The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt

by Joyce A. Tyldesley

'This readable anthology is a good introduction to a civilization that fascinates like few others ... in this book there are animals who talk, princesses who are locked up at the top of towers, wicked stepmothers and many other themes ... An enjoyable book by a skilled author' Financial Times

The civilization we know as Ancient Egypt stretched over three thousand years. What was life like for ancient Egyptians? What were their beliefs - and how different were they from ours? Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt uses Egypt's vivid narratives to create a panorama of its history, from the earliest settlers to the time of Cleopatra.

Gathered from pyramid texts, archaeological finds and contemporary documents, these stories cover everything from why the Nile flooded annually to Egyptian beliefs about childbirth and what happened after death. They show us what life was really like for rich and poor, man and woman, farmer and pharaoh.

Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt brings a long-dead culture back to life.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, History, Egypt, Ancient History, Religion, Egyptology

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Joyce Tyldesley is a British archaeologist and Egyptologist, academic, writer and broadcaster.

Tyldesley was born in Bolton, Lancashire and attended Bolton School. In 1981, she earned a first-class honours degree in archaeology from Liverpool University, and a doctorate in Prehistoric Archaeology from Oxford in 1986. She is a Teaching Fellow at Manchester University where she is tutor and course organiser of the three-year distance learning (internet based) Certificate in Egyptology programme run from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology.

She is an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology at Liverpool University, an ex-trustee of the Egypt Exploration Society, Chairperson of Bolton Archaeology and Egyptology Society, and a trustee of Chowbent Chapel.

In 2004 she established, with Steven Snape of Rutherford Press Limited, a publishing firm dedicated to publishing serious but accessible books on ancient Egypt while raising money for Egyptology field work. Donations from RPL have been made to Manchester Museum and the Egypt Exploration Society: currently all profits are donated to the ongoing fieldwork at Zawiyet umm el-Rakham.

She is married with two children to Egyptologist Steven Snape and lives in Lancashire.

Reviews

[Nei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not your usual Ancient Egypt book. A page turner full of myths and legends that made the Victorian Egyptologists blush and created preconceived ideas regarding the sexual liberty of the Pharaohs and their subjects alike. There is, however, a disclaimer that some stories are altered and not entirely faithful to the original. I especially enjoyed the first part of the book, where the Genesis and the Osiris myths are told in detail.

[lady h]

i simply think that as an egyptian i am contractually obligated to know *something* about ancient egypt

[Soumya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been a mystical tour through one of the world's oldest civilizations. Bizarre, exciting and rival creation myths, a strange attraction to the underworld, the journeys of Re in his solar boat through the daytime sky and the underworld during night, the tales of Ptah, Thoth, Osiris, Isis, Seth, Horus, Hathor, Sekhmet, Bastet and other divinities, accounts of commoners rising up to become gods, beautiful moral fables and stories and above all a devotion to kingship and a desire to establish 'maat', which is a personification of the concept of truth, justice, the status quo and rightness are the characteristics of this nice anthology. Tyldesley also brings out the real Egypt hidden within the myths. The story of the unification of the country, comments on the ancient Egyptian legal system, the position of women in society as well as other aspects of life echo through these legends. Really, myths are not just myths. However, though the writing is lucid and readable, some may lose their way through the description of Egypt's myriad syncretic deities and supernatural creatures. But then again, who am I, an heir to a civilization which produced 330 million gods, to say anything about it ?

[Willem van den Oever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ask anyone about Egyptian mythology and they’ll know there was something about a dogheaded god and something with mummification. People more acquainted with the topic, might know the story of the resurrection of Osiris or the fight between Horus and his uncle Seth. But where to go when one wants to know far more on this particular piece of history?

Well, Joyce Tyldesley’s ‘Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt’ might be a good pick. Tyldesley has all the proper titles, PhD’s and certificates to proof she’s an expert in the field of Egyptology. But what makes this particular book all the better is the fact that Tyldesley is an incredible storyteller.
Combining years of research, she has collected all the surviving tales of that era, filled in the gaps and puts together the mythology of creation according to the Ancient Egyptians during the dynastic times. From the get go, Tyldesley warns that very little is saved from this period over 5000 years ago. Whoever, academic as the tone of this book might at times get, the way she retells these tales – accompanying each story with a context in which this myth should be read as to how things might relate to the everyday life of any Egyptian, royal or not – there’s an enormous sense of excitement and wonder to be found in these words.

