Ramses Emerson
Encyclopedia
Walter Peabody Emerson, known universally as “Ramses,” is a fictional character
in the Amelia Peabody series
of mystery novels set in Victorian
Egypt
and England
, written by author Elizabeth Peters. He is the son of Egyptologists Amelia Peabody
and her husband, Professor Radcliffe Emerson
. Amelia Peabody
announces her pregnancy at the end of Crocodile on the Sandbank
and Ramses first appears in the second book of the series, The Curse of the Pharaohs.
, the second of that name, who had scattered enormous statues of himself all along the Nile
." Likewise, his swarthy complexion and dark hair gave him a closer resemblance to Egyptians than to traditional English boys. As he grows up, he also cultivates an impassive facial expression that Nefret Emerson
calls his "stone pharaoh" face.
As a child, Ramses was very precocious, and could speak with appalling fluency before the age of two, though he also was in the habit of lisping. His mother, who admits that her maternal instincts are not very developed, finds his early years an incredible ordeal, given his insatiable curiosity, his lack of fear, and his incurable habit of going on speaking until he runs out of breath or someone interrupts him (usually the latter). He also has what his mother calls a streak of “Machiavellian
logic” that requires her to expressly forbid him from doing as many things as she can think of, or else he finds a way to do them anyway.
Starting at the age of four, he accompanies his parents to Egypt on many of their expeditions and helps to solve many of the mysteries they encounter.
Seeing a Large Cat
is a pivotal novel in Ramses's development. At the beginning, he has just turned sixteen, and returns to his family after he and David have spent several months in the desert under the tutelage of a sheikh
friend of the Emersons, learning the traditional skills of manhood: fighting, horseback riding, desert survival, tracking. It is also during this time (as hinted later in He Shall Thunder in the Sky
) that he loses his virginity
.
Beginning with Cat, Peters uses Ramses as a parallel voice in her later books, providing a different point of view
from the first person
perspective of Amelia. Peters purports to intersperse the sections of Amelia’s diary with excerpts from "Manuscript H," Ramses’s journal, but written in the third person.
Ramses naturally follows his family’s Egyptological
path, becoming a skilled excavator like his father. However, his specialty and true passion is, like his Uncle Walter, the reading and translation of the ancient languages.
His precocity, and skill at languages, mimicry, and disguise, lead some older and more superstitious Egyptians to credit him with supernatural abilities, leading to his nickname, Akhu el-Efreet, "Brother of Demons".
During World War I
, Ramses is outwardly a conscientious objector
, but occasionally (and reluctantly) lends his skills to the service of both the Cairo police and British Intelligence.
, the grandson of the Emersons' reis Abdullah. Initially distrusted by the rest of the family, David becomes Ramses’s blood brother. They are virtually inseparable for many years, getting into some kind of mischief. Even though they are of different backgrounds, they are remarkably similar looking, a fact they use to their advantage in several of the more recent books.
David also becomes Ramses’s cousin by marriage, when he marries Walter and Evelyn Emerson
’s daughter Lia.
Growing up to be a strong, intelligent, and strikingly handsome young man, Ramses has had several liaisons with women, kept secret (for the most part) from his parents. But his true love has always been Nefret Forth
, who captured him the moment they first met, when he was only ten. After an extremely long wait, she falls just as passionately in love with him (The Falcon at the Portal), and after several monumental misunderstandings, they are married in January 1915. (‘’He Shall Thunder in the Sky
’’)
Ramses and Nefret are the parents of twins Charlotte (“Charla”) and David John. In an ironic twist, Ramses’s children inherit his most aggravating speech patterns: Charla, his lisp (“Did you catch de lady?”) and David John his appallingly precocious loquacity.
At the end of ‘’Tomb of the Golden Bird
’’ Nefret reveals she is pregnant again. Ramses also has an adopted sister, Sennia, the abandoned offspring of Amelia's nephew, the late (unlamented) Percy Peabody.
