The book A Profecia ou O Mistério da Morte de Tut-Ank-Amon, by Fernando Val do Rio de Carvalho Henriques, was written a few months after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, in November 1922. The novel is perfectly embedded in the climate of Tutmania, which exploded because of the extraordinary nature of the find. People were deeply interested in the king and in ancient Egypt in general, and numerous books had been published in the years right after the discovery of the KV62 tomb (KV= Kings’ Valley) because of this growing enthusiasm for the pharaonic epoch. This interest in ancient Egyptian iconography is also discernible in the frontispiece of the volume, which is characterised by a vulture – symbol of the goddess Nekhbet.
Despite the title, which might suggest a whole historical setting, the vast majority of the story is actually set in the XX century, with only a few chapters set in ancient Egypt. Even if the sources employed by the author are unknown, Fernando Val do Rio de Carvalho Henriques demonstrates a deep knowledge of ancient Egyptian history, and – despite the fact that the story is mainly fictionalised – many details show to what extent the writer wants his novel to be filled with accurate and precise features.
An example is given by the dating introduced at the very beginning of the historical excursus, which is syntactically constructed as an actual ancient Egyptian date (“no ano primeiro, quarto dia do segundo mês das colheitas, do Rei do Alto e do Baixo Egipto, Filho do Sol, Nek-Kheper-Ra Tut-Ank-Amon, dotado de vida eterna”, p. 29), also including the praenomen of the young pharaoh (which, however, should be spelled Neb-Kheperu-Ra) – another remarkable detail.
Numerous other references in the historical part indicate a profound study of the subject, like the mention of the change of the divine reference that Tutankhamun (previously Tutankhaten) made to his name, or the allusion to the djed pillar – symbol of stability, strictly linked to the god Osiris (“dad, o emblema de Osiris, simbolo da estabilidade”, p. 45) – and to the plethora of the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses cited in the book.
Of course, A Profecia ou O Mistério da Morte de Tut-Ank-Amon is mainly intended as a means of entertainment and not all the information provided is historically accurate, nonetheless the novel offers numerous authentic and accurate data and contributes to educating the reader in the history of ancient Egyptian culture.

Author: Valentina Santini