Going beyond the tales of gods, goddesses, afterlife and immortality, Tyldesley devotes the last part of her book to how various pharaohs looked at these tales to reinforce their own divine right to rule as king or queen; how mythical tales were changed or twisted during particular dynastic ages and how even commoners could reach semi-mythical or at least legendary status during or after their life on Earth.

So ‘Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt’ might not be for the casual reader. Yet anybody who has already been captivated by the enormously diverse mythology and wonderful era of the dynastic Egyptians, will find this to be an extremely valuable addition to their bookshelves.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tyldesley is one of the most prolific Egyptology authors, and here she turns her attention to the mythology of Egypt. It's a difficult task considering how little of the Egyptian myths and legends survived as written by the Egyptians, and how the Egyptian gods are more than a little complicated (seriously, you do not want me to give an example of this). Also, there's the fact that the Egyptians were totally happy with having multiple versions of the same story.

However, Tyldesley's book is incredibly interesting and informative, and rather than hiding the issues with the idea of an Ancient Egyptian mythology, addresses these and provides a detailed commentary. For "Egyptology virgins", the book may seem intimidating and experts may find sections a little short, but for those with an interest in the Egyptian mythology, it's invaluable.

[Iset · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best resource for ancient Egyptian myths and legends. Like Garry Shaw’s book, The Egyptian Myths, it lays out the key myths clearly and lucidly, whilst also providing discussion about the roles of the gods. I would rate it equal to Shaw’s book, but the advantage it holds is that it is a much more recent publication, and thus more up to date with current discoveries.

9 out of 10

[Sophie van Veller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heel interessant overzicht van de Egyptische Goden, maar een beetje warrig en vrij wetenschappelijk, dus enigszins moeilijk leesbaar

[Edward III · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tyldesley makes a worthy offering to the neophyte student of Egyptian mythology who wants more than a basic overview. While far from complete, it offers more depth than many works on Egyptian mythology aimed at the beginner, and in many cases offers some historical context relevant to the myths and legends in question. She also helpfully appends a dramatis personae and chronological table at the end, which the reader will find invaluable in keeping straight in their mind the dozens if not hundreds of characters that populate these pages; even though it represents only a slim fraction of the totality of the Egyptian mythos, the reader may still find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of personalities depending on their degree of familiarity with the subject.

Not being an expert myself there's little I can offer in terms of critique, but I find one out of the four sections of the book being specially dedicated to women to be a tad fulsome, as though "good taste" required it. No doubt Sekhmet and Hathor deserve a place in the sun, and Isis' fame reached beyond the borders of Egypt even in ancient times, but it seems the gods of political correctness are those to whom Tyldesley is ministering here.

In any case that is little more than a quibble; on the whole this is a valuable and scholarly work on a fascinating subject, one which serves as more than simply an introduction. Tyldesley has done the beginner a great service, having "given bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, clothing to the naked and a boat to him who could not cross the River."

[Kieran McLoughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different book from what I was expecting

This isn't a bad book by any mean. It's rich in detail and historical information on ancient Egypt which is fascinating and insightful. However, when I buy a book on Egyptian mythology I kinda expected an anthology of stories to do with the gods and the creatures involved. This wasn't so much that, but some stories followed by much dissection of them and their influence on Egyptian life. If you're interested or after that kind of thing then by all means i highly recommend this book. However, if you are like me and wanted just the stories then I'd recommend looking elsewhere. This was my first book on Egyptian mythology so I can't recommend anything here.

[vn. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable and surprisingly easy book to read for one of the eldest and most fascinating civilisations in the history of mankind.

I think Tyldesley does a really great job at bringing the rich and mysterious world of ancient Egypt to life. I find it fascinating how a lot of these tales sound really familiar yet they’re so far removed from modern civilisation.

Notably, I’m fiercely fond of the decision to narrate this with thoughtful explains as to what these tales most likely meant to the people and the overall roles they played in the society.

As for the writing itself; it’s very succinct and approachable. Each time she presents us with a new idea she gives us just enough background information to make sure we can understand. It doesn’t feel confusing or too academic in any sense of the word and is a great collection for anyone with a bit of casual interest.

Do I recommend? The verdict is, of course, yes! Really thoughtful, accessible and above all; fascinating!

[Mackenzie Clevenger · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 - there wasn’t really anything wrong with this collection of myths and legends, the informational blocks were easily understood and the myths themselves were interesting, but I suppose the reason I’m not rating it any higher is just because I’m disappointed we don’t know more. Of course this is due to centuries of tomb robberies and the passage of time that can destroy ancient texts, but it’s still not nearly as expansive as any of the classical mythologies, so comparatively it just doesn’t really stand up. However, the bizarreness of these myths far out weigh any classical ones, and some of them are just disgustingly fun. I will say I do think this book helped me understand Ancient Egypt more than I did before, but I suppose not as much as I was hoping. Good curation and collection, though.

