The Tale of Two Brothers
Betrayal, Magic and Second Chances
The Tale of Two Brothers is one of the most complete stories to survive from ancient Egypt. It follows Anpu and his younger brother Bata through farm work, false accusation, exile, magic, death, transformations and kingship. The plot is so packed that it feels like an ancient adventure series squeezed into one papyrus. It was copied during the reign of Seti II, near the end of the nineteenth dynasty, by a scribe named Ennana. The manuscript is called Papyrus D’Orbiney and is kept in the British Museum.
At first, the brothers live together in the countryside. Anpu has a house and wife, while Bata works for him, ploughing fields, tending cattle and carrying produce. One day Bata returns home for seed. Anpu’s wife tries to persuade him to sleep with her. He refuses, saying she is like a mother to him. Afraid that he will tell the truth, she makes herself look injured and tells Anpu that Bata attacked her.Anpu hides with a weapon, planning to kill his brother. The cattle warn Bata, who runs away and calls to Ra-Horakhty for help. A lake filled with crocodiles appears between them. At sunrise Bata explains the accusation and convinces Anpu of his innocence through a shocking act of self-injury. He says he will live in the Valley of the Pine and place his heart on a tree’s flower. If disaster comes, Anpu will receive warning signs and must search for the heart.
Anpu returns and kills his wife, while Bata builds a house in the distant valley. The gods pity Bata’s loneliness, and Khnum creates a beautiful companion for him. The Seven Hathors predict that she will die by violence. Bata tells her the secret of his heart and warns her about the sea. When the sea tries to seize her, she escapes, but it carries away a lock of her hair. The scented lock reaches Egypt and the pharaoh sends men to find its owner.⬅ Back
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The curious mind behind Mythfits Society
Hi! I’m Jocelyn, and I created Mythfits Society to make discovering ancient myths easier, more interesting and much more fun.
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