to the students, nor should they be used as the basis for comprehension quizzes or tests. Rather, the questions are intended to help the teacher lead lively, penetrating discussions. The list of broader questions at the close of the guide should be consulted occasionally, as the relevance of those questions may arise in the discussions earlier than anticipated. Chapter 1 1. What does Ranofer enjoy doing? Why is he unable to do it? 2. What does the “sharp glint” in Ibni’s eyes indicate (11)? 3. What is Gebu doing with the wine with which Ibni sends Ranofer home? 4. What is happening with the gold from the goldhouse? 5. What do the stripes on Ranofer’s back indicate? What is happening to him? Why doesn’t he tell Rekh what he endures at home? 6. What does it mean to be apprenticed? Why is it so important to Ranofer that he be apprenticed instead of being a porter? 7. Describe Ranofer’s old life. How does it compare to his current situation? 8. Describe how Ranofer refers to the sun. Why does he refer to it this way? Chapter 2 1. Where does Ranofer live? What is this place called? Why does it have this name? Why do the craftsmen make items for tombs? Explain. 2. Describe Gebu. Explain his relationship with Ranofer. How does he diminish Ranofer? 3. What are Ranofer’s suspicions? How does Gebu respond to Ranofer’s suspicions? Is that how Ranofer expected him to respond? Explain. 4. Is Ranofer still right about Gebu? Are Gebu and Ibni stealing the gold? Explain. 5. What does Ranofer hate about Gebu, even more than the physical abuse he endures at his hands? 6. What does Ranofer eat for dinner? What does Gebu eat for dinner? What do you think of this? 6 ©2019 Cana Academy® Chapter 3 1. Describe what Ranofer is doing in the sand at the beginning of Chapter 2. What does he see everywhere in everyday objects? 2. What task does Rekh give Ranofer? Why does this make him so happy? 3.
Recommended publications
  • CLEAR II Egyptian Mythology and Religion Packet by Jeremy Hixson 1. According to Chapter 112 of the ​
    CLEAR II Egyptian Mythology and Religion Packet by Jeremy Hixson 1. According to Chapter 112 of the Book of the Dead, two of these deities were charged with ending a storm at the ​ ​ city of Pe, and the next chapter assigns the other two of these deities to the city of Nekhen. The Pyramid Texts describe these gods as bearing Osiris's body to the heavens and, in the Middle Kingdom, the names of these deities were placed on the corner pillars of coffins. Maarten Raven has argued that the association of these gods with the intestines developed later from their original function, as gods of the four quarters of the world. Isis was both their mother and grandmother. For 10 points, consisting of Qebehsenuef, Imsety, Duamutef, and Hapi, the protectors of the organs stored in the canopic jars which bear their heads, these are what group of deities, the progeny of a certain falcon­headed god? ANSWER: Sons of Horus [or Children of Horus; accept logical equivalents] ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2. According to Plutarch, the pro­Spartan Kimon sent a delegation with a secret mission to this deity, though he died before its completion, prompting the priest to inform his men that Kimon was already with this deity. Pausanias says that Pindar offered a statue of this god carved by Kalamis in Thebes and Pythian IV includes Medea's prediction that "the daughter of Epaphus will one day be planted... amid the foundations" of this god in Libya. Every ten days a cult statue of this god was transported to Medinet Habu in western Thebes, where he had first created the world by fertilizing the world egg.
    [Show full text]
  • Varieties and Sources of Sandstone Used in Ancient Egyptian Temples
    The Journal of Ancient Egyptian Architecture vol. 1, 2016 Varieties and sources of sandstone used in Ancient Egyptian temples James A. Harrell Cite this article: J. A. Harrell, ‘Varieties and sources of sandstone used in Ancient Egyptian temples’, JAEA 1, 2016, pp. 11-37. JAEA www.egyptian-architecture.com ISSN 2472-999X Published under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 2.0 JAEA 1, 2016, pp. 11-37. www.egyptian-architecture.com Varieties and sources of sandstone used in Ancient Egyptian temples J. A. Harrell1 From Early Dynastic times onward, limestone was the construction material of choice for An- cient Egyptian temples, pyramids, and mastabas wherever limestone bedrock occurred, that is, along the Mediterranean coast, in the northern parts of the Western and Eastern Deserts, and in the Nile Valley between Cairo and Esna (fig. 1). Sandstone bedrock is present in the Nile Valley from Esna south into Sudan as well as in the adjacent deserts, and within this region it was the only building stone employed.2 Sandstone was also imported into the Nile Valley’s limestone region as far north as el-‘Sheikh Ibada and nearby el-‘Amarna, where it was used for New Kingdom tem- ples. There are sandstone temples further north in the Bahariya and Faiyum depressions, but these were built with local materials. The first large-scale use of sandstone occurred near Edfu in Upper Egypt, where it was employed for interior pavement and wall veneer in an Early Dynastic tomb at Hierakonpolis3 and also for a small 3rd Dynasty pyramid at Naga el-Goneima.4 Apart from this latter structure, the earliest use of sandstone in monumental architecture was for Middle Kingdom temples in the Abydos-Thebes region with the outstanding example the 11th Dynasty mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II (Nebhepetre) at Deir el-Bahri.
