The Legend of the Scarab King

I have often been asked if the Scarab King, the foundation character of Book 1: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab is based on a real person. In ancient Egyptian pre-history, two centers of civilization developed: one in the north, around the Nile Delta, (Lower Egypt) and the other in the Nile Valley, to the south (Upper Egypt). Before the unification of Egypt in 3100 BC, the area was divided into small chiefdoms, each ruled over by a king, who was generally the leader of his tribe. The ancient Egyptians did not call the kings of Egypt ‘pharaohs.’ This word was used by the Greeks and Hebrews, and today is commonly used to denote the ancient kings of Egypt. At various times in its ancient past, the country was split up and there were at least several kings ruling different areas at the same time. There were also probably kings who ruled regions of Egypt before recorded history, and in fact, several ancient historians mention legendary kings who were elevated to the status of Egyptian gods. I’ve based my legend of the Scarab King on an idea of what a king of that time may have been like.

“Many thousands of years ago, long before the time of the great pharaohs, the gods walked with men on earth. It was a time that has long been forgotten. In the ancient land of Kemet, there lived a wise and good king. He was a humble man who looked to the earth and nature, the birds, beasts, and insects for inspiration on how to rule with wisdom and skill. He searched for a creature as his totem; a creature that would be a sacred symbol of his kingship and his beliefs. But what to choose, he wondered. There were already so many royal symbols: the serpent, the lion, the falcon, the scorpion, the sun …

The king was baffled. He had no answer. One day, against the counsel of his advisors and courtiers, he walked out alone into the desert. He believed an answer would come to him there in that vast expanse of sun and sand. After a few hours of walking, he became hot and tired, and regretted his decision. He sat down and just watched the scenery around him. Movement in the sand next to his sandal caught his attention. An insignificant black insect, a scarab beetle, scurried past him, rolling a ball of dung in which to lay its eggs.

“Khephri! The sacred scarab and god of the rising sun,” said the king. “The giver of new life and the symbol of the sun’s rebirth each day after the blackness of night.”

He chose this beetle, so humble and yet so vital in the Egyptian circle of life and mythology, as his totem, his symbol. He made the name Khephri part of his own name and had images of the sacred scarab carved onto the temple walls. Then he commanded his royal goldsmith to fashion a magnificent scarab from gold and jewels to hang around his neck. In the middle of the scarab, the jeweller placed the First Stone of Power, given to the king by the Seven Sages to help him rule wisely and well. The king became known thereafter as the Scarab King.

The king was tall, strong, and handsome. He loved to hunt. He was an excellent sportsman and a wonderful king. His people loved and admired him. Under his reign, the kingdom prospered. People were well fed, employed, and enjoyed their lives. The king married a beautiful girl but, sadly, they had no children. He had a stepbrother, Seti, who took his name from the dark god of chaos and storms, the god Set. Seti was the opposite of his handsome stepbrother who worshipped the sun god, Ra.

Seti was jealous of his stepbrother. He wished to rule in his brother’s place. One problem stood in his way. According to custom, in order for a succeeding king to take up his rightful place on the throne, a secret ceremony was held between the old king and his appointed heir or successor. The new king would receive special instructions: magical chants, particular hand signals, and other aspects of the mystic rituals that passed from king to king. Then the priests would know that the new king was a genuine successor, and not a pretender to the throne.

Seti needed to know the secret rituals. When he asked his stepbrother about them, the Scarab King replied, “Ah, Seti, why do you pester me with these questions? Why do you ask for what cannot be given? You will never rule after me because you do not share my beliefs in life. You think only of yourself when a king must think of his people first. Do not ask me these questions again! I have chosen my cousin on my mother’s side to succeed me. Senreset is a good and wise man. He will make an excellent ruler.”

Seti seethed with anger as the king dismissed him from the royal chambers. Once he knew the secret words and signals, the kingdom would be his.

Of course, the chicken-hearted priests will accept me, he thought. They believe in the ritual. I believe in the power. Once I am king, I will have the First Stone of Power, and then my control over the kingdom will be complete.

He sent his men to bribe the High Priest to reveal the secret rituals, but the man refused. Seti tried three times, but each time the High Priest sent them away. Seti was so angry that he ordered his men to slay the High Priest. However, his men were afraid of the wrath of Ra, and they disobeyed. Finally, Seti went himself to the High Priest. Although the man trembled before the king’s stepbrother, he would not reveal the sacred secrets of the rituals of kingship. Seti knew that the Scarab King, being healthy and strong, would live for many years. There was only one thing left to do: he must kill the king! He lured his stepbrother into a lonely part of the palace, under the pretext of discussing building plans. Then, when diagrams that Seti had brought along distracted the king, Seti struck him down.

