Reading Notes: Ancient Egyptian Myths and Stories Part B

Two brothers lived together, Anpu was the eldest and Bata was the younger. Anpu was a full fledged adult with a house and wife. The other brother worked hard upon his brothers land, tending to cattle and the fields. After a display of strength, Anpu's Wife threw herself upon him. He rejected her advances, remarking that he was disgusted with her actions. The wife told Anpu a tastefully edited story in her favor, sparking his rage against his brother. So much so that Anpu wished to kill him. Bata fled his brother, and Anpu came to know his wife's treachery. Bata came to have a wife from the sun god Ra, who was sought after by many men. A King wished to have her and sent many men and soldiers to bring her back. The men killed Bata and took the woman away. His brother came and revived him, Bata took the form of a bull, and they set off after his wife. After finding his wife with the king, she commanded the king to sacrifice the bull so that she may eat his liver. The king with great anguish did so, but Bata lived on. Bata became the king and sentenced his wife to death. After Bata's death, Anpu became the ruler.

Nefer-Ka-Ptah, here from refer to as NKP, cared for nothing of the earth except to read the ancient records. He continually read the inscriptions on wall of the temple, and was mocked for doing so by the priest. The priest knew the location of the book but required a bribe. NKP paid the bribe and was told a riddle detailing the location. NKP set off on his great journey with his fathers blessing and two companions. He found the box the book was kept in at the bottom of a river which was guarded by a magic snake. He used sand to block the water, magic words froze all the crawling things, and the snake was cut in two with sand stopping it from rejoining its body and head. Opening box after box, NKP finally held the book of Thoth in his hands. He read the first page enchanting the earth and a great knowledge rushed upon him. Returning to his companions, they too read the book of Thoth gaining great knowledge. The god Thoth came to know that his book was stolen, and wished vengeance upon the taker. Thoth with help from Ra, drowned NKP and all his companions in the river. NKP was then buried with the book. 

The Tale of King Rhampsinitus is about a king who built a great vault to store his wealth in. The builder on his death bed told his two sons about a secret hatch he had placed. The two sons used this hatch to rob the king many times over until one of them was caught in a trap. Knowing the fate of his brother if he was identified, he begged his brother to behead him so that none shall know his identity. The brother did this, and the body was hung outside the palace walls in an attempt to catch the criminal. The mother of the two sons wished for the proper burial of her dead son, so she told her son to retrieve it. Distracting the guards the son was able to retrieve the body. The kings daughter was sent out in another attempt to catch the thief, whom she did find. She was unable to seize the thief as he used his brothers arm in place of his and fled. The man ended up marrying the daughter of the king.

The God Thoth
Source

Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie