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e Tale of the two Brothers

Anpu and Batance there were two brethren, of one mother andne father; Anpu was the name of the elder, andata was the name of the younger. Now, asr Anpu he had a house , and he had a wife. Buts little brother was to him as if he were a son ; hewas who made for him his clothes ; he it washo followed behind his oxen to the fields; he itas who did the ploughing; he it was whoarvested the corn ; he it was who did for him alle matters that were in the field. Behold, his

ounger brother grew to be an excellentorker, there was not his e ual in the whole land;ehold, the spirit of a god was in him.ow after this the younger brother followed hisxen in his daily manner; and every evening herned again to the house, laden with all the herbs

f the field, with milk and with wood , and with allings of the field. And he put them down befores elder brother, who was sitting with his wife;

nd he drank and ate, and he lay down in hisable with the cattle . And at the dawn of day heok bread which he had baked , and laid it befores elder brother; and he took with him his breadthe field, and he drove his cattle to pasture ine fields. And as he walked behind his cattle, they

aid to him, !"ood is the herbage which is in thatace;! and he listened to all that they said, and

e took them to the good place which they desired.nd the cattle which were before him becamexceeding excellent, and they multiplied greatly.

Anpu and Bata were the names of two gods. Anpu, Anubis , wasthe God of mummification etc in jackal shape. Bata was anUpper Eyptian bull deity.

Anpu he had a house# Ha ing a house of one!s own was a prere"uisite for getting married and raising a family.

as if he were a son# #he two brothers were seeminglyorphaned of both parents. $lder brothers often took in youngerunmarried siblings, but also other relati es in need.

made for him his clothes# #he making of clothes was note%clusi ely a female occupation, cf. the production of linen .

corn# grain, generally wheat or barleythere was not his e ual# a fre"uently used e%pression in

autobiographic inscriptions, probably more justified in the caseof Bata than would ha e been usual. #he absence of any mentionof ser ants in the affluent household of Anpu is surprising. &tseems Bata had to do most of the work all by himself.

milk# milk production of Egyptian cows was rather low abo eall when the cows were doing the ploughing as well as happenedwhen a farmer was too poor to own more than a cow. Anpu was"uite well off, possessing o%en to do the hea y work.

wood# wood, be it firewood or timber used for constructionwas hard to come by.

he lay down in his stable with the cattle# &n order to pre entthe theft of the animals, the herdsmen generally slept near'by.

bread which he had baked# making bread was without adoubt the task of the mistress of the house and her ser ants. Batais definitely being put upon by his sister'in'law.

ow at the time of ploughing his elder brotheraid unto him, !$et us make ready for ourselves aoodly yoke of oxen for ploughing, for the landas come out from the water, it is fit for ploughing.oreover, do thou come to the field with corn, fore will begin the ploughing in the morroworning.!hus said he to him; and his younger brother did

l things as his elder brother had spoken untom to do them.

the time of ploughing# (ittle time could be wasted after the )ile had receded. #he grain seed had to be sown and co eredwith earth before the sun baked the soil surface stone'hard.*f. Agriculture in ancient Egypt . +oor people often co ered theseed with hoes.

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nd when the morn was come, they went to theelds with their things; and their hearts wereeased exceedingly with their task in the

eginning of their work. And it came to pass after

is that as they were in the field they stopped fororn, and he sent his younger brother, saying,aste thou, bring to us corn from the farm.! nd the younger brother found the wife of hisder brother, as she was sitting tiring her hair . 'e

aid to her, !"et up, and give to me corn, that (ay run to the field, for my elder brother hastened e; do not delay.!

he said to him, !"o, open the bin, and thou shaltke to thyself according to thy will, that ( may not rop my locks of hair while ( dress them.!

she was sitting tiring her hair# ost farmers! wi es wouldha e had little spare time for such unessential beha iour, abo eall during planting and har esting.

