The Blinding of Truth by Falsehood

Papyrus Chester Beatty II

The papyrus on which the tale was found is known as Papyrus Chester Beatty II. It dates to the New Kingdom’s 19th Dynasty, and there does not seem to be disagreement about this date as many scholarly sources agree on this date. Papyrus is also created from the plant of the same name and can be carbon dated because it is organic matter (Strudwick 484). It is written in hieratic script, the simplified/cursive form of hieroglyphics (Strudwick 482). Papyrus Chester Beatty II was found in fragments at Thebes in Upper Egypt, and like most discoveries found at Thebes, it is going to be mostly religious with political overtones. It was donated to the British Museum in 1930 and has been there ever since, but it is not on display ("Collection Object Details: Papyrus Chester Beatty 2").

Literary background

The story fits into the genres of melodrama (a narrative in which evil momentarily gains the upper hand) and partial allegory (Vinson 33; Griffiths 90). Its themes are the triumph of ma’at (order, peace, truth, justice) over isfet (chaos) and how “truth must be vindicated by the wiles of falsehood” (Vinson 48; Griffiths 91).

Story

Author Steve Vinson gives the following summary of “The Blinding of Truth by Falsehood” in his article “The Accent's on Evil: Ancient Egyptian ‘Melodrama’ and the Problem of Genre:”

Gereg (Falsehood) claims that Ma’at (Truth) has stolen a dagger from him, and he convinces the Ennead (the nine original gods in the Heliopolitan creation myth) of the truth his allegation. The Ennead permits Gereg to blind Ma’at and forces Ma’at to serve Gereg as door-keeper. However, Ma’at performs his task virtuously and well, and eventually Gereg can't stand his presence any more. Gereg orders two of Ma’at's servants to take him out into the desert where, so Gereg hopes, Ma’at will be devoured by lions. But the servants let Ma’at escape, and Ma’at takes refuge in the home of a beautiful lady, with whom he has a son. The son grows up, learns the truth of who his father is and how he had been treated by Gereg and demands justice before the Ennead. Gereg, sure that Ma’at must be long dead, swears an oath that if Ma’at is found alive and blinded as the son alleges, then he will willingly suffer blindness himself. When Ma’at's son produces Ma’at, Gereg is, in fact, blinded and sentenced by the gods to serve Ma’at as doorkeeper. (Vinson 47)

Implications of “The Blinding of Truth by Falsehood”

There are many implications. Some of these consequences are religious and cultural. One of them is the importance and popularity of certain myths in Ancient Egypt. The relationship between myth and literature in Ancient Egypt is that myths are generally integrated into literature, and “The Blinding of Truth by Falsehood” chooses to integrate the Osiris and the Horus and Seth/Set myths (Baines 377; Griffiths 90). Despite the many parallels to these two myths, it is only a partial allegory rather than a full one (Griffiths 90). It only concerns the names of the characters and is not used enough to make this story a full allegory (Griffiths 90-91).

Another religious and cultural implication involves the theme of “The Blinding of Truth by Falsehood:” the triumph of ma’at over isfet (Vinson 33). Ma’at had existed since creation but was in a constant struggle with the forces of chaos (Strudwick 366). If order broke down, chaos would follow (Strudwick 366). This concept is so important is it made the moral of “The Blinding of Truth by Falsehood.” The tale’s allegorical nature downplays the narrative’s mythological aspect in order to highlight an important moral that Egyptians wanted to ensure in their society and culture (Baines 374). This would guarantee that ma’at would continue and ultimately triumph over chaos.

Other implications are political and historical. Since “The Blinding of Truth by Falsehood” uses the myth involving Horus and Seth, it brings up the problem of succession that drives the main conflict in that myth (Strudwick 118). At this time in Egypt, Ramesses II was on the throne of Egypt and a new dynasty was in control of the country (Lesko 99). Ramesses would have commissioned this in order to legitimize his own reign and succession as well as the new dynasty through this story (Lesko 100). Author Leonard Lesko even goes as far as to say that this is deliberate political propaganda (Lesko 100). Its audience would have to be a large one. Propaganda (legitimizing succession in this case) is meant to be seen by lots of people, not be kept hidden, and the popular myths it contains would help it reach a wide audience as well. This means that the source is also biased because it would be on the side of Ramesses II in order to secure his status in Egypt.

This myth also demonstrates the importance of ma’at in political terms. The pharaoh was the one that essentially keeps it by defeating Egypt’s enemies, pleasing the gods as their high priest, restoring what was broken, and more (Strudwick 366). Ma’at’s role is also seen in the important role the judicial system plays (Campagno 25). The main conflict between Truth and Falsehood is settled essentially in court with the Ennead acting as judge and jury (Campagno 26). The law and the order, truth, and justice that goes with it is personified by ma’at (Strudwick 366).

The final implications of this story are social. It reveals the social aspect of ma’at: harmony “between and amongst gods and human beings” (Vinson 47-48). “The Blinding of Truth by Falsehood” also illuminates the role of women at this point in Egyptian history. There seemed to be negativity towards the influential roles women played in the previous dynasty, and it manifests itself in this piece (Lesko 102). Ma’at, a female concept, is made male (Baines 374). The woman in the tale only exists to desire Truth and conceive his son; she does not play a major part (Vinson 47). This is in stark contrast to the major role the goddess Isis plays in the original Osiris myth (Griffiths 90).