It's story 22, just for you!

Story 22

Phileaus has really enjoyed staying in Egypt  learning about it's rich history and enjoying the culture. Unfortunately, he is leaving Egypt now however, more fun lies ahead as he is travelling to Aden in Yemen. While Phileaus travels to Yemen, here is a story about the origins of Snake Charming.  Whilst in Egypt, Phileaus witnessed men performing Snake Charming on the streets. This charming involves a man playing a flute to hypnotize a snake, causing it to rise up and down as though in a trance. It would appear that this ancient tradition has it's roots in Ancient Egypt, although it can be seen all over the World. 

The origins of the Snake Charmer

The tale goes although it is just a tale, that there was once a young man who lived in the desert in a small community of farmers. This man was poor but humble and treated the community with respect. The community each helped one another to gain food and water, living in peace with their environment. However there was one thing that they could not control, their one threat, the snake. Every day the people worshiped the Snake God, praying to keep snakes them away from the community and the livestock, ensuring that they would not be bitten. As the community was so far from civilization, if someone was bitten by a snake, then they would often have to travel for a long distance to seek medicine.  

One day, after months of peace with the snake, a farmer spotted one whilst herding his goats. A large cobra had risen up and struck a goat without warning and now the village was in great danger. The cobra slithered through the village, taking refuge in a nearby house. The young man who had witnessed the attacked saw the snake making it's way into the village and knew something must be done. This attack was most peculiar as the Snake God had been worshiped by all on a daily basis. 

The snake had taken refuge inside a wicker basket.  In order for the village to be safe, the snake had to be removed from it's hiding place.  Knowing this, the young man started to sing to the Snake God, observing the snake's actions. Nothing happened. The village noticed the young man's efforts and gathered around him. He then started to sing and tap his feet on the floor but still nothing happened. He then saw his flute lying nearby and grabbed it, starting to blow into this instrument.  Upon that, something remarkable happened, the snake started to rise up and down through the wicker basket, as though it was dancing to the sound of the flute. Amazed, the townspeople gathered around in awe, some cheered and others joined in. Playing the flute, the man managed to control the snake to drive it far, far away from the village. 

Many in the village praised the young man's efforts and others joined him in sending the snake away.  From that day forward, the village knew how to control the snake and if any ever came close to the village, the young man would grab his flute and start to play.  And today, even today, if you go to Egypt, you may see a snake charmer, playing his flute as the snake dances in and out of a wicker basket. 

Story number 21 at last!

Here’s Story Number 21

Phileas has found that Egypt is a very different place to be. To transport themselves they don’t only use cars or buses, but they also use animals like camels and elephants. Here is a story about an elephant named Omar who is searching for some peanuts to eat. It is called
Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. I need a whiff.
"Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. I need a whiff," Omar, the elephant, chanted as he walked through the tall grass, his long trunk dangling down, sniffing the ground. Omar loved to eat peanuts, but they grew under the ground, so he had to sniff them out

Some of the other animals nearby thought Omar looked awfully silly. Sharif, the rhinoceros, started laughing when Omar walked by him. Omar didnt even see Sharif. He was too busy sniffing. Sharif laughed even harder when he heard him chant, "Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. I need a whiff." He dropped his heavy body to the ground and rolled around laughing hard.


Rashid, the giraffe, saw Omar coming. His neck was so long that he could see things that were a long distance away. "What is that silly elephant doing?" he said outloud to himself as he reached for a few leaves from a tree he was standing next to.


"It looks like hes sniffing the ground." Rashid started laughing. The closer Omar got, the harder Rashid laughed. "Silly elephant," he giggled.


When Rashid heard Omar chanting and sniffing, he laughed even harder. His long neck bobbed up and down as he heard, "Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. I need a whiff." Omar didnt even notice Rashid as he was too busy sniffing for peanuts.


Mohammed, the lion cub was playing with his brother, Ashir. They were wrestling about in the bushes when they heard Omar chanting. "Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. I need a whiff." They stopped and sat up, their little cub ears standing straight up in the air.


"What is Omar doing?" Mohammed asked.


"It looks like hes sniffing the ground," Ashir replied. "But whats he singing?" the curious cub wondered.


They ran up closer to Omar and followed him from a safe distance. "He is sniffing the ground. Why do you think hes doing that?" Mohammed asked.


"I dont know," Ashir answered, then pounced on his brother, tugging at the nape of his neck where one day a thick mane would grow. Losing interest in Omar, the two continued their wrestling and fighting games.


Omar hadnt even noticed the two lion cubs. Hed been too busy sniffing for peanuts. As he walked past Fatima, the flamingo, he began to sniff the faintest aroma of peanuts. "Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. I need a whiff," he mumbled.


