Rededjet
Encyclopedia
Rededjet is the name of a fictitious
ancient Egypt
ian female hero
appearing in the fifth chapter of a story told in the legendary Westcar Papyrus
. She is said to have fulfilled a prophecy
by giving birth to three future kings during the reign of king (pharaoh
) Khufu
(4th Dynasty
), who received the prophecy from a magic
ian named Dedi
.
evidence that she existed. Nevertheless she is object of great interest for historian
s and Egyptologists, since her story gives information about the line of succession at the very beginning of the fifth dynasty
.
. The god
Ra
, Lord of Sachebu, says to the gods Isis
, Nephthys
, Meskhenet, Heqet
and Khnum: “May you all go to Rededjet and release her from her trinity of children which are still in her womb and which will exercise their splendid office in the whole realm one day. So they can build temple
s for you, take care of your offering tables, let your drink plates thrive and multiply your god's sacrifice
s.” And so the goddesses turn to Rededjet's house after they had transformed
themselves into music-making dancers. The god Khnum himself turns into a porter. When they reach Rededjet's house they meet her husband Ra-User outside at the threshold, wearing his skirt upside-down and whining. The goddesses show him their menits and sistrum
s. Thereupon Ra-User says: “See, there is a woman here who is suffering badly, for her birth is problematic.” The goddesses say: “May thou cause that we can see her. See, we know how to relieve.” Ra-User replies: “Feeds!” The gods step in and go immediately to Rededjet, who is lying upstairs. They seal the room and then Isis stands before Rededjet, to catch the babies, Nephthys takes position behind, whilst Heqet accelerates the birth. Now Isis says: “May you, the one who is User-Re-ef
, be not too strong in her womb.” And the baby comes out quickly, a healthy child of one cubit in size. His bones are solid, his equipment of limbs being like gold. His headdress is made of real lapis lazuli
. After cutting the umbilical cord, purifying the baby and placing it in a brick-made bed, covered with soft sheets, Khnum makes the body strong. Meskhenet steps by and says: “This is a king who will exercise the rulership over the whole country!” After this, Isis stands again before Rededjet and says: “May you, whose name is Sahure
, stop kicking in her womb.” And this baby, too, comes out quickly. It has the same extraordinary appearance like the baby before. And again Meskhenet blesses the child with the words: “This is a king who will exercise the rulership over the whole country!” A third and last time Isis stands before Rededjet and says: “May you, whose name is Keku
, stop being blind in her womb.” And the third baby is blessed by Meskhenet, too. Now the gods leave the room, meet Ra-User and say: “Oh joy! Three children were born to you!” Ra-User replies: “My ladies! What could I do for you? Give this barley
to your porter, may you accept it as a gratuity, for making some beer
.” Khnum shoulders himself with the jars of barley and the gods start turning home. On their way, Isis admonishes her companions with the words: “Haven't we come here for a good reason? What would that reason be, if we perform no miracle
to these children! There were nothing we could tell to their father who made us come.″ The gods create three lordly crowns for the children and hide them in the jars of barley. Then they conjure
a downpour, as a reason to turn back to Ra-User's house. They say to Ra-User: “Please store the barley in a sealed storeroom for us until we come back from making music in the north.” And the jars with barley are locked in a storeroom.
Some weeks later, Rededjet asks her maidservant: “Is our house prepared with all good things?” The maidservant answers: “It is prepared with every good thing, except some jars of beer. They were not brought yet.” Rededjet inquires: “Why is this not so, that the jars with beer were brought?” And the maidservant says: “There is nothing you could produce it with, except the barley of those musicians, the barley that is stored and sealed away.” Rededjet orders: “Go and take some, Ra-User will replace it when he comes home.” And the maidservant opens the storeroom and all of a sudden she hears music, celebrations and cheering from afar - its festive mood typical for a royal enthroning feast
. The maid is baffled and tells everything to Rededjet. Rededjet enters the room too and also hears the festive noises. Now nosy she puts her ears on every box and jar, until she finds out, that the noises are coming from the jars of the musicians. Recognising the situation, Rededjet tells everything to Ra-User and they both spend the rest of the day celebrating.
