Rhodopis

We all know the story of Cinderella. A servant girl with two ugly stepsisters and a horrid stepmother that, with the help of her fairy godmother, went to the prince's ball. Who eventually married the prince. What most people don't know is that the story came from Egypt during the Graeco-Roman period.

Yes, Cinderella is an ancient story.

Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Rhodopis. She was a slave in a noble man's house. Because she had Greecian features, the other servants teased and tormented her.

The nobleman, who often slept under a tree, saw Rhodopis dancing one day and decided someone so lovely should have a pair of sandals made of red and gold. Now, the other servants were jealous of Rhodopis.

One day, the pharaoh had a court at Memphis and all the kingdom was invited. Rhodopis desperately wanted to go because she knew there would be dancing.

However, the other servants gave her more chores to do out of spite. As they poled their raft from the Nile banks, Rhodopis began to weep a sad melody. The hippo, who was her friend, grew tired of the melancholy song and splashed her sandals.

Rhodopis then took them off and laid them on the bank as she continued washing clothes.

In some versions, it is a falcon who takes away one of the sandals. In another, the one I remember, it is the Bennu Bird.

The bennu bird swept down from the setting sun and took one of her sandals to Memphis. It dropped the shoe in the pharaoh's lap. Entranced by this, the pharaoh sent out search parties to find the girl to whom the sandal belonged to.

When the servants arrived at the party, the pharaoh had taken up his chariot and left. He traveled all across Egypt having each maiden try on the sandal.

He arrived at Rhodopis' place where the other servants had come home. They recognized the sandal as Rhodopis' but said nothing and instead tried on the sandal to no avail.

The Pharoah caught sight of Rhodopis hiding in the papyri stalks. He told her to come near. She offered her foot and the sandal fit perfectly. She then presented the other sandal from her tunic. The Pharoah declared that she would be queen.

That's just the highlights of the story. How interesting that a fairy tale we all know came from ancient Egypt.

In conclusion, Rhodpois may have been the beginning of a wonderful tale but Cinderella will always live on.