he youth went into the stable; he took arge measure , for he desired to take much corn;e loaded it with wheat and barley; and he wentut carrying it. )he said to him, !'ow much of theorn that is wanted, is that which is on thyhoulder*!said to her, !&hree bushels of barley, and two

f wheat, in all five; these are what are upon my

houlder#! thus said he to her.nd she conversed with him, saying, !&here isreat strength in thee, for ( see thy might everyay.!nd her heart knew him with the knowledge ofouth. And she arose and came to him, andonversed with him, saying, !+ome, stay with me,nd it shall be well for thee, and ( will make foree beautiful garments.!

measure# a khar -sack during the )ew /ingdom measuredabout 01 litres. *f easures of capacity

hen the youth became like a panther of theouth with fury at the evil speech which she hadade to him; and she feared greatly. And he spake

nto her, saying, !Behold thou art to me as aother, thy husband is to me as a father, for heho is elder than ( has brought me up. hat isis wickedness that thou hast said to me* )ay it

ot to me again. -or ( will not tell it to any man,r ( will not let it be uttered by the mouth of anyan.! lifted up his burden, and he went to the field

nd came to his elder brother; and they took up

became like a panther of the south# a pro erbial e%pression

for anger.

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eir work, to labour at their task.ow afterward, at eventime, his elder brother wasturning to his house; and the younger brotheras following after his oxen, and he loaded

mself with all the things of the field; and herought his oxen before him, to make them lieown in their stable which was in the farm. Andehold the wife of the elder brother was afraid fore words which she had said. )he took a parcel of t, she became like one who is evilly beaten,

esiring to say to her husband, !(t is thy youngerrother who has done this wrong.!r husband returned in the even, as was his wont f every day; he came unto his house; he found hisife ill of violence; she did not give him waterpon his hands as he used to have, she did notake a light before him, his house was in

arkness, and she was lying very sick. 'erusband said to her, ! ho has spoken with thee*! ehold she said, !No one has spoken with mexcept thy younger brother. hen he came to taker thee corn he found me sitting alone; he said toe, +ome, let us stay together, tie up thy hair;

us spake he to me. ( did not listen to him, butus spake ( to him# Behold, am ( not thy mother,not thy elder brother to thee as a father* And

e feared, and he beat me to stop me from makingport to thee, and if thou lettest him live ( shalle. Now behold he is coming in the evening; and (

omplain of these wicked words, for he wouldave done this even in daylight.!nd the elder brother became as a panther of the

outh; he sharpened his knife; he took it in hisand; he stood behind the door of his stable toay his younger brother as he came in the evening bring his cattle into the stable.

ow the sun went down, and he loaded himselfith herbs in his daily manner. 'e came, and hisremost cow entered the stable, and she said to

er keeper, !Behold thou thy elder brotheranding before thee with his knife to slay thee;ee from before him.!

heard what his first cow had said; and the next ntering, she also said likewise. 'e looked

crocodiles# a familiar ha2ard in the waterways of those days,and only the foolhardy or the lo esick would enture to crosswhere crocodiles were gathered3 %y sister s love is on yonder side,

&he river is between our bodies;&he waters are mighty at /flood01time,

A crocodile waits in the shallows. ( enter the water and brave the waves, %y heart is strong on the deep;&he crocodile seems like a mouse to me,

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eneath the door of the stable; he saw the feet ofs elder brother; he was standing behind the

oor, and his knife was in his hand. 'e cast downs load to the ground, and betook himself to flee

wiftly; and his elder brother pursued after himith his knife. &hen the younger brother cried outnto 2a 'arakhti, saying, !%y good $ord3 &hout he who divides the evil from the good.! nd 2a stood and heard all his cry; and 2a madewide water between him and his elder brother,nd it was full of crocodiles ; and the one brotheras on one bank, and the other on the other bank;

nd the elder brother smote twice on his hands atot slaying him. &hus did he. And the youngerrother called to the elder on the bank, saying,tand still until the dawn of day; and when 2aiseth, ( shall 4udge with thee before 'im, and 'escerneth between the good and the evil. -or (

hall not be with thee any more for ever; ( shallot be in the place in which thou art; ( shall go toe valley of the acacia .! ow when the land was lightened, and the nextay appeared, 2a 'arakhti arose, and one lookednto the other. And the youth spake with his elderrother, saying, ! herefore earnest thou after me

slay me in craftiness, when thou didst not heare words of my mouth* -or ( am thy brother inuth, and thou art to me as a father, and thy wifeven as a mother# is it not so* 5erily, when ( wasnt to bring for us corn, thy wife said to me,+ome, stay with me; for behold this has beenrned over unto thee into another wise.!