One day Rededjet is bickering with the maidservant and the latter one is punished with beating. Infuriated, the maidservant says: “Is it because of that? Is it really because of the three kings you gave birth to? I will go to file charges with the king of Lower-
and Upper Egypt
, Khufu, justified!” The maidservant leaves the house and goes to her elder brother. He is sitting beside his mother, binding flax
and yarn
. When he sees his sister, he says: “Where do ye go to, lil' sister?” And the maidservant tells him what she is up to. The brother says: “Shall it truely be done to come to me just to make me sup with betrayal
?” He becomes angry and beats her, too. The maidservant now goes away to get some water and a crocodile
snatches her. The brother goes to Rededjet to tell her what happened. Rededjet sits on the threshold, crying. The brother says: “What are you crying about, mistress?” Rededjet answers: “It's about this little girl that grew up in this house. Look, she went to go to file charges [...] to the king.” And the brother replies: “See, she came to me to tell [...] that I would go with her, but I beated her and sent her away. When she went off for some water a crocodile snatched her.”
and Kurt Heinrich Sethe
once thought the tales of the Westcar Papyrus were mere folklore
, despite their knowledge of the historical correctness about the beginning of the fifth dynasty by describing the succession of the kings Userkaf, Sahure and Neferirkare. They also thought the novel of the Westcar Papyrus to be unfinished.
Modern Egyptologists such as Verena Lepper and Miriam Lichtheim
deny this view and they argue that Sethe and Erman may have just failed to see the profundity of the novel. They both evaluate the story as some kind of narrated moral
which deals with the theme of justice and what happens to traitors. Lepper points out, that the story of Rededjet might have been inspired by the historical figure of queen Khentkaus I
, who lived and maybe ruled at the end of the Fourth dynasty
. Khentkaus I is demonstrably entitled as “mother of two kings” and for a long time it has been thought that she may have borne Userkaf and Sahure. But new evidence shows that at least Sahure had a different mother (Queen Neferhetepes
), the implication of the Westcar Papyrus that the first three kings of the fifth dynasty had been siblings, is therefore incorrect. Since in the Westcar Papyrus Rededjet was concerned with the role of a future king's mother, the parallels between the biographies of the two ladies aroused special attention. The role of the maidservant is evaluated as being a key figure for a modern phrasing of indoctrinations about morality and betrayal. The maidservant wants to betray her mistress and is punished by destiny
. The destiny is depicted here as a crocodile which snatches the traitor. The destination of the whole happening is to ensure the beginning of a new dynasty and by making the only danger disappear, the author of the Westcar Papyrus artfully creates some kind of happy ending
. Lepper sees a strong clue in the way the story is finalized that the novel of the Westcar Papyrus actually ends here. The episode in which the crocodile snatches a traitor, is repeated several times, just like a refrain
, which is a typical writing element used in ancient Egyptian documents to close a chapter or text.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian female hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
appearing in the fifth chapter of a story told in the legendary Westcar Papyrus
Westcar Papyrus
The Westcar Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian text containing five stories about miracles performed by priests and magicians. Each of these tales are being told at the royal court of the King Cheops by his sons...
. She is said to have fulfilled a prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
by giving birth to three future kings during the reign of king (pharaoh
Pharaoh
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...
) Khufu
Khufu
Khufu , also known as Cheops or, in Manetho, Suphis , was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom. He reigned from around 2589 to 2566 BC. Khufu was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty. He is generally accepted as being the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of...
(4th Dynasty
Fourth dynasty of Egypt
The fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom. Dynasty IV lasted from ca. 2613 to 2494 BC...
), who received the prophecy from a magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
ian named Dedi
Dedi
Dedi is the name of a fictitious ancient Egyptian magician appearing in the fourth chapter of a story told in the legendary Westcar Papyrus. He is said to have worked wonders during the reign of king Khufu .-Literary person:Dedi appears only in the fourth story of the Westcar Papyrus - there is no...
.
Literary person
Rededjet appears only in the fifth story of the Westcar Papyrus - there is no archeological or historicalHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
evidence that she existed. Nevertheless she is object of great interest for historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s and Egyptologists, since her story gives information about the line of succession at the very beginning of the fifth dynasty
Fifth dynasty of Egypt
The fifth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties III, IV and VI under the group title the Old Kingdom. Dynasty V dates approximately from 2494 to 2345 BC.-Rulers:...
.
The wonder of Rededjet
According to the Westcar Papyrus, Rededjet has a strong labor, and birth is difficult because she has to expect tripletsMultiple birth
A multiple birth occurs when more than one fetus is carried to term in a single pregnancy. Different names for multiple births are used, depending on the number of offspring. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets...
. The god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
Ra
Ra
Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
, Lord of Sachebu, says to the gods Isis
Isis
Isis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
, Nephthys
Nephthys
In Egyptian mythology, Nephthys is a member of the Great Ennead of Heliopolis, a daughter of Nut and Geb. Nephthys was typically paired with her sister Isis in funerary rites because of their role as protectors of the mummy and the god Osiris and as the sister-wife of Seth.Nephthys is regarded as...