[Nacho Martínez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Great introduction for people who don’t know, or didn’t know, anything about Egyptian mythology like me.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very formal for 90% of the book, the actual stories written in the smaller font were amazing however they take a while to appear. Was debating putting the book down, but once I got past 1/4 it became enjoyable if not confusing with the multiple names and everyone seeming to bum each other lmao.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to Egyptian myths and legends, however I thought this would be a collection of short stories rather than an analysis/description with a few messages of myths dropped in here and there.

Still an informative read, just not what I was expecting!

[James Carrigy · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

Recommend it wholeheartedly as a terrific primer for those interested in studying Egyptology at the academic level. But for me, I sadly found it to be a largely dry (though informative) read, failing to really spark my imagination about the Egyptian pantheon and myth system.

[Anna Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The descriptions of the gods, goddesses and the creation myths were rather dry and textbook-like, mainly because of the ambiguity due to how much straightforward factual information is still unknown from that time period. But when the book got to the actual myths, legends and stories, it became entertaining reading for sure. I took a class with Joyce Tyldesley as my instructor, and she definitely knows her stuff.

[Lonely Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. The author managed to keep it simple which is not an easy task considering that the Egyptian mythology is very complex. However I thought that sometimes the family links were a bit obscure but I can understand it because they have different versions. One other comment I can make is on the lack of specific chapter on the difference between the eras of Ancient Egypt.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sigue siendo la mejor pese a que los dioses egipcios no son fáciles. Ya no solo porque muchas de las fuentes se han perdido, sino porque su presencia en la vida de los egipcios variaba bastante según la época, la zona, la influencia y la moda.

[Noureldin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read. As an egyptian who is interested in egypt's history I read a lot about historical events and important characters, but my knowledge of the religion was rudimentary at best. This book gives a great account of the different versions of egyptian myths and legends.

The stories were enjoyable -assuming you forget/ignore the morally unacceptable parts- and surprisingly well developped even given the fact that large parts are missing (due to papyri lost to time or broken wall inscriptions). The different versions of the stories are sometimes contradictory and the most well known versions are often greek or roman retellings which explains some of the violence and allegories. For example, I never understood what was supposed to be convyed by the part in the story of Isis and Osiris story where Seth cuts Osiris into pieces or that Isis doesn't find the last part because the "evil fish of the nile ate it". what was "the God-King of Egypt and the source of the authority of the pharoah being dickless" supposed to convey?! (I know that even in that version Isis conjures a penis to complete the body but still!!) Of course none of this was part of the original story and all first appear in the greek retelling by the greek "historian" Diodorus Siculus.

But it makes sense from a propaganda point of view. mythical stories were one of the few and perhabs the most powerful propaganda tool available to the states of antiquity. what better way to convey the suporiority of greek or later romans over egyptians than to corrupt their religious stories with these kinds of additions.

Oh and now I understand why Plutarch called Herodotus "the father of lies"

[Aimee Went · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having studied Ancient Egypt at university and been to Egypt on an archaeological dig, I was surprised at how little I knew about the nuances of the Egyptian pantheon. For example, I thought Amen-Re was just another name for Re, rather than Amen being a separate god altogether and with Amen-Re being a combined 'supergod'. I also didn't realise that temples were effectively a diorama of the original creation myth and that this also carried over to Egyptian houses and palaces as well. I'm also grateful that all the periods of Egypt were laid out so concisely by Tyldesley, as this has been something that I've always struggled with.

One other aspect that was never really highlighted to me was how disputed the myths are. I always thought these were set in stone, especially in regards to those such as the Osiris myth for example. Therefore, I did appreciate the way Tyldesley talks about these, first with the overarching, most prominent myth, then the other versions and contexts afterwards. It really helped to increase my knowledge in this regard.

The gods themselves are a joy to read about. They're mischievous, intelligent, and steadfast. It's amusing at how to the point and cutting they can be as well. I cracked up at one of the insults being 'You have bad breath'. Clearly, the gods are as human as us. I definitely enjoyed these chapters the most and while I appreciate that the Pharoahs are still gods in their own right, they will never have the same resonance with me as with the overall pantheon. Saying that, I did very much enjoy the lovely little stories at the end, as they were complex and very human with a deeper impact on other ancient stories such as The Iliad taking the idea of the Trojan horse from such Egyptian tales.

[Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would be safe to say that I went into this knowing nothing about ancient Egypt and its mythology save for the Osiris myth, and a few random pieces of trivia here and there. With that in mind, I found this book to be very good. The mythology itself was presented with the necessary context to understand how this knowledge comes to us now, i.e. where the information was learned, and what the significance of a certain piece of mythology would have been to ancient Egyptians at the time, giving everything specific significance. Emphasis was given to the fact that the information that we have now is only what was recorded and what survived, and that there were likely many other myths and interpretations that we don't know about.

Overall very informative, well-written, and easy to follow. There are certain things that I imagine that I will either come back to here, or that would be interesting for further reading in the future.

[Andrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading the Egyptian Book of the Dead and realized my knowledge of Egyptian gods, goddesses and their associated myths was shaky at best so I wanted to read more about them before continuing with the Book of the Dead. The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt is a great introduction to this body of mythology. While not exhaustive, it’s well organized and covers the biggest points and most well-known figures.

Having read some of the 1001 Nights last year, I was surprised by how similar the stories that have come down from ancient Egypt are to these later tales of love, lust, disasters and magical encounters. The myths themselves can get pretty wild, I found the parts from the Contendings of Horus and Seth particularly surprising. All and all, a fascinating and illuminating read that just made me want to know more about the subject.

[Monique · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Be great, O King! Ferry over, O King! May your name be notified to Osiris. Your foot is great, your foot is mighty, so traverse the Great Bed (the sky); you will [not] be seized by the earth-gods, you will not be opposed by the starry sky." Page 12

"In the beginning nothing existed but the deep, dark waters of Nun. There was no land and no sky. No gods, no people, no light and no time. Only the endless, motionless waters." Page 37

"Somewhere within the bubble, unmentioned in this tale, was the Duat, the land of the dead, the daytime stars and the night-time sun." Page 39

"How happy is the man who is able to tell of his adventures long after his suffering has ended." Page 98

"The gods themselves bore multiple names and titles which reflected their diverse interests and abilities" page 209

[Anscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Thorough' is the word for this book - it includes virtually every fragment of myth or legend or tale from the 3000+ years of ancient Egypt, including variations on the same myths, so in that sense it has given me a really comprehensive understanding of Egyptian mythology - which I really appreciate! However its very comprehensiveness could lead it to become a little dense at points, so I wouldn't recommend it for the casual reader just looking for some interesting stories.

Fascinating stuff though, I don't think I ever appreciated quite how fantastically relentlessly creative the Ancient Egyptians were!

[N.E. Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a mythology geek as a child, but in the last decade I've beome disatisfied with a lot of mythology books. Most of those books are just telling the versions of myths as written by victorians who paint ancient peoples as monocultures, and emphasize others as "exotic" and strange people with baffling beleifs.

This book went a long way towards showing the evolution of the Kemetic people through the dynasties and explaining how the myths relate to a world view that makes those stories normal and sensible ways of seeing the world.

It was a bit slow at first, but it is much more story heavy in the second half until it turns into a real page turner.

[Ajay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tremendously underwhelming book after reading Stephen Fry's Mythos on Greek Mythology. It's startling how much worse this book was at capturing the essence of myth & legend and turning it into something approachable and entertaining for a wide audience. The book does explain that there are a lot of limitations in our knowledge and understanding, likely because a lot of Ancient Egyptian works and knowledge was purged by Christians and Muslims in later centuries. However, we know enough to tell a really interesting story, but the author here failed to do so.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always struggle with non-fiction books but I was wondering about Egyptian mythology for a while so gave this book a shot. It’s well-researched and clearly presented. The myths themselves are a bit boring to borderline ridiculous at times but every time I remembered I’m reading stories told by people 4 thousand years ago I was left in awe and it’s so interesting how human but how different ancient Egyptians were.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough, elaborate, but still accessible also for the layman. Scientifically neutral and subjective, but without losing the human touch and not shying away from expressing opinions in a friendly, sometimes even humourous way. Maybe a bit too involved for a first book on the topic, but I would definitely recommend for a delving deeper than what is the common knowledge about Egypt's ancient gods.

[James Flowerdew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you meant to laugh out loud when reading Historical or Archeological texts?
I did, and I learned too. Quite fruity/saucy at points.
My only regret about this book was that it wasn't bigger/more.
The writing is strong and felt sympathetic to both the subject and reader.
I'm biased, but the content was fascinating to me.