Is there a historical basis for the "day of the false King" described in The Egyptian?
Upvote:3
I'm the editor who had added the info to Wikipedia. I heavily expanded the novel's article in 2018, but had maybe gotten a touch lazy when I began tackling the section about historical accuracy, with terse explanations; I had suddenly become busy with real life, and soon returned my sources to the library. I have now added to the bit about the day of the false king according to the source (Unio Mystica), briefly describing the tradition.
Here's the source's passage in question:
Suurin osa Waltarin kuvaamista uskonnollisista menoista ja tavoista pitää paikkansa, Holthoer todistaa. Väärän kuninkaan päivä Babylonissa vaikuttaa fabuloivan fantasian tuotteelta, mutta silläkin on tarkka taustansa. Jos ennustukset kertoivat kuninkaan kuolemasta, oli pestattava sijaiskuningas päiväksi ja surmattava hänet, jotta ennustus kävisi toteen, mutta ei vahingottaisi oikeaa kuingasta. Tapa tunnettiin sekä Babylonissa että Egyptissä. Kirjallisena aiheena moukan istuttamista hallitsijaksi on käytetty aina Tuhannen ja yhden yön tarinoista Ludvig Holbergin Jeppe Niilonpoikaan saakka.
My translation:
The majority of religious ceremonies and practices portrayed by Waltari are correct, Holthoer attests. The day of the false king in Babylon seems like the product of a fabling fantasy, but it too has its exact background. If prophecies foretold of the king's death, a substitute king had to be appointed for a day and be killed, so that the prophecy would be fulfilled, but wouldn't harm the real king. The custom was known both in Babylon and Egypt. As a literary subject, the seating of a boor as a ruler has been used all the way from One Thousand and One Nights to Ludvig Holberg's Jeppe on the Hill.
For future reference, you can add {{Verification needed}} or even {{Request quote}} to a Wikipedia statement in situations like this.
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