    [Show full text]
  • History Bible Literature G 4-Day Sample.Pdf
    HISTORY / BIBLE / LITERATURE INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE WORLD HISTORY Year 1 of 2 The Colosseum G Rome, Italy FUN FACT Hatshepsut was the f rst female pharaoh. 4-DAY G Ages 12–14 Grades 7–9 History Bible Literature (4-Day) World History, Year 1 of 2 By the Sonlight Team Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE Thank you for downloading this sample of Sonlight’s History / Bible / Literature G Instructor’s Guide (what we affectionately refer to as an IG). In order to give you a full perspective on our Instructor’s Guides, this sample will include parts from every section that is included in the full IG. Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll find in this sample. Ҍ A Quick Start Guide Ҍ A 3-week Schedule Ҍ Discussion questions, notes and additional features to enhance your school year Ҍ A Scope and Sequence of topics and and skills your children will be developing throughout the school year Ҍ A schedule for Timeline Figures Ҍ Samples of the full-color laminated maps included in History / Bible / Literature IGs to help your children locate key places mentioned in your history, Reader and Read-Aloud books SONLIGHT’S “SECRET” COMES DOWN TO THIS: We believe most children respond more positively to great literature than they do to textbooks. To properly use this sample to teach your student, you will need the books that are scheduled in it.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mythological Importance of the Constellation Msḫtjw in Mortuary Representations Until the End of the New Kingdom
    The mythological importance of the constellation Msḫtjw in mortuary representations until the end of the New Kingdom Gábor W. Nemes Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest N VARIOUS CULTURES of the world, and hence also in western culture, probably the most well-known asterism of the northern sky is the so-called Big Dipper, or Plough, which I actually forms a part of the much greater constellation of Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear. Various people have seen into it different formations, so it is not at all surprising that there is an apparent lack of uniformity in naming it in European culture as well.1 The particular designations, as in the case of most other constellations, were based on the fact that respective cultures considered different groups of stars to be part of a given constellation. However, considering the sign the ancient Egyptian idea is in unison with modern concepts in a particular respect, namely that both emphasise the same seven stars that at clear-skied nights are easily observable even with a naked eye, even in the heavily light-polluted skies of modern cities, due to them being the brightest ones in Ursa Major. The ancient Egyptians identified the group formed by Dubhe (α UMa), Merak (β UMa), Phad (γ UMa), Megrez (δ UMa), Alioth (ε UMa), Mizar (ζ Uma), and Alkaid (η Uma) with a thigh or foreleg of a bull, or either a partial or full scale depiction of a bull, and called it Ḫpš or Msḫtjw.2 This very sign may be the only one that we can identify with great certainty among the northern constellations known by the ancient Egyptians.3 In its shape, or differently said, in its form designated by its respective stars, it plainly overlaps with one of the instruments by the same name, used during the Ritual of Opening the Mouth, an adze with a bent handle (U19A).
    [Show full text]
  • Ten Egyptian Plagues for Ten Egyptian Gods and Goddesses the God of Israel Is Greater Than All Other Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
    - Ten Egyptian Plagues For Ten Egyptian Gods and Goddesses The God of Israel is greater than all other Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Moses was a great prophet, called by God with a very important job to do. As an instrument in the Lord's hand he performed many signs, or "wonders", attempting to convince Pharaoh to allow the Israelites freedom from their bondage of slavery to the Egyptians. These "wonders" are more commonly referred to as "plagues" sent from the God of Israel, as a proof that the "one true God" was far greater than all of the multiple Gods of the Egyptians. These Egyptian Plagues were harsh and varied to correspond to the ancient egyptian gods and goddesses that were prevelant during Moses time in Egypt. The number ten is a significant number in biblical numerology. It represents a fullness of quantity. Ten Egyptian Plagues Means Completely Plagued. Just as the "Ten Commandments" become symbolic of the fullness of the moral law of God, the ten ancient plagues of Egypt represent the fullness of God's expression of justice and judgments, upon those who refuse to repent. Ten times God, through Moses, allows Pharaoh to change his mind, repent, and turn to the one true God, each time increasing the severity of the consequence of the plagues suffered for disobedience to His request. Ten times Pharaoh, because of pride, refuses to be taught by the Lord, and receives "judgments" through the plagues, pronounced upon his head from Moses, the deliverer. The Ten Egyptian Plagues testify of Jesus the Anointed One and His power to save.
