The ancient Egyptian civilization emerged around 6,000 years ago. It is one of the greatest of human civilizations. Ancient Egypt owed its very existence to the river Nile. Its landmass consisted of the river’s fertile floodplain and delta. Its life force was driven by the river’s annual flooding. Its sole means of cross country transportation followed the river’s path.
To the ancient Egyptians then, the Nile was everything: the source and sustainer of the flow of Life, an all-powerful primordial deity in its own right.
In this week’s episode of the Mythological Africans podcast, we read and discuss “Hymn to the Nile,” a song of praise to this great river, written milennia before present times.
References
The Hymn to the Nile Flood by Wolfgang Helck
The Hymn to the Nile by Paul Guieysse
Westermann, William Linn. “The Greek Papyri as Historical Material (Concluded).” The Classical Weekly (1925): 51-55.
Maspero, Gaston. Recueil de travaux relatifs à la philologie et à l'archéologie égyptiennes et assyriennes. Vol. 38. Libr. Honoré Champion, 1916. pp 1 - 26
12 Festivals In Egypt In 2025 That Depict The Traditions Of The Country
Music
The Land of the Blessed from 1978 King Tutankhamun Exhibit Soundtrack
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Meanwhile…
The Watkins Book of African Folklore (…or The Mythological Africans Book) is out!
The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:
Creation myths and foundation legends (including a version of the ancient Egyptian creation myth)
Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created
Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)
I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!
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