Unit 3 Narratives in Cultural Sites

Narratives in Cultural Sites

Reading

Reading Narratives in Cultural Sites

Script

Narratives in Cultural Sites

When you see culturally important buildings, monuments, and artifacts, have you ever wondered what stories they contain, how long they’ve existed, and why they were created? Many have their own cultural narratives. Those stories help to preserve cultural traditions and pass on cultural values from one generation to another, thus keeping cultures alive. Now let’s look at two mysterious sites in England and Egypt and find out what cultural narratives they contain.

How Did They Move the Huge Stones of Stonehenge?

Stonehenge is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most recognizable landmarks in England, drawing visitors from all around the world. A prehistoric monument built on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, it is considered by many British people to be an icon of their culture.
The stones are so massive that it’s hard to figure out how anyone could move them. Several old folktales try to explain this problem, the oldest of which is Geoffrey of Monmouth’s “History of the Kings of Britain” written in 1136.

Merlin’s Circle: Secrets of Stonehenge

1 It was a terrible time in Britain. Saxons, fierce invaders from Northern Germany, ravaged the land and killed 3,000 nobles.
2 The British king, Aurelius, was distressed by all of this.
3 He wanted to build a memorial to the dead on the Salisbury Plain.
4 King Aurelius sent for the wizard Merlin, who was famous for his wisdom and knowledge of the mechanical arts.
5 “Your Majesty, I know just the thing. In Ireland, on top of Mount Killaraus, there’s a giant monument that would be perfect.”
6 “Hang on a minute. Why would we go all the way to Ireland for stones? Don’t we have plenty of stones here in Britain? Just look at the ground!”
7 “You misunderstand. Those are special stones, with special healing powers.”
8 “The stones have a magic that will preserve the memory of our dead, so if we set up this monument in Britain, it will memorialize them forever.”
9 King Aurelius agreed.
10 However, Merlin warned the king. “These are huge stones, so we need strong men.”
11 King Aurelius sent 15,000 men with Merlin to collect the stones.
12 Finally, the British got to the stones. However, they were so much bigger than the soldiers expected.
13 The soldiers tried ropes, levers, pulleys, and the strength of their muscles, but the stones wouldn’t move.
14 They tried whatever they could think of, but it all failed. Merlin told them to stop.
15 Merlin walked into the center of the stone circle and muttered to himself.
16 He rearranged the ropes, pulleys, and levers.
17 When he finished, he told the men to try again. “Try again!”
18 To their surprise, the stones easily dislodged.
19 They moved the stones from Ireland and arranged them just like they’d been. That was how Stonehenge came to be.
20 “This is a perfect memorial to the dead.”

Egyptian Mythology from the Temple of Isis at Philae

Let’s travel back to 3,250 BCE, to ancient Egypt, which is one of the four cradles of civilization. This was the time of god kings and god queens called “Pharaohs.” Pharaohs are remembered by the statues, pyramids, and temples they built all across Egypt, many of which still stand today.
Among the many amazing cultural artifacts of ancient Egypt, we’re going to look at the Temple of Isis at Philae, long considered one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt. It is dedicated to Isis (the goddess of healing, birth, and magic), her husband Osiris, and their son Horus. The walls of this temple contain scenes from Egyptian mythology, especially stories about Isis. They are written through hieroglyphics, which are a type of picture writing, like Chinese characters. The following story is about Isis, one of the most important goddesses of ancient Egypt. How about reading Isis and the Seven Scorpions as if you were at the temple and listening to a travel guide?

Isis and the Seven Scorpions

The story begins after Seth, god of storms, kills Isis’ husband Osiris. Thoth, the god of wisdom, understood that Seth would try to kill Isis and Isis’ son Horus next.
Characters
Thoth : god of wisdom
Isis : goddess of magic and wisdom
Osiris : god of fertility
Horus : god of the sun and the sky
Seth : god of storms and violence
Thoth :
“Take care. Seth is looking for you both, Isis and Horus.”
Isis was petrified and asked Thoth for more help.
Isis :
“I must protect my son. But I don’t know what I should do. Seth knows my land well, and he will certainly find us.”
Thoth brought out seven scorpions and gave them to Isis.
Thoth :
“Take these scorpions far north to the Nile Delta. This is where the Nile River empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Hide there and raise your son in the marsh. When he is old enough, he can return and take Seth’s throne.”
Isis hid her goddess’ body in rags and traveled to the marshes. The journey was very long, and she became exhausted. She stopped at a rich woman’s house and asked for food and a place to rest. The rich woman saw the seven scorpions and became so scared that she slammed the door in poor Isis’ face. Isis didn’t give up, and went to the house of a poor woman who welcomed the goddess inside. Isis was relieved to get food and shelter from this woman who was generous even though she didn’t have much money. Isis quickly fell asleep with Horus, but the scorpions were still angry at the rich woman. Six of the scorpions — Befen, Mestet, Mestetef, Petet, Thetet, and Matet — raised their tails and gave their poison to their leader, a scorpion called Tefen. Tefen accepted all their poison, snuck into the rich woman’s house, and stung the rich woman’s son.
The next morning, the rich woman found that her son was very sick. She carried his body around the town calling out and asking for help. When Isis saw the rich woman, she immediately knew what had happened. Isis could not bear to see an innocent child suffering for his mother’s cruelty, so she took the boy from the rich woman and recited a magical spell, calling the names of the seven scorpions.
Isis :
“O poison of Tefen, come out of him and fall upon the ground! Poison of Befen, advance not, penetrate no farther, and come out of him! For I am Isis, the Great Enchantress, the Speaker of Spells. Fall down, O poison of Mestet! Hasten not, poison of Mestetef! Rise not, poison of Petet and Thetet! Approach not, poison of Matet!”
Little by little, the color returned to the boy’s cheeks, and, after a while, he opened his eyes. The rich woman was overjoyed. To show her thanks to the goddess, the rich woman ran home, gathered half of her money and gave it to the poor woman who had helped Isis the night before.