08 December 2023 09:08 PM

Folklore in Egypt

Thursday، 19 May 2016 - 12:00 AM

It is likely that the term "folklore was foreign to the legacy of civilization in Ancient Egypt, because we are used to relating the mythologies which resulted from the deeply-rooted belief of Ancient Egyptians. This belief is reflected in the extended inevitable relationship between their worldly and heavenly lives. However, if mythologies constitute the formal religious substance, as they are closely associated with belief, on the one hand, and with the Pharonic government system, on the other, it is this folkloric substance that still lives with people.
 
It expresses people’s values and culture as much as it expresses their hopes and aspirations. In other words, the folkloric substance of a certain people determines their identity and personality as much as it determines the degree of their culture.
 
Folklore usually arises from a belief in the power of the word, and from the ability to move it along various levels: symbolic, connotative, and social. Ancient Egyptians used to believe in the power, magic and ability to move the minds. This can be illustrated by the following extract: "Man dies and becomes a rotten corpse, and so does his offspring, but his books commemorate him. Thus, one book is more useful than a furnished home or an exquisite palace or even a memorial in a temple."

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