    [Show full text]
  • The Milk Goddess in Ancient Egyptian Theology
    Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists Volume 2 Issue 1 issue 1 Article 2 2017 The Milk Goddess in Ancient Egyptian Theology. Ayman Mohamed Ahmed Damanhour University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/jguaa Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the Museum Studies Commons Recommended Citation Ahmed, Ayman Mohamed (2017) "The Milk Goddess in Ancient Egyptian Theology.," Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/jguaa/vol2/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Arab Journals Platform. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists by an authorized editor. The journal is hosted on Digital Commons, an Elsevier platform. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Ahmed: The Milk Goddess in Ancient Egyptian Theology. (JOURNAL OF The General Union OF Arab Archaeologists (2 ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ IAt The Milk Goddess in Ancient Egyptian Theology Dr. Ayman Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Abstract: This paper tackles the question of the deity (IAt) in ancient Egyptian theology. It aims at presenting a complete overview of the deity in ancient Egyptian art and scripts in an attempt to consolidate its origin and track the forms in which it was portrayed as well as accounting for its features, symbol and role in ancient Egyptian theology since so far there has been no study tackling this deity.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes Listen Contact
    October 1, 2017 | Kasey Robinson Plague 5 - ____________________ livestock notes Egyptian gods, Hathor and Apis (cattle gods) Plague 6 - ____________________ AUTHORITY Egyptian gods, Sekhmet, Sunu and Isis (gods over health and disease) Exodus Plague 7 - ____________________ When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. Egyptian gods, Nut, Osiris, & Set (the sky goddess, the crop fertility god, and the She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.” storm god) Exodus 2:10 (NIV) Plague 8 - ____________________ 6Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac Egyptian gods, Nut, Osiris and Set and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard Plague 9 - ____________________ them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. Egyptian god, Re (god of the son—symbol of pharaoh) 8So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey— Plague 10 - ____________________ of the firstborn 9 the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And Egyptian god, Isis (the protector of children) now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10So now, go.
    [Show full text]
  • The Life of Meresamun Oi.Uchicago.Edu Oi.Uchicago.Edu
    oi.uchicago.edu The life of MeresaMun oi.uchicago.edu oi.uchicago.edu The life of MeresaMun a temple singer in ancient egypt edited by eMily TeeTer and JaneT h. Johnson The orienTal insTiTuTe MuseuM publicaTions • nuMber 29 The orienTal insTiTuTe of The universiTy of chicago oi.uchicago.edu The life of meresamun Library of Congress Control Number: 2008942017 ISBN-10: 1-885923-60-0 ISBN-13: 978-1-885923-60-8 © 2009 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Published 2009. Printed in the United States of America. The Oriental Institute, Chicago This volume has been published in conjunction with the exhibition The Life of Meresamun: A Temple Singer in Ancient Egypt, presented at The Oriental Institute Museum, February 10–December 6, 2009. Oriental Institute Museum Publications No. 29 The Series Editors Leslie Schramer and Thomas G. Urban would like to thank Sabahat Adil and Kaye Oberhausen for their help in the production of this volume. Published by The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago 1155 East 58th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 USA oi.uchicago.edu Meresamun’s name appears in hieroglyphs on the title page. This publication has been made possible in part by the generous support of Philips Healthcare. Printed by M&G Graphics, Chicago, Illinois. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Service — Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984 ∞ 4 oi.uchicago.edu a Temple singer in ancienT egypT TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword. Gil J. Stein ................................................................................................................................... 7 Preface. Geoff Emberling ..............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Against All the Gods of Egypt”
    “Against All The Gods Of Egypt” “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.” (Exodus 12:12) © 2015 David Padfield www.padfield.com Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Dedication This book is dedicated to Gene Taylor, my good friend and fellow-laborer in the gospel. I met Gene in 1979 at a special class Homer Hailey was teaching at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He is a man of integrity and is uncompromising in his stand for the truth. Gene has helped me in every public debate I’ve had and was able to accompany me on my first five trips to the lands of the Bible (Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy and Egypt). While it has been a while since we have travelled together, we still frequently talk about our experiences in those places. “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his fiend” (Proverbs 27:17) Preface This book contains a series of lessons I presented at the Lewis Avenue Church of Christ in Zion, Illinois in the fall of 2015. For over twenty years the brethren in Zion have encouraged me to travel the lands of the Bible and produce printed material to help people understand Bible history and geography. Some preachers desire to work with large congregations where, unfortunately, they usually end up spending a lot of their time in things other than doing “the work of an evangelist.” The brethren in Zion have allowed me to devote my time to studying the Scriptures and preparing material that, thanks to the Internet, is used by Christians throughout the world—and for this I am truly thankful.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts"
    CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF J. P. ALLEN’S "THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PYRAMID TEXTS" by Timofey T. Shmakov PRELIMINARY RESULTS Edited by A. K. Eyma Omsk-Tricht, 2012 2 source: http://www.ancient-egypt.org/ swt jrr nTrw.f m zSA nj zjn.f "He is the one who put his gods in a writing1 that cannot be erased" (painted plaster from the mastaba of Nefermaat and his wife Itet) 1 i.e. recorded them. 3 To my mom, Elena Leonidovna, who had patience with me making long hours, and to my friend, Marina Sokolova, who taught me a lot of things. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication 4 Foreword 6 Lexicon 7 Part I: Unis’s PT corpus [W] 12 Part II: Teti’s PT corpus [T] 175 Part III: Pepi Merire’s PT corpus [P] 241 Part IV: Nemtiemzaf Merenre’s PT corpus [M] 345 Part V: Pepi Neferkare’s PT corpus [N] 354 Part VI: Neith’s PT corpus [Nt] 379 Supplemental Notes 391 Bibliography 402 Copyright © 2012 Timofey T. Shmakov All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without reference to the work and the author. 5 Foreword The Pyramid Texts constitute the most ancient written text corpus of such a size to have reached us. They reflect the images of the ancient Egyptians about the life of a king after physical death and present a rich source of philological material still in need of urgent study. The correct reading of these monumental texts is necessary for an integral understanding of the funerary cult of a king.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origin of the Frog Totem in Guangxi Bohai,Xu
    The Origin of the Frog Totem in Guangxi Bohai,Xu Address: Suzhou Industrial Park , Suzhou, China Abstract: Maguai, which in Zhuang dialect means frogs, is considered the incarnations of gods by the Zhuang ethnic group. From the paper, you can speculate that Maguai God(Frog God) is actually Egyptian goddess Heqet in China. Maguai, which in Zhuang dialect means frogs, is considered the incarnations of gods by the Zhuang ethnic group. In ancient times, Zhuang people would dress up as frogs, sing and dance to ask for peace, harmony and a good harvest, and this gradually developed into the Maguai Festival. The festival was included as one of China's national intangible cultural heritages in 2005. The Zhuang people live in the hot and rainy areas of South China. They mainly rely on agriculture to survive. People are familiar with frogs. The frogs in the rice fields are used to kill insects and protect the harvest of rice. In particular, people find connections between frogs’ tweets , activities and the weather. There is a close relationship between the changes in the rain and frogs’ tweets , activities. Therefore, people believe that the frog has some mysterious attributes and believe that it can dominate the rain. Therefore, people want to worship the frog. So people hope the favorable climatic weathers, not droughts and floods. Another point is that under the conditions of low productivity and poor living conditions, Zhuang ancestors prayed for more happiness comes with more offsprings. We know that the reproduction of human beings is the foundation of the existence and development of human society.
    [Show full text]
  • Egyptian Mythological Manuals
    Egyptian Mythological Manuals Mythological structures and interpretative techniques in the Tebtunis Mythological manual, the manual of the Delta and related texts Jørgensen, Jens Kristoffer Blach Publication date: 2014 Document version Early version, also known as pre-print Citation for published version (APA): Jørgensen, J. K. B. (2014). Egyptian Mythological Manuals: Mythological structures and interpretative techniques in the Tebtunis Mythological manual, the manual of the Delta and related texts. Det Humanistiske Fakultet, Københavns Universitet. Download date: 27. Sep. 2021 Egyptian Mythological Manuals Mythological structures and interpretative techniques in the Tebtunis Mythological manual, the Manual of the Delta and related texts Jens Blach Jørgensen December 2013 Abstract This thesis consists of an analysis of two ancient Egyptian mythological manual; the Tebtunis Mythological Manual and the Mythological Manual of the Delta. The analysis is focused on the different modes of structuring and interpreting mythology found in the manuals. The first chapter is a critical overview of the different Egyptological theories on Egyptian mythology, with special emphasis on aetiological myth and etymology. Structuralist theories are drawn upon to formulate two approaches to the mythological material found in the manual and utilized by the Egyptians themselves, viz. the paradigmatic and the syntagmatic. The manuals are found to use model mythological narratives or key myths built upon the myths of the Heliopolitan Ennead to structure the wealth of local mythological traditions. This creates a redundant structure in which the mythology of the individual district becomes an echo or actualization of basic mythic patterns. The Delta manual demonstrates the heuristic nature of this system by adding an extra deity to the Ennead in the form of the female Horus.
    [Show full text]