&he flood as land to my feet.. (ichtheim, Ancient 6gyptian $iterature , 4ol.5, p.678

smote twice on his hands# *oncerning this gesture +etrieremarked3

&his gesture is very common in 6gypt now, the twohands being rapidly slid one past the other, palm to

palm, vertically, grating the fingers of one handover the other; the right hand moving downwards,and the left a little up. &his implies that there isnothing, that a thing is worthless, that a desiredresult has not been attained, or annoyance at wantof success...valley of the acacia# +etrie was of the opinion that the writer

probably en isioned a alley or wadi on the 9yrian or *anaanitecoast. . (ichtheim translated the phrase as 5alley of the 7ine .#he (ebanese mountains were famous for their coniferous trees.

nd he caused him to understand of all that

appened with him and his wife. And he swore anath by 2a 'ar1akhti, saying, !&hy coming to slaye by deceit with thy knife was an abomination.! hen the youth took a knife, and cut off of hisesh, and cast it into the water, and the fishwallowed it. 'e failed; he became faint; and hisder brother cursed his own heart greatly; heood weeping for him afar off; he knew not howpass over to where his younger brother was,

ecause of the crocodiles. And the youngerrother called unto him, saying, ! hereas thou

&hen the youth took a knife, and cut off of his flesh ... # Anunfortunate, bowdleri2ed translation. (ichtheim rendered it asfollows3 &hen he took a reed knife, cut off his phallus, and threwit into the water; and the catfish swallowed it.

. (ichtheim, Ancient 6gyptian $iterature , 4ol. 5, p.51: soul# . (ichtheim3 heart acacia# &n (ichtheim!s translation pine which isn!t known for

its flowers. Acacias were sacred trees .it shall be troubled# $mens were occasionally used as literary

de ices. ;or instance, the )ubian magician Hor in the secondstory of /hamwas said to his mother3 )hould ( be overcome 8*9then should you be drinking /or eating flesh 8*90, the water

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ast devised an evil thing, wilt thou not alsoevise a good thing, even like that which ( wouldo unto thee* hen thou goest to thy house thouust look to thy cattle, for ( shall not stay in the

ace where thou art; ( am going to the valley ofe acacia. And now as to what thou shalt do fore; it is even that thou shalt come to seek aftere, if thou perceivest a matter, namely, that theree things happening unto me. And this is what

hall come to pass, that ( shall draw out my soul ,nd ( shall put it upon the top of the flowers ofe acacia , and when the acacia is cut down, andfalls to the ground, and thou comest to seek forif thou searchest for it seven years do not let thy

eart be wearied. -or thou wilt find it, and thouust put it in a cup of cold water, and expect that (

hall live again, that ( may make answer to whatas been done wrong. And thou shalt know of this,at is to say, that things are happening to me,hen one shall give to thee a cup of beer in thyand, and it shall be troubled ; stay not then, forerily it shall come to pass with thee.!

before you will turn the colour of blood, the food that are before you will turn the colour of flesh, the sky shall turn the colour ofblood before your eyes.

nd the youth went to the valley of the acacia; and

s elder brother went unto his house; his handas laid on his head, and he cast dust on hisead ; he came to his house, and he slew his wife,e cast her to the dogs, and he sat in mourning for s younger brother.ow many days after these things, the youngerrother was in the valley of the acacia; there wasone with him; he spent his time in hunting theeasts of the desert, and he came back in the even

lie down under the acacia, which bore his soul

pon the topmost flower. And after this he builtmself a tower with his own hands, in the valley

f the acacia; it was full of all good things, that height provide for himself a home.

his hand was laid on his head, and he cast dust on hishead# Gestures of mourning .

tower# mansion - . (ichtheim

nd he went out from his tower, and he mete Nine "ods , who were walking forth to look

pon the whole land. &he Nine "ods talked oneith another, and they said unto him, !'o3ata, bull of the Nine "ods, art thou remainingone* &hou hast left thy village for the wife ofnpu, thy elder brother. Behold his wife is slain.

