Legends

1. Myths and

3. The beginning of one story about the
Great Sphinx is written on a stele between
the sphinx's paws.

4. The story reads that one day, a young
prince fell asleep next to the Great Sphinx.
He had been hunting all day, and was very
tired.
He dreamt that the Great Sphinx promised
that he would become the ruler of Upper
and Lower Egypt if he cleared away the
sand covering its body (the Great Sphinx
was covered up to its neck).

5. The figure was buried for most of its life in the
sand.
It was King Thutmose IV (1425 - 1417 BC) who
placed a stela between the front paws of the
figure.
On it, Thutmose describes an event, while he
was still a prince, when he had gone hunting
and fell asleep in the shade of the sphinx.
During a dream, the sphinx spoke to
Thutmose and told him to clear away the
sand.
The sphinx told him that if he did this, he would
be rewarded with the kingship of Egypt.

6. Thutmose carried out this request and the
sphinx held up his end of the bargain. Of
course, over time, the great statue, the
only single instance of a colossal sculpture
carved in the round directly out of the
natural rock, once again found itself buried
beneath the sand.

7. • The Dream
King Thutmose IV should never have been
a King of Egypt, but he was.
At that time he was a Prince, but not in a
very good position to get the throne.

8. • Historians:
Thutmose IV concocted the dream to
cover up murder.
Thutmose had his brother killed so that he
could gain the crown. While the Egyptian
people might not have been able to forgive
Thutmose the slaying for personal gain,
they could overlook it if it seemed like it
was the will of the gods.

9. • Tall tale or True Story?
Many Egyptians believe that the story is
true, and that the Sphinx really did talk to
Prince Thutmose in a dream.
Prince made up the story so that the
people of Egypt would accept him as their
King.

10. SIGNIFICANC
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