In the Vicky Bliss series' final installment, The Laughter of Dead Kings, it is revealed that main character John Tregarth is the descendant of the youngest of Ramses and Nefret's three children, an as-yet unnamed daughter. It is also mentioned that the children "bred like rabbits," and that at the time of Dead Kings, over eighty people are descended from Ramses and Nefret's offspring.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Amelia Peabody series
Amelia Peabody series
The Amelia Peabody series is a series of mystery novels written by Elizabeth Peters featuring Egyptologist Amelia Peabody Emerson, for whom the series is named. The novels are intended as a blend of parody , mystery, and comedy...
of mystery novels set in Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, written by author Elizabeth Peters. He is the son of Egyptologists Amelia Peabody
Amelia Peabody
Amelia Peabody Emerson is the protagonist of the Amelia Peabody series, a series of mystery novels, written by author Elizabeth Peters. Peabody is married to Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson and has one biological child, Walter "Ramses" Peabody Emerson, who provides a parallel voice in many of the...
and her husband, Professor Radcliffe Emerson
Radcliffe Emerson
Professor Radcliffe Archibald Emerson , M.A. Ox., D.C.L. , L.L.D. , F.B.A., FRS, FRGS, MAPS, Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, Member of the American Philosophical Society, is one of the main characters in the Amelia Peabody series by mystery author Elizabeth Peters...
. Amelia Peabody
Amelia Peabody
Amelia Peabody Emerson is the protagonist of the Amelia Peabody series, a series of mystery novels, written by author Elizabeth Peters. Peabody is married to Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson and has one biological child, Walter "Ramses" Peabody Emerson, who provides a parallel voice in many of the...
announces her pregnancy at the end of Crocodile on the Sandbank
Crocodile on the Sandbank
Crocodile on the Sandbank is a novel by Elizabeth Peters, first published in 1975. It is the first in the Amelia Peabody series of novels and takes place in 1884-1885 .-Plot summary:...
and Ramses first appears in the second book of the series, The Curse of the Pharaohs.
Personal History
Born in the summer of 1887, named for his father’s younger brother, he received the nickname "Ramses" from his father, who said of his baby, "in its belligerent appearance and imperious disposition it strongly resembled the Egyptian pharaohPharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
, the second of that name, who had scattered enormous statues of himself all along the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
." Likewise, his swarthy complexion and dark hair gave him a closer resemblance to Egyptians than to traditional English boys. As he grows up, he also cultivates an impassive facial expression that Nefret Emerson
Nefret Emerson
Nefret Emerson is a fictional character from a series of mystery novels written by Elizabeth Peters and featuring fictional sleuth and archaeologist Amelia Peabody....
calls his "stone pharaoh" face.
As a child, Ramses was very precocious, and could speak with appalling fluency before the age of two, though he also was in the habit of lisping. His mother, who admits that her maternal instincts are not very developed, finds his early years an incredible ordeal, given his insatiable curiosity, his lack of fear, and his incurable habit of going on speaking until he runs out of breath or someone interrupts him (usually the latter). He also has what his mother calls a streak of “Machiavellian
Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He is one of the main founders of modern political science. He was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil servant of the Florentine Republic...
logic” that requires her to expressly forbid him from doing as many things as she can think of, or else he finds a way to do them anyway.
Starting at the age of four, he accompanies his parents to Egypt on many of their expeditions and helps to solve many of the mysteries they encounter.
Seeing a Large Cat
Seeing a Large Cat
Seeing a Large Cat is the ninth mystery novel in the Amelia Peabody mystery series by Elizabeth Peters. The story takes place during the season of 1903-1904.-Plot summary:...
is a pivotal novel in Ramses's development. At the beginning, he has just turned sixteen, and returns to his family after he and David have spent several months in the desert under the tutelage of a sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
friend of the Emersons, learning the traditional skills of manhood: fighting, horseback riding, desert survival, tracking. It is also during this time (as hinted later in He Shall Thunder in the Sky
He Shall Thunder in the Sky
He Shall Thunder in the Sky is the 12th in a series of mystery novels by Elizabeth Peters, featuring fictional archaeologist and sleuth Amelia Peabody....
