Djadjaemankh

Djadjaemanch, ancient Egyptian Djadja -em -ankh, the name of a fictional ancient Egyptian magician who in one of the five legends of the papyrus Westcar ( Middle Kingdom ) is occurring and according to the story in the court of the King ( Pharaoh) Sneferu ( 4th dynasty ) a miracle accomplishes.

The literary person

Djadjaemanch only appears in the third story of the papyrus Westcar - he is not historical or even archaeological occupied. However, this literary figure for Egyptology of great importance, since its geschilderter Papyrus magic trick with the later reception of the character of King Sneferu related.

The story of Djadjaemanch

→ see main article Papyrus Westcar.

According to the papyrus Djadjaemanch is asked by Sneferu for help after at a rowing trip on the lake of Dahshur a striking lady an amulet falls into the water and she wants to get it back necessarily. Then fold Djadjaemanch by magic lake downright around so that it can recover the amulet on dry ground and handed over to the rightful owner. He then brings the water back to its original position and is rewarded by Sneferu.

Modern considerations

Through the story of Djadjaemanchs miracle Sneferu is represented as unusually benevolent and affable. He speaks, for example, a subordinate (namely Djadjaemanch ) as "my brother " to. Like it can be found among others in the prophecy of Neferti. Adolf Erman and Verena Lepper evaluate the narrative as a biting satire in which a pharaoh is portrayed as simple-minded fool who can be fobbed off with superficial entertainment and a banal problem with a small blow lady can not solve alone. The author of the history of Djadjaemankh thus criticizes an Egyptian ruler.