Nine "ods# the Ennead 8ps:.t9 , collecti e name for all thegods of a locality, not necessarily counting nine, e.g. the Enneadof #hebes comprised 6< gods.

bull# the god Bata was a bo ine deity. =Bull= was fre"uentepithet of gods and pharaohs, Bull of the 6nnead was used torefer to >e, Bull of Nekhen to Horus etc.

hnumu# /hnum created man -and his double, the kafrom clay .

seven 'athors # prognosticate about a person!s destiny at his birth, cf #he #ale of the ?oomed +rince 3

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hou hast given him an answer to all that wasansgressed against thee.! nd their hearts were vexed for him exceedingly.nd 2a 'arakhti said to hnumu, !Behold, frame

ou a woman for Bata, that he may not remainive alone.! nd hnumu made for him a mate to dwell withm.

he was more beautiful in her limbs than anyoman who is in the whole land. &he essence of

very god was in her. &he seven 'athors came toe her# they said with one mouth, !)he will die a

harp death.!

(n time came the day of the child s birth. &he seven 'athors greeted the prince and pronounced his destiny; they said hewould meet with a sudden death, either by a crocodile, or a

serpent, or a dog.!)he will die a sharp death.!# . (ichtheim3 !)he will die by

the knife.!

nd Bata loved her very exceedingly, and shewelt in his house; he passed his time in huntinge beasts of the desert, and brought and laid them

efore her. 'e said, !"o not outside, lest the seai<e thee; for ( cannot rescue thee from it, for (

m a woman like thee ; my soul is placed on theead of the flower of the acacia; and if anothernd it, ( must fight with him.! nd he opened unto her his heart in all its nature.ow after these things Bata went to hunt in his

aily manner. And the young girl went to walknder the acacia which was by the side of herouse. &hen the sea saw her, and cast its waves upter her. )he betook herself to flee from before it.

he entered her house. And the sea called unto thecacia, saying, !Oh, would that ( could sei<e her3!

( am a woman like thee# castration of a grown man doesn!t

affect his physical strength to any large e%tent and it certainlydoesn!t turn a man into a woman.

nd the acacia brought a lock from her hair, ande sea carried it to 6gypt, and dropped it in theace of the fullers of 7haraoh s linen. &he smell

f the lock of hair entered into the clothes ofharaoh; and they were wroth with the fullers ofharaoh, saying, !&he smell of ointment is in theothes of 7haraoh.! nd the people were rebuked every day, they knewot what they should do. And the chief fuller ofharaoh walked by the bank, and his heart wasery evil within him after the daily uarrel withm. 'e stood still, he stood upon the sand

pposite to the lock of hair, which was in theater, and he made one enter into the water andring it to him; and there was found in it a smell,

fullers# according to (ichtheim!s translation3 washermen .@ashing clothes was hard work, professionally done by men.

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xceeding sweet. 'e took it to 7haraoh; and theyrought the scribes and the wise men, and theyaid unto 7haraoh, !&his lock of hair belongs to aaughter of 2a 'arakhti# the essence of every god

in her, and it is a tribute to thee from anothernd. $et messengers go to every strange land toek her# and as for the messenger who shall go toe valley of the acacia, let many men go with himbring her.! hen said his ma4esty, !6xcellent exceedingly ishat has been said to us;! and they sent them.nd many days after these things the people whoere sent to strange lands came to give reportnto the king# but there came not those who went

the valley of the acacia, for Bata had slainem, but let one of them return to give a report toe king. 'is ma4esty sent many men and soldiers,

s well as horsemen , to bring her back. And thereas a woman amongst them, and to her had beenven in her hand beautiful ornaments of aoman. And the girl came back with her, and they4oiced over her in the whole land.nd his ma4esty loved her exceedingly, and raised

er to high estate; and he spake unto her that shehould tell him concerning her husband. And sheaid, !$et the acacia be cut down, and let onehop it up.! nd they sent men and soldiers with their weaponscut down the acacia; and they came to the

cacia, and they cut the flower upon which wase soul of Bata, and he fell dead suddenly.