, Meskhenet, Heqet
Heqet
To the Egyptians, the frog was a symbol of life and fertility, since millions of them were born after the annual inundation of the Nile, which brought fertility to the otherwise barren lands...
and Khnum: “May you all go to Rededjet and release her from her trinity of children which are still in her womb and which will exercise their splendid office in the whole realm one day. So they can build temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s for you, take care of your offering tables, let your drink plates thrive and multiply your god's sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
s.” And so the goddesses turn to Rededjet's house after they had transformed
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
themselves into music-making dancers. The god Khnum himself turns into a porter. When they reach Rededjet's house they meet her husband Ra-User outside at the threshold, wearing his skirt upside-down and whining. The goddesses show him their menits and sistrum
Sistrum
A sistrum is a musical instrument of the percussion family, chiefly associated with ancient Iraq and Egypt. It consists of a handle and a U-shaped metal frame, made of brass or bronze and between 76 and 30 cm in width...
s. Thereupon Ra-User says: “See, there is a woman here who is suffering badly, for her birth is problematic.” The goddesses say: “May thou cause that we can see her. See, we know how to relieve.” Ra-User replies: “Feeds!” The gods step in and go immediately to Rededjet, who is lying upstairs. They seal the room and then Isis stands before Rededjet, to catch the babies, Nephthys takes position behind, whilst Heqet accelerates the birth. Now Isis says: “May you, the one who is User-Re-ef
Userkaf
Userkaf was the founder of the Fifth dynasty of Egypt and the first pharaoh to start the tradition of building sun temples at Abusir. His name means "his Ka is powerful". He ruled from 2494-2487 BC and constructed the Pyramid of Userkaf complex at Saqqara.- Family :Userkaf's wife was Queen...
, be not too strong in her womb.” And the baby comes out quickly, a healthy child of one cubit in size. His bones are solid, his equipment of limbs being like gold. His headdress is made of real lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli is a relatively rare semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color....
. After cutting the umbilical cord, purifying the baby and placing it in a brick-made bed, covered with soft sheets, Khnum makes the body strong. Meskhenet steps by and says: “This is a king who will exercise the rulership over the whole country!” After this, Isis stands again before Rededjet and says: “May you, whose name is Sahure
Sahure
- Etymology :Sahure's birth name means "He who is Close to Re". His Horus name was Nebkhau.- Biography :Sahure was a son of queen Neferhetepes, as shown in scenes from the causeway of Sahure's pyramid complex in Abusir. His father was Userkaf. Sahure's consort was queen Neferetnebty. Reliefs show...
, stop kicking in her womb.” And this baby, too, comes out quickly. It has the same extraordinary appearance like the baby before. And again Meskhenet blesses the child with the words: “This is a king who will exercise the rulership over the whole country!” A third and last time Isis stands before Rededjet and says: “May you, whose name is Keku
Neferirkare
*For the better known Fifth dynasty pharaoh by this name, see Neferirkare KakaiNeferirkare was an Eighth dynasty king of Ancient Egypt during the First Intermediate Period. His name is only clearly attested in the Abydos King List but it is assumed that the reign length figure for the last 8th...
, stop being blind in her womb.” And the third baby is blessed by Meskhenet, too. Now the gods leave the room, meet Ra-User and say: “Oh joy! Three children were born to you!” Ra-User replies: “My ladies! What could I do for you? Give this barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
to your porter, may you accept it as a gratuity, for making some beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
.” Khnum shoulders himself with the jars of barley and the gods start turning home. On their way, Isis admonishes her companions with the words: “Haven't we come here for a good reason? What would that reason be, if we perform no miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
to these children! There were nothing we could tell to their father who made us come.″ The gods create three lordly crowns for the children and hide them in the jars of barley. Then they conjure
Conjuration
Conjuration is used in many video games, mainly RPGs, where it is usually referred to as summoning.* A notable example is the Final Fantasy franchise which incorporates summoning of monsters to fight alongside the characters....
a downpour, as a reason to turn back to Ra-User's house. They say to Ra-User: “Please store the barley in a sealed storeroom for us until we come back from making music in the north.” And the jars with barley are locked in a storeroom.
Some weeks later, Rededjet asks her maidservant: “Is our house prepared with all good things?” The maidservant answers: “It is prepared with every good thing, except some jars of beer. They were not brought yet.” Rededjet inquires: “Why is this not so, that the jars with beer were brought?” And the maidservant says: “There is nothing you could produce it with, except the barley of those musicians, the barley that is stored and sealed away.” Rededjet orders: “Go and take some, Ra-User will replace it when he comes home.” And the maidservant opens the storeroom and all of a sudden she hears music, celebrations and cheering from afar - its festive mood typical for a royal enthroning feast
Enthronement
An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. This ritual is generally distinguished from a coronation because there is no crown or other regalia that is physically...
. The maid is baffled and tells everything to Rededjet. Rededjet enters the room too and also hears the festive noises. Now nosy she puts her ears on every box and jar, until she finds out, that the noises are coming from the jars of the musicians. Recognising the situation, Rededjet tells everything to Ra-User and they both spend the rest of the day celebrating.
