Reverse harem fantasy authors have often been inspired by the wealth of folklore and mythology across many cultures, both current and ancient. Who wouldn’t love to have a harem of immortal gods who are conjuring magic all day to please their ladies?
However, when it comes to ancient Egypt, things get a little tricky. The fascination with gods, immortality and magic is immense and mostly true, but there’s a lot more to Egyptian myth than just that.
As an Egyptian myself, and a fantasy author, I find that Egyptian myth in particular has a very wide range of conceptions, or more likely misconceptions, that varies from one culture and country to another. The main reason behind that is the mystery of the ancient Egyptian culture. You can never be sure of the authenticity of Egyptian mythology unless you have serious knowledge of hieroglyphs, have read tons of Egyptology books written by Egyptians or reliable Egyptologists, or have actually been to Egypt.
That kind of mystery, which is the main element of the Egyptian mythology appeal, remains one of the main reasons behind the underrepresentation of this fascinating mythology in fantasy books. And when an author has the courage to dive in and use it, it often comes as clichéd, superficial or full of misconceptions that would induce several eye rolls, especially from a local like me.
I’m sure most, if not all, of you have seen Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, and let me tell you one thing. There is no waterfront by the pyramids, and Jordan is definitely not right across from there!
These details may seem trivial to someone who has no knowledge of Egypt or its history, but to someone who does, it makes all the difference. The details are what make or break a story based on mythology.
Now, I’m going to list a few misconceptions that I came across while Seratis Daughter of the Sun, my latest Egyptian Reverse Harem, was being beta read and reviewed.
Ancient Egyptians didn’t have a Mother of Gods
Yes, we did. The first mother of gods in all history, Isis, is a core goddess in Egyptian mythology and religion. I can’t even begin to list the stories and myths associated with her.
Ancient Egyptians didn’t believe in heaven and hell
Yes, we did. Ancient Egypt is the first civilization that had acknowledged a one unified god for all way before Moses was born. And even before the unity, Ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife that INCLUDED a horrific journey in the underworld where one would be judged in the end and sent to either eternal paradise or eternal hell.
Ancient Egyptians were all dark-skinned and mostly black
No. Egypt has always been an African country. That doesn’t automatically make us black when it comes to skin color. And that goes all the way back in time and history and not just nowadays due to racial mix.
Two pieces of evidence support this. 1) The paintings on the temples and papyri. The colors orange, brown and rarely black are used to paint various Egyptians, royalty or otherwise, which meant black skinned Egyptians existed but they were not the majority of people back then. 2) The great civil war between the North and the South. The War of the Two Regions as we call it. This civil war kept going for years until Mina/Narmar, the Northen King (Pharoah) won the war and united the two regions. He did so by giving the South (who were black-skinned) Nubia, a part of Upper Egypt, to live and rule as their governorate, and yet remain under the Kingdom and Narmar’s reign. The Nubians remain till today the only exclusive black-skinned nation in Egypt.
Ancient Egyptians only had lotuses for flowers
Let me start by saying lotuses grew over the Nile water with zero effort from people. They weren’t exactly planted. They just grew. That’s why Ancient Egyptians gave them significance and associated them with rebirth. That doesn’t mean in any way we didn’t plant other flowers! Some were planted locally, others planted with imported seeds such as Sunflowers, a favorite of the nation that worshiped the sun. Yes, Egypt traded with other countries. We have the River Nile. A lot of trading was done on its banks.
The same applies to certain foods, animals and material.
All royalty believed in immortality, magic, and divinity
I know this is the core of Egyptian mythology, and it is true. However, this is not all. Some kings didn’t believe in their divine birth right such as Akhnaton. Many Egyptians knew immortality is only possible in the afterlife. And there are a lot more secrets in Egyptian myth.
These are just a few examples of misconceptions I came upon. The list can’t be contained in one article.
Here are some interesting and a little funny facts about the mysterious civilization:
Royal brothers and sisters used to marry to keep the bloodline pure. BUT only if they are half-siblings. If they come from the same parents, it’s forbidden.
Homosexuality existed. It was fine with women. With men, tops weren’t ridiculed, only bottoms.
Virginity had no importance. Infidelity for a married woman was a shameful sin.
Thank you so much for reading. Next time you delve into an Egyptian fantasy book, I hope some of the misconceptions are cleared for you. I certainly hope there are more Egyptian fantasy books to come every day. Here’s one to start today, and it’s free with a kindle unlimited subscription:
Download your copy of Seratis Daughter of the Sun: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QKNQL1B
About the Author
N. J. Adel, the author of Seratis, Her Royal Harem, Love Off Camera and The Night Minutes series, is a cross genre author. From chocolate to books and book boyfriends, she likes it DARK and SPICY.
From dark women’s fiction and romance to sci-fi and fantasy. Bikers, rock stars, dirty Hollywood heartthrobs, smexy guards and men who serve. From steamy sexy short stories to full-length literary books. She loves it all.
She teaches English by day and writes fun smut by night with her German Shepherd, Leo.
He is not a fan of her dark work!
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N.J. is the author of the Egyptian Mythology Fantasy Seratis.
My name is NOT Seratis.
I am Queen Meha. The rightful ruler of the Kingdom of Egypt. A scientist. Human.
I was never her. Seratis, the evil Goddess of Sleep who puts men under her spell to compel them to do whatever she commands.
It was all a lie. A myth my half-brother created to make my own people hate me so he could usurp my throne.
Lucky for me, I’ve found a way to preserve the living like my ancestors did with the dead. To escape the war my brother has waged on me, I enter my tomb to be mummified, alive, for a hundred years. With my guard, my apprentice and my maid. Only to wake when my half-brother is long gone and forgotten.
But when we wake up, reality as we know it crashes down around us. Instead of rising after a hundred years, it was a thousand. We haven’t aged a day, and we now possess inhumanly senses, strength and healing powers…among other things.
As if that is not shocking enough, now I know my half-brother isn’t dead yet, and he’s going to wake just like us.
This time I won’t escape. I will fight. And I must find a way to win the war I’ve lost before. Dead or alive.
Full with Egyptian mythology, fantasy, wild romance and sizzling scenes, Seratis Daughter of the Sun makes the perfect escapism for fantasy lovers, Egyptian historical myths fans, and spicy paranormal romance readers.
Get your copy of SERATIS DAUGHTER OF THE SUN, the first book of the Egyptian Mythology Fantasy SERATIS THE GODDESS OF EGYPT.