horsemen# charioteers in (ichtheim!s rendering, horsebackriding , while not unknown and possibly e en practised bycharioteers in order to be able to escape from the enemy iftheir chariot was wrecked, was rare during the secondmillennium B*E.

nd when the next day came, and the earth wasghtened, the acacia was cut down. And Anpu, theder brother of Bata, entered his house, andashed his hands; and one gave him a cup ofeer , and it became troubled ; and one gave himnother of wine, and the smell of it was evil. &hene took his staff, and his sandals, and likewise hisothes, with his weapons of war; and he betookmself forth to the valley of the acacia. 'e

ntered the tower of his younger brother, and heund him lying upon his mat; he was dead. And

e wept when he saw his younger brother verilying dead. And he went out to seek the soul of his

one gave him a cup of beer# Beer was drunk daily by irtuallye erybody. @ine was the drink of the better'off.

it became troubled# it fermented - . (ichtheim

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ounger brother under the acacia tree, underhich his younger brother lay in the evening.spent three years in seeking for it, but found it

ot. And when he began the fourth year, he desired

his heart to return into 6gypt; he said !( will go1morrow morn;! thus spake he in his heart.ow when the land lightened, and the next day

ppeared, he was walking under the acacia; heas spending his time in seeking it. And heturned in the evening, and laboured at seeking it

gain. 'e found a seed. 'e returned with it.ehold this was the soul of his younger brother.brought a cup of cold water, and he cast theed into it; and he sat down, as he was wont.ow when the night came his soul sucked up theater ; Bata shuddered in all his limbs, and heoked on his elder brother; his soul was in the

up. &hen Anpu took the cup of cold water, inhich the soul of his younger brother was; Batarank it, his soul stood again in its place, and heecame as he had been. &hey embraced eachher, and they conversed together.

his soul sucked up the water# 9imilarly, the buried dead,his ka, ba , heart etc. had to be offered food and drink to ensuretheir continued e%istence.

nd Bata said to his elder brother, !Behold ( am to

ecome as a great bull, which bears every goodark ; no one knoweth its history, and thou mustt upon my back. hen the sun arises ( shall be ine place where my wife is, that ( may return

nswer to her; and thou must take me to the placehere the king is. -or all good things shall beone for thee; for one shall lade thee with silvernd gold, because thou bringest me to 7haraoh,r ( become a great marvel, and they shall re4oicer me in all the land. And thou shalt go to thyllage.!nd when the land was lightened, and the next dayppeared, Bata became in the form which he hadld to his elder brother. And Anpu sat upon his

ack until the dawn. 'e came to the place wheree king was, and they made his ma4esty to know

f him; he saw him, and he was exceeding 4oyfulith him. 'e made for him great offerings, saying,

&his is a great wonder which has come to pass.!

great bull, which bears every good mark# great bull ofbeautiful color - . (ichtheim

here were re4oicings over him in the whole land.hey presented unto him silver and gold for his

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der brother, who went and stayed in his village.hey gave to the bull many men and many things,

nd 7haraoh loved him exceedingly above all that in this land.

nd after many days after these things, the bullntered the purified place; he stood in the placehere the princess was; he began to speak wither, saying, !Behold, ( am alive indeed.! nd she said to him, !And, pray, who art thou*! said to her, !( am Bata. ( perceived when thou

ausedst that they should destroy the acacia ofharaoh, which was my abode, that ( might not beuffered to live. Behold, ( am alive indeed, ( am asn ox.! hen the princess feared exceedingly for the wordsat her husband had spoken to her. And he went

ut from the purified place.nd his ma4esty was sitting, making a good dayith her# she was at the table of his ma4esty, ande king was exceeding pleased with her. And she

aid to his ma4esty, !)wear to me by "od, saying,hat thou shalt say, ( will obey it for thy sake. !

hearkened unto all that she said, even this.

