Popular Stories of Ancient Egypt (review)

Folklorists, and anyone with even the most casual interest in things Egyptian, will welcome the republication of Gaston Maspero's valuable Popular Stories of Ancient Egypt with a new and definitive introduction and editing by Hasan El-Shamy. The work was first published in English in 1915, translated by Mrs. C.H.W. Johns from the fourth French edition (1911) originally published in 1882. For this English edition Maspero substantially revised both his introduction and his notes to provide a wealth of primary material for a variety of disciplines, especially folklore, although it is nowhere referred to as such. Maspero's materials for comparative studies in classical mythology and European Märchen are of particular value, and, in the latter regard, he notes a number of motif variants that were not included in Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk Literature (Indiana, 1955-1958). The stories stem from the Egyptian, Greek-Egyptian Kingdom, and Dynastic papyri written in a variety of languages including hieroglyphics, Greek, and Coptic. They are the earliest recorded tales in folklore and were written out in a unique, formal style that is carefully preserved by Maspero in his restorations of the damaged originals. El-Shamy's introduction explains these issues while examining all aspects of the work as a study in folklore. He further locates the tales in both their ancient and modern Egyptian context, although the reader might find reading a summary of Egypt's early history an added advantage.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of El-Shamy's contribution to this volume is the compilation of a motif index. It has been applied strictly to the tales themselves, rather than to foreign elements brought into the book through Maspero's researches, and forms an indispensable supplement to his masterwork of indexing, Folk Traditions of the Arab World (Indiana University Press, 1995). Some 768 elements, including 544 invaluable, newly developed, and culture-specific motifs are documented. Many are truly exciting additions; for instance, P790.1.2.1§, Trellis (ululation) of joy, and Z112.2§, The Plague personified. Many other motifs appear so essential that it seems extraordinary they should actually occur here for the first time. For example, F782.7§, Undetectable door (secret door or passage) to palace (castle, house); F1012.1.1§, Long search for chaste woman (girl); Q73§, Bravery (valor, courage) rewarded; and Z88§, Sarcasm.

Those using the motif numbers in this book should be careful of the double dagger symbol. It is used strictly to indicate that the number occurs here for the first time, and has no bearing on the number's place in the larger Motif Index. It should therefore not be considered part of the number when that number is used elsewhere. Cross-references that link similar or related motifs are missing from the index. They will no doubt be given elsewhere in due course.

In this edition Sir Gaston Maspero's Popular Stories of Ancient Egypt, together with Professor El-Shamy's Folktales of Egypt (University of Chicago Press, 1980), presents the nucleus of a substantial, properly analyzed literature of Egyptian folklore in English.

Note from the Book Review Editor:

Hasan El-Shamy reports that a few motif numbers that form an integral part of the work missed the publisher's deadline. They are:

A123.4.1.4§, ‡ Two-headed deity.
Intro. p. cvi n. 57—(Baîti/Batu);
No. 1 p. 3 n. 3—(Baîti/Batu).

A131.3.1.2§, Goddess with lioness' head.
No. 4 p. 64 n. 17—(Sokhît/Sekhmet);
No. 6 p. 93 n. 13—(Sokhît/Sekhmet).

A131.3.6§, ‡ Deity with bull's head.
Intro. p. cvi n. 57;
No. 1 p. 3 n. 3—(Baîti...