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Egypt and Hermes · Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor

The serpent whose family was burned by a falling star

EvidenceDocumentedThe text exists and is quoted from a published translation. What it describes is a separate question.What this means
ReferenceTale of the Shipwrecked Sailor
Writtenc. 2000 BCE
SetAn island in the Red Sea
A shipwrecked sailor meets a giant serpent, 30 cubits long, covered in gold with brows of lapis. It tells him a star fell and burned up its family of 75. It sends him home, and the island sinks into the sea.

Summary by the editors. Translation: Summary (Petrie 1895 is the public-domain translation) · About the translator

Read it literally

A lone survivor of an impact, on an island that vanishes. A story about the last of a species.

What scholars say

A Middle Kingdom story, one papyrus in St. Petersburg.

From the sky Giants and hybrids

Quick answers about Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor

Where is Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor found?

Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (Egypt and Hermes). Translation quoted: W. M. Flinders Petrie, Egyptian Tales, First Series (1895).

When was Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor written?

c. 2000 BCE.

What do scholars say about Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor?

A Middle Kingdom story, one papyrus in St. Petersburg.

Sources

  1. W. M. Flinders Petrie, Egyptian Tales, First Series (1895)Primary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated