A Passage to Egypt: Aesop, the Priests of Heliopolis and the Riddle of the Year (Vita Aesopi 119–120)
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Ioannis M. Konstantakos
Abstract
Although part of it is set in Egypt, the Tale of Ahiqar makes little mention of specific Egyptian realia. In adapting Ahiqar for his own narrative, the author of the Vita Aesopi added many details of Egyptian local colour. The priests of Heliopolis, invited by the Pharaoh to challenge Aesop with the “riddle of the year” (chapters 119–120), are such an addition. The Pharaoh's consultation with this group of counsellors in face of a critical situation imitates a well-known motif of ancient Egyptian narratives. Heliopolis was selected as the priests' city of provenance because it was renowned for the erudition of its priesthood. There are also subtle correspondences between the religious life or theology of Heliopolis and the riddle propounded by its priests. This wealth of Egyptian topical elements indicates that the author of the Vita had close familiarity with Egyptian culture and presumably a special relationship with Egypt.
© Walter de Gruyter 2011
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- From impulsiveness to self-restraint: Lucius' stance in Apuleius' Metamorphoses
- Back to the backstage: the papyrus P.Berol. 13927
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Articles in the same Issue
- The Iliad's big swoon: a case of innovation within the epic tradition?
- Apollo and the Ion of Euripides: nothing to do with Nietzsche?
- The Dream of the Charioteer in the Rhesus ascribed to Euripides (728–803)
- Trojan Glory: kleos and the survival of Troy in Lycophron's Alexandra
- A Passage to Egypt: Aesop, the Priests of Heliopolis and the Riddle of the Year (Vita Aesopi 119–120)
- From impulsiveness to self-restraint: Lucius' stance in Apuleius' Metamorphoses
- Back to the backstage: the papyrus P.Berol. 13927
- Revivals of an Ancient Myth in Modern Art: Oedipus and the Episode of the Sphinx. From Jean Auguste-Domenique Ingres to Michael Merck
- List of Contributors