$et me eat of the liver of the ox, because he is fitr nought3! thus spake she to him. And the kingas exceeding sad at her words, the heart ofharaoh grieved him greatly. And after the landas lightened, and the next day appeared, theyroclaimed a great feast with offerings to the ox.nd the king sent one of the chief butchers of hisa4esty, to cause the ox to be sacrificed. And when

e was sacrificed, as he was upon the shoulders of e people, he shook his neck, and he threw two

rops of blood over against the two doors of hisa4esty. &he one fell upon the one side, on the

reat door of 7haraoh, and the other upon theher door. &hey grew as two great 7ersea trees,

nd each of them was excellent.nd one went to tell unto his ma4esty, !&wo greatersea trees have grown, as a great marvel of hisa4esty, in the night by the side of the great gate

f his ma4esty.! nd there was re4oicing for them in all the land,nd there were offerings made to them.

7ersea# an e ergreen tree often mentioned in the Egyptianmythology.

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nd when the days were multiplied after theseings, his ma4esty was adorned with the blueown , with garlands of flowers on his neck, and

e was upon the chariot of pale gold, and he went

ut from the palace to behold the 7ersea trees# therincess also was going out with horses behind hisa4esty. And his ma4esty sat beneath one of the

ersea trees, and it spake thus with his wife# !Ohou deceitful one, ( am Bata, ( am alive, though (

ave been evilly entreated. ( knew who caused thecacia to be cut down by 7haraoh at my dwelling.then became an ox, and thou causedst that (hould be killed.!nd many days after these things the princessood at the table of 7haraoh, and the king waseased with her. And she said to his ma4esty,wear to me by "od, saying, &hat which therincess shall say to me ( will obey it for her. ! nd he hearkened unto all she said. And heommanded, !$et these two 7ersea trees be cutown, and let them be made into goodly planks.! nd he hearkened unto all she said. And after thiss ma4esty sent skilful craftsmen, and they cut

own the 7ersea trees of 7haraoh; and therincess, the royal wife, was standing looking on,nd they did all that was in her heart unto theees. But a chip flew up, and it entered into theouth of the princess; she swallowed it, and afterany days she bore a son. And one went to tell hisa4esty, !&here is born to thee a son.!

his ma4esty was adorned with the blue crown# . (ichtheim!stranslation3 his ma4esty appeared at the audience window oflapis la<uli

nd they brought him, and gave to him a nursend servants; and there were re4oicings in thehole land. And the king sat making a merry day ,

s they were about the naming of him , and hisa4esty loved him exceedingly at that moment,

nd the king raised him to be the royal son ofush .

a merry day# a feast day - . (ichtheimthey were about the naming of him# held him on his lap - .

(ichtheimroyal son of ush# #he iceroy ruling /ush

ow after the days had multiplied after theseings, his ma4esty made him heir of all the land.nd many days after that, when he had fulfilledany years as heir, his ma4esty flew up to heaven .nd the heir said, !$et my great nobles of hisa4esty be brought before me, that ( may makeem to know all that has happened to me.!

flew up to heaven# ?ied. Becoming a star was the ultimategoal of the deceased3 &he akh belongs to the heaven, the corpseto the earth.

his elder brother stood in his place# Brother succeeding brother was not the common mode of inheritance, but it certainlyoccurred not infre"uently.

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nd they brought also before him his wife, and heudged with her before him, and they agreed withm. &hey brought to him his elder brother; heade him hereditary prince in all his land. 'e was

irty years king of 6gypt, and he died, and hisder brother stood in his place on the day ofurial.

xcellently finished in peace, for the ka of theribe of the treasury agabu, of the treasury of

haraoh, and for the scribe 'ora, and the scribeeremapt. ritten by the scribe Anena, the owner

f this roll. 'e who speaks against this roll, mayahuti smite him.

@. . ;linders +etrie, ed. 6gyptian &ales, &ranslated from the 7apyri , 9econd 9eries, 60thto 67th dynasty