One day Rededjet is bickering with the maidservant and the latter one is punished with beating. Infuriated, the maidservant says: “Is it because of that? Is it really because of the three kings you gave birth to? I will go to file charges with the king of Lower-
Lower Egypt
Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. It refers to the fertile Nile Delta region, which stretches from the area between El-Aiyat and Zawyet Dahshur, south of modern-day Cairo, and the Mediterranean Sea....
and Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt is the strip of land, on both sides of the Nile valley, that extends from the cataract boundaries of modern-day Aswan north to the area between El-Ayait and Zawyet Dahshur . The northern section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Sohag is sometimes known as Middle Egypt...
, Khufu, justified!” The maidservant leaves the house and goes to her elder brother. He is sitting beside his mother, binding flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
and yarn
Yarn
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or...
. When he sees his sister, he says: “Where do ye go to, lil' sister?” And the maidservant tells him what she is up to. The brother says: “Shall it truely be done to come to me just to make me sup with betrayal
Betrayal
Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations...
?” He becomes angry and beats her, too. The maidservant now goes away to get some water and a crocodile
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
snatches her. The brother goes to Rededjet to tell her what happened. Rededjet sits on the threshold, crying. The brother says: “What are you crying about, mistress?” Rededjet answers: “It's about this little girl that grew up in this house. Look, she went to go to file charges [...] to the king.” And the brother replies: “See, she came to me to tell [...] that I would go with her, but I beated her and sent her away. When she went off for some water a crocodile snatched her.”
Modern analysis
Historians and Egyptologists such as Adolf ErmanAdolf Erman
Johann Peter Adolf Erman was a renowned Egyptologist and lexicographer.-Life:Born in Berlin, he was the son of Georg Adolf Erman and grandson of Paul Erman....
and Kurt Heinrich Sethe
Kurt Heinrich Sethe
Kurt Heinrich Sethe was a noted German Egyptologist and philologist from Berlin. He was a student of Adolf Erman...
once thought the tales of the Westcar Papyrus were mere folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, despite their knowledge of the historical correctness about the beginning of the fifth dynasty by describing the succession of the kings Userkaf, Sahure and Neferirkare. They also thought the novel of the Westcar Papyrus to be unfinished.
Modern Egyptologists such as Verena Lepper and Miriam Lichtheim
Miriam Lichtheim
Miriam Lichtheim was a translator of ancient Egyptian texts whose translations are still widely used.-Biography:In the 1930s she studied under Hans Jakob Polotsky at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem...
deny this view and they argue that Sethe and Erman may have just failed to see the profundity of the novel. They both evaluate the story as some kind of narrated moral
Moral
A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...
which deals with the theme of justice and what happens to traitors. Lepper points out, that the story of Rededjet might have been inspired by the historical figure of queen Khentkaus I
Khentkaus I
Khentkaus I was a Queen of Ancient Egypt during the 4th dynasty. She may have been a daughter of Pharaoh Menkaure, wife of Shepseskaf and mother of Userkaf, but this is by no means certain. Her Mastaba at Giza - tomb LG100 - is located very close to Menkaure's pyramid complex...
, who lived and maybe ruled at the end of the Fourth dynasty
Fourth dynasty of Egypt
The fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom. Dynasty IV lasted from ca. 2613 to 2494 BC...
. Khentkaus I is demonstrably entitled as “mother of two kings” and for a long time it has been thought that she may have borne Userkaf and Sahure. But new evidence shows that at least Sahure had a different mother (Queen Neferhetepes
Neferhetepes (Userkaf)
Neferhetepes was the wife of the Ancient Egyptian king Userkaf, who was the first king of the Fifth Dynasty. She was also the mother of king Sahure who was the successor of Userkaf. Furthermore she was most likely mother of Meretnebty, who was the wife of Sahure...
), the implication of the Westcar Papyrus that the first three kings of the fifth dynasty had been siblings, is therefore incorrect. Since in the Westcar Papyrus Rededjet was concerned with the role of a future king's mother, the parallels between the biographies of the two ladies aroused special attention. The role of the maidservant is evaluated as being a key figure for a modern phrasing of indoctrinations about morality and betrayal. The maidservant wants to betray her mistress and is punished by destiny
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
. The destiny is depicted here as a crocodile which snatches the traitor. The destination of the whole happening is to ensure the beginning of a new dynasty and by making the only danger disappear, the author of the Westcar Papyrus artfully creates some kind of happy ending
Happy ending
A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the protagonists, their sidekicks, and almost everyone except the villains....
. Lepper sees a strong clue in the way the story is finalized that the novel of the Westcar Papyrus actually ends here. The episode in which the crocodile snatches a traitor, is repeated several times, just like a refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, which is a typical writing element used in ancient Egyptian documents to close a chapter or text.