A Summary of The Tale of Sinuhe
The story of Sinuhe refers to a man who fled his duties in Egypt and became a
Bedouin in an Asiatic tribe. Sinuhe was an assistant to King Amenemhat I who was
the first king of the 12th Dynasty in Egypt (1991-1962 BCE). The tale begins with
the death of Amenemhat and the news travels to his son Senusret I who is fighting
in the East. Word of his death reaches the son and Sinuhe. Sinuhe panics and is
scared to return home as he is unaware of how the King died. He then flees to the
east to go into exile.
For further reading on the death of Amenemhat I, read The Testament of
Amenemhat. The story provides implications for the death of Amenemhat, and
his ghost finds his son Senusret and helps aid his son through his reign. The story
provides insight into remarkable Egyptian poetry and the views of the afterlife.
Another quick note of interest is the names of leaders may differ depending on the
translation. Amenhotep I is also described as Sehetepibra by some translations, and
Senusret I may also be described as Sesostris I or Kheperkara. The names vary due to
individual preference and what document is being used for translation.
During the early years of Sinuhe's exile, he runs into a man who is a leader of an
Asiatic tribe called the Renetu. He is taken in and Sinuhe marries the leader's eldest
daughter and becomes a leader of his own tribe within the Renetu. After being
chosen as a commander of the military, he completed the tasks set before him by the
leader. These included battles, taking livestock, and taking prisoners. Sinuhe had
multiple children and raised them into adulthood. As he aged he began to long to go
back home to Egypt.
One fateful night, Sinuhe was confronted by a warrior who was sent to kill him. The
now older Sinuhe accepted the challenge and duelled with the man. After a hard-
fought battle, Sinuhe was victorious. He killed the warrior and began to think back
on his life. He missed Egypt more than ever and wanted to finish out his life back in
his old home. Fortunately, soon thereafter Sinuhe received a letter from the King of
Egypt, Senusret I. The letter requests him to return to Egypt and meet with the king.
Sinuhe was excited, yet wary as he fled after the death of Amenemhet I. After Sinuhe
agrees to meet with the king, he leaves his wife and children behind. He makes his
eldest son the new leader of the tribe.
Sinuhe returns to Egypt and walks through the capital and meets with the king. The
king was pleased to see him and gave him a place to sleep and to clean up. As a
Bedouin, Sinuhe had tattered clothes, long hair, and a beard. This look was not
acceptable in Egypt as royalty and the upper elites were clean-shaven men. The king
forgave Sinuhe for fleeing his post and gave him the opportunity to become a part of
the Egyptian elite. Sinuhe lives out his life in Egypt and is buried in a tomb for the
elite class.
Today, scholars are still not sure whether or not Sinuhe is a real individual. The tale
was to represent the adventures of the courier Sinuhe copied from the inscriptions
from his tomb. The rulers and locations described were authentic and the cultural
differences described were also accurate. Regardless, the tale is one of the oldest
forms of fictional storytelling. The story waswritten nearly 4,000 years ago, and
interpretations are still created in the modern day. A 20th-century CE Finnish writer
Mika Waltari wrote a novel called Sinuhe Egyptiläinen which has been translated by
Naomi Walford.
Bibliography
Baines, J. "Interpreting Sinuhe." The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 68/1982, pp. 31-
44.
Foster, J. Anceint Egyptian Literature. University of Texas Press, Austin, 2001
Galan, J.M. "Two Passages of Sinuhe Reconsidered." Studien Zur Altagyptischen Kultur,
25/1998, pp. 71-81.
Lichtheim, M. Anceint Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings. University of California
Press, Los Angeles, 2006
Parkinson, R.B. The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems, 1940-1640
BC. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1997
Shaw, I. Exploring Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, New York, 2003
Simpson, W. The Literature of Ancient Egypt. Yale University Press, London, 1972
The Ramesseum PapyriAccessed 24 Jan 2017.
Walktari, M. (Translated by Naomi Walford). The Egyptian: A Novel. Chicago Review
Press, Chicago, 2002
Waltari, M. Sinuhe Egyptiläinen. WSOY, 1945
