The Eloquent Peasant is a piece of Egyptian folklore that was passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Historians have traced it back to the 12th Dynasty approximately 1800BCE. Despite the approximate date of creation, the story is set sometime between the 9th dynasty and the 10th dynasty.
In this tale an Egyptian peasant named Hunanup prepares to leaves his home and travel to Ehnas. At a crossroads he encounters Dehuti-necht, the son of a serf to the chief steward, Meruitensi. Despite having social standing and money Dehuti-necht covets Hunanup ass and decides to steal it. When Hunanup arrives at a narrow pass he finds that Dehuti-necht has blocked it. Hunanup has no choice but to take the right path that is filled with Dehuti-necht’s…show more content… I say without any consequence because if the peasant had not been persistent in his pursuit of justice no higher official would have reprimanded him.
Meruitensi presumably upholds justice in the end but he did not do so because it was the right thing to do. He upheld the law after he tired of the entertainment that he received listening to Hanunup.
The Tale of Sinuhe is similar to The Eloquent Peasant in that it was written in during the same time period and also had longevity through generations of transition. That is where the similarity stops. In this tale Sinuhe is a beloved servant of the royal household. After intercepting information concerning the death of the King Sinuhe flees to north, fearing for his life. After a long grueling journey he came upon a “sand-farer” that recognized him from previous travels to Egypt. The traveler gave him water and milk to replenish him. Then he led Sinuhe to his tribe. They gave him food and water. Sinuhe continued his travels until he the ruler of Upper Retenu, Ammunenshi, invited him into his household. Ammunenshi was so impressed that he gave Sinuhe a place in his household, married him to one of his daughters, and gave him his choice of land. Sinuhe battled neighboring tribes, always victorious, and expanded his household greatly. It was at the end of this life that he began to desire Egypt. Word eventually was sent