Fatima stopped preening her feathers and watched Omar. She started chuckling. It wasnt every day that you saw a huge gray elephant walking by sniffing the ground. The more she watched, the more she laughed. She laughed so hard that one of her pink feathers flew up into the air and floated slowly down onto the grass by her long, spindly legs.


Omar didnt even notice Fatima. He was too busy sniffing for the peanuts. He began to get excited. He knew there were peanuts nearby. He could smell them. He began to run. His long ivory tusks jutted out from the side of his face. His trunk-like legs thudded the ground as he ran. His huge flapping ears bounced up and down against his back. Suddenly he stopped. His trunk sniffed the ground over and over again. "Peanuts!" he cried out. He used his sharp tusks to dig the ground up. He tugged the green plant on top and pulled it with his trunk. Soon the roots came free. Attached to them were clusters of peanuts in their shells. "Yes! Peanuts!" he cried with delight.


Omar picked all the peanuts off with his trunk and gobbled them down. They were delicious. He was happy. It didnt matter that Sharif, the rhino had laughed, or that Fatima, the flamingo had laughed, or Rashid, the giraffe, or Mohammed and Ashir, the two lion cubs, had laughed. It didnt matter because he had his peanuts, and they were delicious.

It's Story Number 20

The Egyptian version of Cinderella. In this version her name is Rhodopis (ra-doh-pes). Considered one of the oldest versions of the Cinderella story. It was first recorded by the Roman historian Strabo in the first century BC. This version is based on fact and fiction. Fact: there was a Greek slave girl named Rhodopis who married a Pharaoh Amasis (Dynasty XXVI, 570-536 BC) and became his queen. A fellow slave, Aesop, told her many stories. In this version the slipper is not golden but rose-colored.

"Long ago in the land of Egypt were the green water of the Nile River flows into the blue water of the Mediterranean Sea lived a young maiden named Rhodopis." Rhodopis was born in Greece but was kidnapped by pirates and carried down into Egypt where she was sold into slavery. Her owner turned out to be a kind old man who spent most of his time under a tree sleeping. Because of this he never saw how the other girls in the house, all servant girls, taunted and teased Rhodopis. They teased her because she looked differently from them. Their hair was straight and black while hers was golden and curly. They had brown eyes and she had green. Their skin had the glow of copper, but Rhodopis had pale skin that burned easily in the sun causing them to call her Rosy Rhodopis. They also made her work hard shouting at her all day, "Go to the river and wash the clothes," "Mend my robe," "Chase the geese from the garden,: "Bake the bread." Now Rhodopis had no friends only the animals. She had trained the birds to eat from her hand, a monkey to sit on her shoulder, and the old hippopotamus would slide up on the bank out of the mud to be closer to her. At the end of the day if she wasn't too tired she would go down to the river to be with her animal friends and if she had any energy left from the hard day's work she would dance and sing for them. One evening as she was dancing, twirling around lighter than air with her feet barely touching the ground, the old man woke from his sleep and watched as she danced. He admired her dancingt and felt that one so talented should not be without shoes. He ordered her a special pair of slippers. The shoes were gilded with rose-red gold and the soles were leather. Now the servant girls really disliked her for they were jealous of her beautiful slippers. Word arrived that the Pharaoh was holding court in Memphis and all in the kingdom were invited. Oh how Rhodopis wanted to go with the servant girls. For she knew there would be dancing, singing, and lots of wonderful food. As the servant girls prepared to leave in their finest clothes they turned to Rhodopis and gave her more chores to do before they returned. They poled their raft away leaving a sad Rhodopis on the bank. As she began to wash the clothes in the river she sang a sad little song--"wash the linen, weed the garden, grind the grain." The hippopotamus grew tired of this little song and splashed back into the river. The splashing of the water wet Rhodopis's slippers. She quickly grabbed them up, wiped it off and placed them in the sun to dry. As she was continuing with her chores the sky darkened and as she looked up she saw a falcon sweep down, snatch one of her slippers, and fly away. Rhodopis was in awe for she knew it was the god Horus who had taken her shoe. Rhodopis now with only one slipper put it away in her tunic. Now the Pharaoh, Amasis, Pharaoh of upper and lower Egypt was sitting on his throne looking out over the people and feeling very bored. He much preferred to be riding across the desert in his chariot. Suddenly the falcon swooped down and dropped the rose-red golden slipper in his lap. Surprised but knowing this was a sign from the god Horus he sent out a decree that all maidens in Egypt must try on the slipper, and the owner of the slipper would be his queen. By the time the servant girls arrived the celebrations had ended and the Pharaoh had left by chariot in search of the owner of the golden slipper. After searching on land and not finding the owner he called for his barge and began to travel the Nile pulling into every landing so maidens could try on the slipper. As the barge rounded the bend in front of the home of Rhodopis all heard the sounds of the gong, the trumpets blaring, and saw the purple silk sails. The servant girls ran to the landing to try on the shoe while Rhodopis hid in the rushes. When the servant girls saw the shoe they recognized it as Rhodopis's slipper but they said nothing and still tried to force their feet into the slipper. The Pharaoh spied Rhodopis hiding in the rushes and asked her to try on the slipper. She slid her tiny foot into the slipper and then pulled the other from her tunic. The Pharaoh pronounced that she would be his queen. The servant girls cried out that she was a slave and not even Egyptian. The Pharaoh responded with "She is the most Egyptian of all...for her eyes are as green as the Nile, her fair as feathery as papyrus, and her skin the pink of a lotus flower."

