ceremonies for common usage even in death. Few texts
survive, however, to explain these sorts of rituals. Egyp-
tians also hoped to cast spells over enemies with words,
gestures, and rites. AMULETS were common defenses
against hekaas they were believed to defend humans
against the curses of foes or supernatural enemies.
Suggested Readings:Bennett, James, and Vivianne Crow-
ley. Magic and Mysteries of Ancient Egypt.New York: Ster-
ling Publishing, 2001; David, Rosalie. Cult of the Sun:
Myth and Magic in Ancient Egypt.New York: Barnes &
Noble Books, 1998; El Mahdy, Christine. Mummies, Myth
and Magic in Ancient Egypt.London: Thames and Hud-
son, 1991; Jacq, Christian, and Janet M. Davis, transl.
Magic and Mystery in Ancient Egypt.Detroit: Souvenir
Press, 2000; Wallis Budge, E. A. Egyptian Magic.New
York: Carol Publishing Group, 1991; Wallis Budge, E. A.
Magic of Egypt: The Foundation of the Egyptian Religions:
With the Magical Rituals and Spells Described.New York:
Holmes Publishing Group, 1995.
magical dream interpretation This was an aspect of
Egyptian religious and cultic observances, and a part of
heka,or magic, as practiced in Egypt. Dreams were con-
sidered important omens or prophetic signs. Papyri avail-
able in temple archives provided traditional views of the
various elements of dreams, and certain priests were
trained by the temples to provide interpretations for
those who arrived in the precinct to have a prophetic
dream in the very sanctuary of the god.
If a man saw himself with his mouth open while
dreaming, he was told that the dread in his heart would
be relieved by divine intervention. If a man saw his wife
in his dream the omen was good, interpreted as meaning
that all evils would retreat from him. Evils could also be
foretold by dreams experienced in a temple setting. If a
man dreamed he saw a dwarf, he was going to lose half of
his natural life span. If he wrote on a papyrus in his
dream he understood that the gods were beginning to
tally his deeds for a final judgment. If a man died vio-
lently in his dream, however, he could be assured of liv-
ing long after his father was entombed.
The interpretation of dreams was practiced by the
Egyptians as part of a system prompted by an innate
curiosity and concern about the future, and it was popu-
lar particularly in the later periods, when the nation was
enduring instability and rapid change. The people used
oracles also and consulted a calendar of lucky and
unlucky days in order to ensure the successful outcome
of their ventures.
See also CAIRO CALENDAR.
magical lullaby A charming song from ancient Egypt,
crooned by mothers over their children’s beds, the lullaby
was intended to warn evil spirits and ghosts not to tarry
or plan harm against the infants. Each mother sang about
the items she possessed in order to wound the spirits of
the dead. She carried LETTUCEto “prick” the ghosts, gar-
lic to “bring them harm,” and HONEY, which was consid-
ered “poison to the dead.”Magnates of the Southern Ten A title possessed by
certain governors of the provinces of Upper Egypt, these
were normally NOMARCHS, hereditary princes or nobles of
ancient nome or provincial clans, who were entrusted
with maintaining order and stability in their homelands
on behalf of the ruling pharaohs. During the Ptolemaic
Period (304–30 B.C.E.), the Magnates of the Southern Ten
and other Egyptian legal systems were important to the
native populations, as the Greeks established laws for
themselves and their allies and allowed the nomes to
maintain traditional forms for the Egyptian people.Mahirpré(fl. 14th century B.C.E.)Remarkable official of
the Eighteenth Dynasty
He served TUTHMOSIS IV(r. 1401–1391 B.C.E.) and AMEN-
HOTEP III(r. 1391–1353 B.C.E.), bearing the title of “fan-
bearer,” a court rank that denoted access to the pharaoh
and a level of trust bestowed upon him by the ruler.
Mahirpré was also called a “Child of the Nursery” or a
veteran of “the KAP.” This title denoted the fact that
Mahirpré was raised with Tuthmosis IV and/or Amen-
hotep III in the royal apartments reserved for the children
of the ruler. His name meant “Lion Of The Battlefield.”
Mahirpré was obviously of Nubian descent and was
prominent. He died in his early 20s and was buried in the
VALLEY OF THE KINGSwith sumptuous funerary regalia,
attesting to his status at court. His wooden SARCOPHAGUS
was more than nine feet long, painted and embellished
with gold leaf. Three anthropoid coffins were included in
his tomb.
Mahirpré’s mummified remains provide details about
him as well. He was slightly built, with a dark brown
complexion. A wig composed of corkscrew curls was
glued to his skull. The skin on the soles of his feet is
missing. The tomb of Mahirpré included an OSIRIS BED, a
depiction fashioned of the deity out of barley and then
planted. A beautifully illustrated BOOK OF THE DEADwas
buried with Mahirpré, in which he is depicted with dark
skin, denoting his racial ancestry.Mahu(fl. 14th century B.C.E.) Police official of the Eigh-
teenth Dynasty
He served AKHENATEN(r. 1353–1335 B.C.E.) as a com-
mander of police at ’AMARNA, the capital of the reign.
Mahu may have been one of the MEDJAY, the Nubians
who served as mercenaries, ferocious warriors in battle,
and as police in the nation’s capital and in major Egyp-
tian cities. His tomb at the southern ’Amarna necropolis
site was designed with a roughly cut cruciform chapel224 magical dream interpretation