#idfk anything about the culture and won't pretend to so the blurb about Medjed's Japanese popularity is purposefully brief orz

[echoes-of-kemet]

This is probably random but can u tell us more abt Medjed

Not to worry; random questions are some of my favorites! For the sake of not missing something- and because I like having an excuse for longer replies- I'll answer in two parts; the real world, historic information on Medjed, and their incarnation in EoK.

As far as egyptologic knowledge goes, not much is understood about Medjed. We're not entirely sure what specific purpose or role they were meant to play, their connection to the greater pantheon, even definitively whether they were male or female, both or neither. All that is documented is their appearance and mention in the Book of the Dead and the Greenfield Papyrus (specifically appearing visually on sheets 12 and 76.) In Spell 17, they're described as such; "I know the name of that Smiter [Medjed translates to "the smiter"] among them, who belongs to the House of Osiris, who shoots with his eye, yet is unseen." Researchers have been able to discern that Medjed plays some role in the dead's journey through the Duat, but the specifics remain obscured and yet to be recovered. (I'm stubborn and refuse to say "discovered" with ancient cultures.)

In significantly more recent times- specifically 2012- Medjed was among those figures featured in an exhibit at the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Tokyo. The deity's appearance, curiously reminiscent of the cliche Halloween sheet ghost as well as the character Obake no Q-Taro, captivated many that attended the exhibit, and by 2013 Medjed was enjoying a second life as a meme. They've been the subject of plenty fan art, appearing in videogames and manga/anime, and the mysteries surrounding them have been given "answers" of sorts in the way internet memes gradually develop their own lore regardless of source material (if any.)

(As a side note, I'm not 100% confident in this, but the way I've taken to pronouncing their name is like "medge-ed." The d and j noises are separate but still in the same syllable.)

For Echoes of Kemet, I've embraced much of the pop culture evolution of Medjed as there's so little on them to employ in my characterization.

Similar to the enigmatic Kherty, they're an example of the Duat's apparent mysterious quality of producing new entities and warping preexisting ones. Which of these Medjed is an instance of is unclear- whether they're a demon, Netjer, or something else- but they've made clear their willing allegiance with those in the Hall of Two Truths (despite being mute save for the odd noise.) They seem to be particularly fond of King Osiris and Prince Anubis, often competing with Ammit for their attentions- though they're also capable of getting along with the Devourer, sometimes sharing a feast of hearts with her.

Another role they've accepted is a watchman of sorts; possessing the ability to travel through walls and shadows- suggesting they may have some relation to the Khaibit (shadow) portion of the soul- they suddenly appear in front of anyone or thing not expressly invited or permitted entrance to Osiris' kingdom. They've gradually learned to adopt a different policy after a few unfortunate smitings, but they used to be inclined to incinerate trespassers with their other ability to shoot streams of fire from their eyes.

Many of the gods besides Anubis and Osiris- including Heqet, Wepwawet, Thoth, even the mighty Shezmu- find Medjed offputting. Many will vehemently deny being afraid of or creeped out by the deity, but they certainly possess a disquieting aura (despite their small stature and simple appearance) few are immune to.

#asks #anonymous #medjed #my rotten soldier. my sweet cheese. my good time [REDACTED]! #disclaimer: the only Japanese media I've really engaged with was Pokemon; Dragon Ball; and research rabbit holes about yokai #idfk anything about the culture and won't pretend to so the blurb about Medjed's Japanese popularity is purposefully brief orz #also I have a blurb about the eight parts of the soul according to kemetic myth which I'll link to here as well when it's up #lore posting