Story number 19...

Phileaus has been in Egypt for a few days now and it has been boiling! Egypt is in Africa, although the culture is very different to other regions. Most fascinating of all is it's Ancient culture, the culture of the Ancient Egyptians  who worshiped a vast array of Gods and Goddess around whom their life depended. Egypt is the 15th most populated country in the World...so you can imagine how many tales Phileaus has been told, both mythical and religious.
What is Egypt most famous for?
Arguably the pyramids, triangular shaped tombs  that were cleverly crafted by the Ancient Egyptians to mark the burial of an important figure called a Pharaoh. There are about 80 pyramids know today to have existed from Ancient Egypt. 

Here is a map of Egypt with the main historical points marked on:

Image taken from: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/ancient_egypt_map_colouring_page.htm

 You heard yesterday how Phileaus is saving his best Ancient Egyptian story for the Fairlop Fair, but in the meantime, here is a story about the building of a pyramid.

Story Number 19

This story takes place in ancient Egypt (2540BC), when a pharaoh called Khufu was planning his place of burial, a pyramid, way before his death.  The placement of a pyramid was to be on the West side of the river Nile, as this is where the Sun set each night. It is common for pyramids to be placed here. Each one of the four sides of a pyramid faces North, South, East and West. The architects of the pyramids were incredibly clever and knew how to build it so that it would last over time and many pyramids have even lasted for centuries and can be seen by us today!

Before Khufu's pyramid was built, the exact measurements were marked in the sand, each one of it's four sides facing North, South, East and West. The pyramid was to be the biggest in recorded history.

Enormous stones were dragged by men across the vast desert sand, can you imagine how difficult this job must have been in the Egyptian desert heat! Building a pyramid works in layers, first one level of rock is placed and then another on top.  The higher levels were reached via ramps. The block at the top of the pyramid was made from a special material, such as gold. The outside of the pyramid was covered in white limestone before it was marked as finished.  After 20 agonizing years, the pyramid was built and what a triumph! The pyramid sits in a complex of smaller pyramids and other tombs. It incorporates 2.3 million stone blocks, weighing an average of 15 tonnes each. 

In the pyramid is three burial chambers. The first is underground, carved into bedrock.  The second, the Queen's Chamber is above ground and the third, the King's chamber can only be accessed by an 8 meter high grand gallery! 

Here is a picture of the pyramid:

Image taken from: http://frondaeric.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/pyramids-of-egypt.html

Here is a picture of the inside of the pyramid:

Image from: http://www.cheops-pyramide.ch/khufu-pyramid/khufu-numbers.html

COME TO THE FAIRLOP FAIR

Here's Story Number 18

Hello all Phileas here!

As you all know I am currently in the beautiful country of Egypt, and I have been told the most wonderful story about the Nile.

That's the river that flows through Egypt don't you know!

I want to save this story to tell you all in person at the Fairlop Fair, which takes place on July 6th 2013.

Hope to see you all there,

Your friend,

Phileas

Story number 17 

The travel from Brindisi to Egypt

Phileaus has enjoyed his time in Europe, but now his adventure really starts as he heads for the East. His journey to the East starts with Suez, Egypt. The Suez Canal is a 101 mile (163 km) long canal that bonds the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez, a northern branch of the Red Sea. It was publicly Opened in November 1869. Whilst Phileaus was travelling to Egypt, he found himself feeling a little bit bored and unfortunately he didn't have Angry Birds to play with, so instead he started to think, think and think some more, until he started thinking about the creation of the world. He already knew how it was created according to the Christian belief, but he was interested in the creation myth told by the Ancient Egyptians. He was perplexed by this idea and unfortunately Passeportout did not have a clue, also he was more interested by a toy he had bought in Brindisi. Luckily, he had picked up an Egyptian merchant at the Harbour of Brindisi who was more than excited to tell Phileaus the story about 'Atum - The Creator'... and this is how it goes.

