The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Posted by admin_akashic on Mar 4th, 2022 in Stories

This was a frightening incident, for never yet had anyone heard of anybody from amongst the people who had openly dared to raise his hand against Pharaoh. What I mean is that perhaps in the past some Pharaoh might have died an unnatural death in his golden house, but this did not happen openly but maybe with poison or with a slim wire or by suffocating in a carpet so that there was no trace and everything could be concealed from the people. I had lived so long in the golden house that I knew these things had happened, and maybe now and again Pharaoh’s skull had been opened against his will. But openly had no one dared to raise his hand against Pharaoh, and this could not be hushed up for too many had seen and witnessed it, and Pharaoh Akhenaten did not want to have anyone killed nor sent to the mines in order to silence his tongue forever.

After this, the priests of Amun explained to people and their faithful that it was allowed and welcome for Amun to raise one’s hand against the false Pharaoh, and whoever would kill him would win eternal life for himself without preserving his body. They declared Pharaoh Akhenaten as the false Pharaoh in their secret speeches, and thus anyone could raise his hand against Pharaoh. Naturally, no one would have dared to raise his hand against the rightful Pharaoh for if anyone had dared to raise his hand against the rightful Pharaoh, he would have until eternity suffered all horrors in the abyss of the underworld in the mouth of the Devourer. So people believed.

The prisoners were questioned in the presence of Pharaoh but they refused to say anything. However, it was discovered that they had come from Thebes and hidden in the garden the previous evening. Already the name of Thebes revealed who had sent them, but they refused to talk, except for when they opened their mouths, it was to loudly invoke Amun’s aid and curse Pharaoh — although the guards smote them on the mouth with their spear shafts. At the sound of that god’s name, even Pharaoh Akhenaten grew so enraged that he allowed the guards to go on striking until the men’s faces were battered and bloody and the teeth flew from their mouths. The prisoners still called on Amun to help them, and Pharaoh at length forbade further torture. Then they cried out to him in their defiance:

“Let them torture us, false Pharaoh. Let them crush our limbs, cut our flesh, burn our skins, for we feel no pain.”

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So hardened were they that Pharaoh turned his face away from them and wrestled with his heart. Regaining control, he was greatly ashamed because he had allowed the guards to bruise the men’s faces. Therefore he said:

“Release them for they know not what they do.”

But when the guards had unbound them from the reed ropes, they swore worse than before and foamed at the mouth and shouted in unison, “Give us death, accursed Pharaoh. In the name of Amun, give us death, false Pharaoh, that we may win eternal life.”

When they perceived that Pharaoh meant to free them unpunished, they wrenched themselves from the hands of the guards and dashed head first against the courtyard wall so that their skulls were fractured, and they died soon afterward. So great was the secret power of Amun over men’s hearts.

After this incident, everyone in the golden house knew that Pharaoh’s life was not safe any more. His faithful strengthened their guard and would not let him out of their sight, although in his sorrow he still desired to wander alone in his garden, even by the river shore, unescorted. Perhaps he thought he walked alone, but now invisible eyes guarded his every step. Those who believed in Aten roused themselves to more ardent devotion, while those who professed the faith for the sake of wealth and position began to fear for their places and increased their zeal in Pharaoh’s service. Thus in both kingdoms, fanaticism increased, and the people were stirred up as much on Aten’s account as on Amun’s so that Aten separated wife from husband, father from son and brother from sister.

This became fastest evident in Thebes for in order to show the power and success of Pharaoh, the same processions and festivities were arranged in Thebes as in Akhetaten to celebrate the thirty-year anniversary. Baskets of gold dust and ostrich feathers were conveyed to Thebes, panthers in their cages were taken there, giraffes transported there along the river, as well as little monkeys and parrots with brilliant plumage were in the parade so that people might behold the majesty and wealth of Pharaoh and praise him. But the people of Thebes surveyed the festival procession in silence and without joy, and there was street fighting, and crosses of Aten were ripped from men’s clothing, and some of Aten’s priests were clubbed to death when they ventured forth amongst the people unguarded.

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