Week 5 Story: The Snake

Let me tell you a story about how one single snake made the sun disappear. There was a snake named Ammon which means hidden one in ancient Egyptian. He was named this because the snake liked to sunbathe in places that he blended in. So, he would sunbathe in the sand which was the same color as his scales; and people cried out and called him Ammon when he ran away from under their feet. One of Ammon's favorite sunbathing places was on a busy footpath. Many people learned that Ammon would be somewhere along the path and would tread lightly near the creature's path. The king of the land didn't heed the peoples warning. Now focusing on the king, Ra, and his wife, Isis. Ra was the sun god but had transformed into his human form to be with the people in Egypt. Isis had done the same thing but was growing tired of the sun god. He was an all-powerful being an Isis had grown jealous of his powers. Ra had grown old during his centuries on earth and was not as sharp as he used to be. Isis used this as an opportunity to seize some of Ra's power. While Ra was walking along the busy footpath, Isis noticed the snake laying in the sand asleep. The goddess devised a plan to use some of Ra's body to give the snake power to harm him. Ra was accompanied by different friends and talked to them while walking on the path. Because of his old age, he spat more when he talked to his friends. The spit had hit the sleeping snake and Isis saw her opportunity. Casting a spell on the snake she spoke in his head for him to bite the king. Ammon woke up confused because he was never able to understand much human language. Before making his decision, Ra stepped on the snake and made Ammon very angry. Ammon bit the king in the leg and slithered away from the busy path. Because Isis had cast a spell over the snake, the venom that coursed through the king made him feel pain. The king cried out for help from his friends and wife. Isis attempted to heal the king but made it appear that the normal spells wouldn't work. Isis told Ra that if he was to be healed, she would have to know his secret name that gave him his incredible powers. After some time, Ra declared that the seal on his heart be broken and that Isis should know his true name. After this the king vanished and the sky turned black. The kingdom of Egypt erupted in chaos and people knew the king had died because there was no longer light. Then, Isis heard the secret name in her heart and drained the poison from Ammon into the ground. Ra appeared from thin air and the sun popped back up in the sky. The kingdom rejoiced and Isis was able to grow more powerful with her husband's secret name. Ammon learned to stay away from human paths and find some new favorite sunbathing places that wouldn't cause the day to turn black.

Author's Note: I took many of the same elements from the original story I read in the Egyptian Myth and Legend stories by Donald Mackenzie. The original story did not have much focus on the invisible snake that Isis created that bit Ra. I decided to change the story by making the snake the main focus to change the story telling style. However, the rest of the story line stayed the same but I worded it different from the original text.

(Caption: snake by Pixbay)