De Egyptische Assepoester

Cinderella, in Nederland beter bekend als Assepoester, is mijn favoriete sprookje.

Zoals sommige van jullie misschien wel weten ben ik ook helemaal verzot op de geschiedenis van Egypte. De wereld van piramides, tombes, farao's, goden en hiërogliefen. Ik hou er van!

Het zijn twee totaal verschillende dingen, maar wat hebben ze met elkaar te maken? Hebben ze wel wat met elkaar te maken? Ik kan jullie mededelen dat deze twee wel zeker wat met elkaar te maken hebben.

Zelf had ik er nog nooit eerder van gehoord, maar toen ik er over gelezen had verscheen er toch wel een kleine glimlach op mijn gezicht. Het maakte me enthousiast en ik zou en moest meer weten!

Na wat gegoogle vond ik al snel wat ik zocht. Het sprookje Rhodopis. Zelf had ik er nog nooit van gehoord. Dit Grieks-Egyptische verhaal wordt beschouwd als de oudste versie van het beroemde verhaal over Assepoester. Het sprookje werd voor het eerst opgetekend door de Griekse geschiedschrijver Strabo in de eerste eeuw voor Christus.

Het gaat over een meisje genaamd Rhodopis. Ze werkte als slaaf voor een Egyptische meester. Haar oudere meester sliep meestal en merkte niet dat ze erg wreed werd behandeld door de andere meisjes. Rhodopis werd erg gepest omdat ze blank was en van ver weg kwam. Op een dag zag de meester haar alleen dansen en hij gaf haar twee slippers. De andere meisjes behandelde Rhodopis alleen maar slechter. Op een dag nodigde farao Ahmose de mensen van Egypte uit voor een feest in Memphis. De andere meisjes gaven Rhodopis veel werk, waardoor zij niet naar het feest kon gaan. Toen Rhodopis kleding in de rivier aan het wassen was, werden haar slippers nat. Deze legde deze in de zon om te drogen. Valk Horus kwam neer en pakte één van de slippers en vloog ermee weg. Tijdens het feest in Memphis liet de valk de slipper in de schoot van de farao vallen. De farao herkende het teken van Horus en liet alle meisjes in zijn rijk de slipper passen. Het meisje dat de slipper paste werd zijn vrouw. De farao kwam tijdens zijn zoektocht aan bij het huis van Rhodopis. Rhodopis probeerde zich te verstoppen, maar was al gezien. De farao liet haar de slipper passen, hij paste. Ze pakte toen de andere slipper en liet deze aan de farao zien. De farao maakte haar toen duidelijk dat hij met haar wilde trouwen.

Hieronder vinden jullie het sprookje zoals ik hem op het internet vond.


"Long ago in the land of Egypt, land of the green Nile and the blue Mediterranean and the rising sun, there lived a slave girl named Rhodopis. Rhodopis was born in Greece, but had been kidnapped by pirates and sold into Egyptian slavery. The man who bought her was a kind old man, but he spent most of his time sleeping and never saw how much Rhodopis suffered at the hands of his other servants, who teased her endlessly. Their hair was straight and black and elegant; her hair was golden, curly and coarse. Their eyes were brown and black and deep, but hers were green and bright. Their skin glowed like copper and bronze and sand, but Rhodopis had fair skin that burnt in the sun. They made her do all their work while the old man slept.

“Go to the river and wash the clothes,” “Mend my robe,” “Chase the geese from the garden,: “Bake the bread,” they would shout at her.

Rhodopis had only animals for friends. 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 the animals, and if she had any energy left from the hard day’s work she would dance and sing for them.One evening she had more energy than usual, as the day had been particularly cool. Even her master had been enjoying the fine weather, and had fallen asleep under a tree near the river. When the day was done, Rhodopis went down to the river near her animals, and danced and sang so lightly and so well that her feet barely touched the ground, and the old man woke from his sleep and listened to her singing. He admired her dancing, and felt that one so talented should not be without shoes. He ordered her a special pair of slippers. They were soft and a delicious rose-red color. Now the servant girls teased her even more, so jealous they were of her beautiful red slippers.

A little while after this, word arrived that the Pharaoh was holding court in Memphis and all in the kingdom were invited. There was to be dancing and singing and feasting for days on end, and naturally Rhodopis wanted to go, to dance and sing with the others. But it was not to be. For 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, and it would be impossible for her to get them all done before the court began.

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.” Rhodopis washed and beat the clothes harder than she ought, for she was very disappointed not to be going. The splashing of the water wet Rhodopis’s slippers. She quickly grabbed them up, took them 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 tucked the other slipper away in her tunic and went back to work, wondering what Horus’ appearance could mean.Now the Pharaoh, Amasis, Pharaoh of all Egypt was just beginning to hold court, 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, and the dancing was uninspired. He longed for a distraction.

Suddenly the falcon swooped down and dropped the rose-red golden slipper in his lap. The Pharaoh caught up the slipper and examined it closely, for he knew his was a sign from the god Horus. He stared at the slipper until he had deciphered its meaning, and then sent out a decree that all maidens in Egypt must try on the slipper, and that he would take the owner to be his Queen, for so Horus had decreed. And so it happened that by the time the servant girls arrived the celebrations had ended, and Pharaoh had left by chariot in search of the owner of the red-rose slipper.

After searching all through the large cities and not finding the owner, Pharaoh he called for his barge and began to travel the Nile pulling into every landing, ordering maidens to try on the slipper. Soon he came to the house of Rhodopis’ master, and when Rhodopis heard the sounds of the gong, the trumpets blaring, and saw the purple silk sails, she hid, fearful of what it could mean. The other servant girls ran to the landing to try on the shoe while Rhodopis hid in the rushes.

Of course, the moment that the other servant girls saw the show they recognized that it belonged to Rhodopis, but said nothing, such was their envy and hatred of her. Yet try as they might, they could not force their feet into the slipper. While they were failing and pretending to succeed, 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.

Then Pharaoh knew that she had been decreed to be his wife by the Gods, and pronounced that she would be his queen. The servant girls cried out that she was a slave and not even Egyptian, and that her hair, eyes, skin and clothes were unsuitable; any of them would be a more fitting Queen.

But the Pharaoh said: “She is the most Egyptian of all…for her eyes are as green as the Nile, her hair like papyrus, and her skin as pink as the lotus flower.” "

Het verhaal lijkt heel erg op het sprookje van Cinderella. We hebben de gemene dienaren, die lijken op Cinderella's gemene stiefzusjes. Het feest dat de farao geeft, maar waar Rhodopis niet naartoe kon door de extra klusjes die de andere meisjes haar gaven. Het is het feest waar Cinderella door haar stiefzusjes niet naartoe kon. De slipper die door valk Horus wordt meegenomen. Cinderella redt het dan wel om naar het feest te gaan, maar verliest haar muiltje. En als laatste hebben we de farao die opzoek gaat naar het meisje dat bij de slipper hoort. Weer een overeenkomst met Cinderella.

Ik ben helemaal om, dit is voor mij een sprookje. Niks lugubers met tenen en hielen die afgesneden worden of duiven die ogen uit prikken. Na een korte zoektocht ben ik er achter gekomen dat er een boek van dit sprookje is. Het boek is ook nog eens te verkrijgen via bol.com. Dit heb ik natuurlijk besteld. Ik ben heel benieuwd wat er verder nog in dat boek staan =D


Maar goed, nu mijn vraag aan jullie.
Wat vinden jullie van het sprookje "The Egyptian Cinderella"?

"I'm Sabrina and I'm just trying to be me in this big world"