The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Posted by admin_akashic on Mar 4th, 2022 in Stories

Thus the people of Thebes were divided amongst themselves, son against father, wife against husband, for Aten’s sake. Just as the followers of Aten wore the cross of life on their garments or about their necks, so the horn was the mark of Amun’s faithful to recognise each other, and they wore Amun’s horn visibly on their garments or about their necks, and no one could prevent them since for ages this horn had been an accepted adornment on clothes or in jewellery. But why they used this horn as their sign, that I do not know. Maybe this horn was the horn of Amun’s ram, and also one of Amun’s many divine names was written in the same way as the word for horn, and the priests had looked up this word from oblivion and given it to people as the sign. Whatever the case, the horn-bearers fell fishsellers’ baskets and broke shutters of houses and struck wounds in passers-by, shouting, “We push with horns, pierce Aten with horns!” But the servants of Aten started carrying knives under their garments, forged and made in the shape of the cross of life. They defended themselves with these knives, shouting, “Truly, our cross is sharper than horns, and with the cross of life we strike eternal life into you.” And indeed they delivered many to the House of Death with these knives, to be preserved forever. The guards did not persecute them but gave them protection, though often when they spotted a lonely horn, they attacked the man, murdering him and leaving him naked on the street.

To my surprise, the power of Aten had notably increased in Thebes during the past year, and at first I was at a loss to know why this was. But many settlers had fled back to the city, and having lost everything and poorer than ever, they brought Aten with them in their bitterness, and they accused the priests who poisoned their grain and the noble men who stopped up their irrigation ditches and let their cattle trample over the fields. Also many who had learned the new script and attended Aten’s schools were zealous on Aten’s behalf — as youth will always be eager in opposing age. The porters and slaves of the harbour got together and thus spoke, “Our measure has dwindled to half of what it was, and we have nothing more to lose. In the sight of Aten, there is neither lord nor slave, neither master nor servant, whereas Amun exacts from us full payment for everything.”

But the hottest champions of Aten were the thieves, tomb robbers and traitors who had greatly enriched themselves by being informants and who now feared retribution. All those who in one way or another earned their bread by Aten and desired to keep in favour with Pharaoh

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held fast to Aten likewise. Thus the people of Thebes were divided until peaceful and respectable citizens who were weary of it all, losing their faith in any god, lamented wistfully, “Whether Amun or Aten, it is all one to us. We desire only to do our work in peace and receive our full measure — but we are torn this way and that until we don’t know whether we are standing on our heels or on our heads.” At that time, he who suffered most was he who sought to keep an open mind and allow every man his own faith. All those with one accord fell on him and reviled him, accusing him of sloth and indifference, of stupidity and a hardened nature, and of obstinacy and backsliding — until he was tormented enough to tear his clothes and close his eyes, accepting the cross or horn, whichever he fancied might cause him least vexation.

Many houses chose their sign, and even entire neighbourhoods chose their sign, and wine taverns, alehouses and pleasure houses chose their sign, so that horns drank wine in their own wine taverns while crosses drank beer in their own alehouses, and the prostitutes who plied their trade by the walls hung cross or horn about their necks as best pleased their clients. Every evening, crosses and horns roved the streets drunk from wine and beer, smashing lamps and quenching torches and rattling shutters of the houses, and they came to blows with one another — and I could not say which faction was worse, being equally appalled by them both.

The Crocodile’s Tail also had been compelled to display its sign, although Kaptah had not desired this, preferring to agree with everyone from whom he could milk silver. It was not left to his choice however, for every night the cross of life was scrawled on the tavern walls, surrounded by indecent pictures. This was very natural, as the corn merchants nursed a bitter hatred for Kaptah, who had impoverished them by distributing corn to the settlers, and it was in vain that he had declared in the tax returns the tavern under Merit’s name. It was alleged further that some Amun’s priests had met with violence in his house. Its regular customers belonged to the dubious rich men of the harbour who shrank by no means of acquiring wealth, and the chiefs of grave robbers had loved to drink crocodile’s tails there too and sold their grave loot in the back rooms to buyers of stolen goods. They all had declared for Aten since it was through Aten that they had prospered, and they could

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