The king fell to the ground, bleeding from the fatal blow. As the king lay dying, he groaned and grasped Seti by one hand. “You will never find it, my brother, and you will not be king for long. Your heart will be weighed on the Great Scales and you will be found lacking.”

Seti, frightened by these words, felt under the king’s tunic for the scarab. It was not there. Seti shrieked for his men and, within minutes, they had overrun the palace. Seti questioned the king’s priests closely, threatening them with torture, but they pretended not to know where the sacred scarab and the king’s regalia were kept. They also denied knowing the magic words of the ritual. Seti cursed the heavens and the gods for defeating his plans. His screams rose skyward and the city trembled beneath his wrath. The Secret of Power had gone with the king to his grave. However, Seti thought that when the king was buried, one of his priests would place the scarab in the king’s sarcophagus according to custom. If he could find the scarab, he could try to turn its power to his purposes.

But the king’s loyal followers prepared his body, placing it in a sarcophagus of solid gold, and transported it at night, along with all the treasure, to a secret tomb so that none would violate it. They descended into the entrails of the earth and hid the body in the Place of Divine Inundation, protecting it with magical incantations. The Scarab King, like the sacred scarab, returned to the earth, later to rise in the sky as a star.”

If you’re looking for more adventures, then please visit The Quest Books, where Middle Grade authors Cheryl Carpinello, Wendy Leighton-Porter and I have teamed up to offer readers an array of exciting quests. Sign up for our monthly newsletter with exciting exclusive material and get your choice of any e-book on the site FREE!

Book Review: Sons of the Sphinx

Prepare yourself for an incredible adventure in ancient Egypt when you pick up Sons of the Sphinx by Cheryl Carpinello. The story starts with a prophecy that sets the tone for magic, mystery, and mayhem in places. Rosa, 15, has an unusual gift she inherited from her grandmother: she hears the dead. Maybe it would be easier if she could see them and tell them to go away properly, and not have to put up with an annoying interruption in her maths test. Of course it is all Nana’s fault because once Nana told Rosa and a friend about the spirits that visited her, life was never quite the same. At age 15, when all you want to do is fit in and be accepted, that’s not the kind of thing guaranteed to win friends and influence people. The really scary part comes when, from only being a voice, the young pharaoh Tutankhamun appears large as life in Rosa’s bedroom, telling her he needs her to help in a vital mission. How much better can it get? Tut tells Rosa that part of his one true love, Ankhesenamun, is now contained within Rosa, and he needs to take Rosa along with him to find her burial place so they can be united. The problem is this mission must be fulfilled within seven days and Rosa’s parents, who’ve gone to a movie, will be back by midnight. But that’s not a problem as Tut explains what a time wrap is to the bemused Rosa. However, hurtling back to the ancient past isn’t going to be an easy ride. Danger, magic, evil and the possibility that Rosa might not be able to return home dog their footsteps.

 What a story as Cheryl Carpinello displays her expertise as both a writer and an educator in her incredibly detailed portrayal of life in ancient Egypt. Readers will feel the sun’s heat, smell the perfumes and spices, taste the food, touch the artefacts, and bask in the glory of Egypt’s past. Threaded through the non stop action and adventure, the author drops in the right kind of historical information in bite sized pieces, painting a portrait of the ancient past, the story behind the rulers and their people, their relationships, and their choices, both good and bad. I really enjoyed the portrayal of Rosa as a typical teenager with the issues, problems, angst, crushes, and awkwardness of her age. The dialogue is spot on with the nuances and colloquialisms that will appeal to the intended target market. I also enjoyed Rosa’s often sarcastic inner monologue as she deals with sand, heat, sunburn and a lot of discomfort, not having had 3000 years to rack up the right kind of experience with these matters. For me, the most compelling part of this intriguing adventure is the subtle lessons Rosa learns that are contained in the story: the value of life, the value of love, trusting your instincts, trusting in friendship, finding the courage within, and finding self belief. I think teens will just love every aspect of this well written, mesmerising tale.

 If you’re looking for more adventures, then please visit The Quest Books, where Cheryl Carpinello, Wendy Leighton-Porter and I have teamed up to offer readers an array of exciting quests. Sign up for our monthly newsletter with updates and exclusive material and get your choice of any e-book on the site FREE!

The Search for the Stone of Excalibur

I am proud to announce that Book 2 in The Chronicles of the Stone is now available on Amazon. The Search for the Stone of Excalibur grew from Book One, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab. I am a huge King Arthur fan and having travelled all over Scotland, visiting castles, I decided that Britain would be the location of the boys’ quest for the Second Stone of Power. The legends and stories about King Arthur and Excalibur are the perfect vehicle for this book. There is so much magic and mystery surrounding this historical figure that I had enough material to craft a fascinating adventure. If you love history, geography, action, adventure, archaeology and a story that grips you from page one (plus lots of danger!) then this is the book for you. This will also appeal to anyone who wants to save the world or (for those readers a little older) remembers their plans to do so!

Book Synopsis: Continuing the adventure that began in Egypt a few months prior in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair are hot on the trail of the second Stone of Power, one of seven ancient stones lost centuries ago. This stone might be embedded in the hilt of a newly discovered sword that archaeologists believe belonged to King Arthur: Excalibur. What gave Excalibur its incredible powers, so great that even historians have recorded its singular abilities? Could it be that a Stone of Power is embedded in the hilt?

However, their long-standing enemy, Dr. Khalid, is following them as their travels take them from Oxford, England, to Scotland, where the location of the quest is in an old castle, a ruined chapel, and with a few ghosts thrown in as well. Little do they know there is another deadly force, the Eaters of Poison, who have their own mission to complete. Who are these enigmatic and scary Eaters of Poison, driven by an ancient purpose? What is their connection to the castle's past and James’ ancestor, Bedwyr the Curious Monk, whose research into history started all the trouble? Time is running out as the confluence of the planets draws closer. Can Justin and Adam find the second Stone of Power and survive? And why did Aunt Isabel send a girl with them?

Join Justin and Adam as they search not only for the second Stone of Power, but also for the Scroll of the Ancients, a mysterious document that holds important clues to the Seven Stones of Power. Right from the start, this adventure is not like the first. As their new adventure unfolds, they learn many things and face dangers that make even their perils in Egypt look tame. And how annoying for them that their tag-along companion, Kim, seems to have such good ideas when they are stumped.

I’d love book reviews and am very happy to supply e-pub or Kindle version for anyone keen to read and review the book. Please email me at Fiona@fionaingram.com.

Why I Wrote The Secret of the Sacred Scarab

With my second MG adventure, The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, coming out soon, I looked back on how I began writing for kids in the first place. Writing a children’s book was an unexpected step, inspired by a family trip to Egypt. In fact, I should say I owe it all to my (wonderful) late mother, who read about a tour to Egypt in a magazine. I wasn’t sure about Egypt because Europe is more to my liking, but Mum was insistent, so I went along with her whim. We took my two nephews with us, and they became the ‘models’ for the two young heroes of the book, Justin and Adam Sinclair.

Mom, me, my nephew Connor (Adam in the book), and nephew Michael (Justin in the book).

 

The tale of the sacred scarab began life as an anecdotal short story for my nephews (then 10 and 12). When we got back to South Africa and had admired the photos and sorted out the souvenirs, I wanted to give them a special memory of the trip. I picked up a writing pad and a red pen (I remember the colour so clearly) and thought … ‘What’s it called?’ Then, without even thinking about it, I wrote the title, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, and the first word, Egypt! The rest just seemed to flow. I used our actual trip as the plot outline and tried to incorporate the many unusual things that had happened to us, just infusing them with a more sinister meaning. With a black-hearted villain like Dr. Khalid for an arch-enemy, it wasn’t too difficult.

This short story grew into a children’s book, the first in the middle-grade adventure series, Chronicles of the Stone. It had to because by the end of the first book I realized that my heroes couldn’t possibly save the world in one book ... they’d have to continue the adventure, which just grew from there. The fun part was basing the plot on actual events. The boys’ journey closely mirrors much of what we saw and did in Egypt, but obviously is a thousand times more exciting. I’d give anything to actually find an old scarab that was the key to an ancient mystery. The Secret of the Sacred Scarab is available on Amazon. You can follow Adam and Justin's adventures by visiting the website. Live the adventure!

by Fiona Ingram