Week 6 Story : Raziya and his Secret Name
Raziya and His Secret Name
After thousands of years, the reign of the gods had ended. The power and worship of the gods became a whisper of the past. Many gods retreated to the heavens. However, a few remained on earth to live amongst humans.
Raziya had no difficulty living amongst humans. He was a CEO of a fortune 500 company. No one knew his secret name. His name gave him his great power. Issa, an enchantress, has a difficult time adjusting to life amongst the humans. She works for Raziya and has grown jealous of his power on earth. She craved to be one of the powerful people. She desired to have power equal to Raziya. She yearned to know his secret name.
Each day, Raziya walked past Issa with his chest puffed and head high. His employees followed him around like starving puppies. Each day, he sat upon his Cambridge executive chair as though it was a throne and made his announcements. Living among humans has aged him. As he spoke, he lost a back tooth. He tossed the tooth into the trash.
When Raziya left for a business lunch, Issa went into his office and found his tooth. Issa grabbed the tooth, whispered an incantation, and turned it into a venomous spider. She picked up the spider and hid it in Raziya’s desk drawer.
Soon Raziya and his employees returned to his office. When he reached into his desk to retrieve some breath mints, the spider bit him, sending venom through his entire body. A loud mighty screech broke from his lips. The screech was so loud, it was heard in the heavens.
His employees, scared, asked him “ What is wrong? What is in your desk drawer? Should we call a doctor?”
Raziya spoke, “ My father is a powerful man. His name is Nassor. He must be reached, as he is the only one who can help me. My body trembles in pain, my hand is on fire and I am growing cold.”
As his employees scrambled to find Nassor, Issa entered and said that she could utter incantations to ease Raziya’s pain. “ You were bitten by a spider and I will weave spells as I have not lost my enchantress power.”
He answered “ I am drenched in sweat and my eyes are heavy. This pain is almost unbearable.”
Issa spoke, “ Raziya, in order for me to heal you completely and spare your life, you must tell me your secret name. Raziya, hesitant to give Issa his secret name, said “ Issa, I am wary of sharing my secret name as it holds so much power. I do not want these humans to know who we are. They will be afraid of us or take advantage of us. Don’t you know the days of being worshipped are in the past?”
Raziya’s pain grew more intense. His stomach felt like it was on fire and his head felt like it was going to explode. He couldn’t take anymore pain. He spoke to Issa “ Issa, I will give you my secret name. However, you must promise to give my power back to me. I fear it may be too much for you. ”Issa said “ I will keep some of your power. I am tired of walking behind you. If you want me to heal you, you need to share some of the power with me.”
Raziya agreed and spoke his secret name to Issa. She could feel the heavens and the earth move through her body. She grabbed Raziya’s hand and began her incantations. Raziya immediately began to feel better. His aches and pains dulled. He even felt more youthful.
When Raziya’s employees returned without Nassor, they were confused by Raziya’s sudden change. In order to keep the god’s secret, Issa pulled an epipen from her purse and explained that Raziya had an allergic reaction.
Thankful to Issa for saving his life, he kept his bargain and allowed her to keep some of his power. Issa went on to surpass Raziya in the company and became president.
Years later, they decided to return to the heavens as Ra and Isis.
Author's Note : This is a retelling of The Secret Name of Ra from ancient Egyptian mythology. The Secret Name of Ra is about Isis, who desires to have equal power to Ra. She wanted to know his secret name to gain his power. She made a spear out of his saliva and earth. The spear she made turned into a serpent and stung Ra. While he was in pain, Isis offered to heal him if he revealed his secret name.
I changed the names of the character and placed them in a modern setting. They are still gods in my story but are living as humans.
Bibliography : Donald Mackenzie, The Secret Name Of Ra
Hi Daphne,
ReplyDeleteI just want to comment on your theme of the post. It looks so neat and I love the plant background. For the story, I like that you made it a modern retelling and made Ra the head of the company. I'm not familiar with Egyptian mythology and always assumed that Ra and Isis were on good terms because they were husband and wife? I must've mistaken, but anyway I enjoyed reading your story.
I enjoy the idea of the old gods passing away into legend but still living on earth. It's like the Jedi. I've always found it weird how everyone forgets about the Jedi in thirty years, but it's a big galaxy out there, isn't it? I noticed you switch between past and present tense a few times. Had versus has, for example. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but after finishing your story I don't think it was. It's usually best to stick to one or the other. Good job, Daphne.
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