In the beginning there was only the swirling watery chaos, called Nu. Out of these chaotic waters rose Atum, the sun god of the city of Heliopolis. It is believed that he created himself, using his thoughts and will. In the watery chaos, Atum found no place on which to stand. In the place where he first appeared, he created a hill. This hill was said to be the spot on which the temple of Heliopolis was built. (As early as the Fifth-Dynasty, we find Atum identified with the sun god Ra). His emergence on the hill was the coming of light into the darkness of Nu. 

His next act was to create more gods. Because he was all alone in the world, without a mate, he made a union with his shadow. This unusual way of procreating offspring was not considered strange to the Egyptians. We find Atum regarded as a bisexual god and was sometimes called the 'Great He-She'. The Egyptians were thus able to present Atum as the one and only creative force in the universe.

Atum stayed in the waters of Nu to create his son and daughter. He gave birth to his son by spitting him out. His daughter he vomited. Shu represented the air and Tefnut was a goddess of moisture. Shu and Tefnut continued the act of creation by establishing a social order. To this order Shu contributed the 'principles of Life' while Tefnut contributed the 'principles of order'.

After some time Shu and Tefnut became separated from their father and lost in the watery chaos of Nu. Atum, who had only one eye, which was removable. This was called the Udjat eye. Atum removed the eye and sent it in search of his children. In time they returned with the eye. At this reunion Atum wept tears of joy, where these tears hit the ground, men grew. Now Atum was ready to create the world. So Shu and Tefnut became the parents of Geb the earth, and Nut the sky. Geb and Nut gave birth to Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys.

The merchant told Phileaus, that this is only one interpretation of the creation and it Egypt there are many different versions of how the earth was created. Phileaus decided that whilst he was in Egypt he will try and hear as many different versions as possible.

Story 16, isn't time flying...just like Phileaus on his hot air balloon!

Phileaus has been posting stories for 16 days now and how the time is flying! The completion challenge of posting 80 before the Fairlop Fair is looming ever nearer. 

SO, Phileaus has been in Brindisi for a few days now and he has been having a brilliant time. On his travels, he heard about many other cities and towns in Italy.  Can you name some other cities in Italy? What is the capital of Italy? Post your answers and stories below.

While Phileaus was in Brindisi, he heard a religious tale about a young Saint in Venice. Now, Venice is a long way from Brindisi but we all know stories travel and Venice is such a famous city, due to it being situated on the water.  The story varies from source to source but it was heard by Phileaus whilst in Brindisi and his version is below:

Story Number 16

The Little Countess

There is a religious tale in Italy, that once upon a time there lived a Little Countess, who was loved by all who knew her. She was beautiful, the most beautiful girl in the town but not because of her looks but because of her kind, generous heart.  All the townspeople who greeted her treated her with respect and she reciprocated of course, she was friendly and loved by all.

Her mother and father could not have wished for a better daughter, they had only have one child but they were the happiest parents in the World.  Every Sunday, her mother took her to the Church which was across the water. She enjoyed the services and the faith that she learnt at Church and as she grew older, she began to attend the Church more and more frequently until eventually she attended every day.

Now, as the Church was across the water, the boats-men knew the girl so well.  They began to think of her as a Saint, due to her kind heart and dedication.  Every morning, they would rush to greet her, hoping that she would choose them to ride across the water with. The girl's father started to notice that she was being seen as a Saint.  Although he was happy for her, he wanted her to marry a rich Lord and feared that the people would think of her only as a Saint rather than a loving wife.  He approached his daughter and told her that she must no longer attend the Church.  He then went down to the boats-men and gave them money telling them that under no circumstances must they let his daughter ride on the boat.

The next morning, when the girl walked down to the river, the boats-men all refused to let her aboard their boats. She approached boat after boat but unlike ever before, no one would let her pass.  

Suddenly, the girl threw her cardigan into the river and to the boats-men's alarm, it started to float.  Without a care in the World, the girl stepped onto the cardigan and it began to float her across the river towards the Church.  The people started to cheer and gaze in awe, no one could believe that this little girl had managed to pass, it was as though she had been helped by God.

From that day forward, the people of Venice have referred to this girl as The Little Countess.  This girl was seen as a Saint and is now spoken to by parents in Venice to protect their children from the perils of Water, just as this little girl had been helped on that very day.  

So if you ever go to Venice, you too might be told the story of The Little Countess.