) that he loses his virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
.
Beginning with Cat, Peters uses Ramses as a parallel voice in her later books, providing a different point of view
Point of view (literature)
The narrative mode is the set of methods the author of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical story uses to convey the plot to the audience. Narration, the process of presenting the narrative, occurs because of the narrative mode...
from the first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
perspective of Amelia. Peters purports to intersperse the sections of Amelia’s diary with excerpts from "Manuscript H," Ramses’s journal, but written in the third person.
Ramses naturally follows his family’s Egyptological
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
path, becoming a skilled excavator like his father. However, his specialty and true passion is, like his Uncle Walter, the reading and translation of the ancient languages.
His precocity, and skill at languages, mimicry, and disguise, lead some older and more superstitious Egyptians to credit him with supernatural abilities, leading to his nickname, Akhu el-Efreet, "Brother of Demons".
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Ramses is outwardly a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
, but occasionally (and reluctantly) lends his skills to the service of both the Cairo police and British Intelligence.
Friends and Family
Ramses’s closest friend is David TodrosDavid Todros
David Todros is a fictional character from a series of mystery novels written by Elizabeth Peters and featuring fictional sleuth and archaeologist Amelia Peabody.David first appears in The Hippopotamus Pool...
, the grandson of the Emersons' reis Abdullah. Initially distrusted by the rest of the family, David becomes Ramses’s blood brother. They are virtually inseparable for many years, getting into some kind of mischief. Even though they are of different backgrounds, they are remarkably similar looking, a fact they use to their advantage in several of the more recent books.
David also becomes Ramses’s cousin by marriage, when he marries Walter and Evelyn Emerson
Evelyn Emerson
Evelyn Emerson is a fictional character from the Amelia Peabody series of mystery novels by Elizabeth Peters. She is the closest friend, and later sister-in-law, of the protagonist, fictional sleuth and archaeologist Amelia Peabody.-Personal History:...
’s daughter Lia.
Growing up to be a strong, intelligent, and strikingly handsome young man, Ramses has had several liaisons with women, kept secret (for the most part) from his parents. But his true love has always been Nefret Forth
Nefret Emerson
Nefret Emerson is a fictional character from a series of mystery novels written by Elizabeth Peters and featuring fictional sleuth and archaeologist Amelia Peabody....
, who captured him the moment they first met, when he was only ten. After an extremely long wait, she falls just as passionately in love with him (The Falcon at the Portal), and after several monumental misunderstandings, they are married in January 1915. (‘’He Shall Thunder in the Sky
He Shall Thunder in the Sky
He Shall Thunder in the Sky is the 12th in a series of mystery novels by Elizabeth Peters, featuring fictional archaeologist and sleuth Amelia Peabody....
’’)
Ramses and Nefret are the parents of twins Charlotte (“Charla”) and David John. In an ironic twist, Ramses’s children inherit his most aggravating speech patterns: Charla, his lisp (“Did you catch de lady?”) and David John his appallingly precocious loquacity.
At the end of ‘’Tomb of the Golden Bird
Tomb of the Golden Bird
Tomb of the Golden Bird is the 18th in a series of mystery novels, written by Elizabeth Peters and featuring fictional sleuth and archaeologist Amelia Peabody.-Explanation of the novel's title:...
’’ Nefret reveals she is pregnant again. Ramses also has an adopted sister, Sennia, the abandoned offspring of Amelia's nephew, the late (unlamented) Percy Peabody.
In the Vicky Bliss series' final installment, The Laughter of Dead Kings, it is revealed that main character John Tregarth is the descendant of the youngest of Ramses and Nefret's three children, an as-yet unnamed daughter. It is also mentioned that the children "bred like rabbits," and that at the time of Dead Kings, over eighty people are descended from Ramses and Nefret's offspring.