Akkad (Mesopotamia) · Mesopotamia
The Sargon Birth Legend
Shared literary world- Composed
- Probably 1st millennium BC, about a king of c. 2300 BC
- Earliest surviving copy
- Neo-Assyrian tablets, 7th century BC (British Museum)
Sargon of Akkad says his mother, a priestess, bore him in secret, put him in a basket of rushes sealed with bitumen, and set him in the river. Aqqi, a water-drawer, lifted him out and raised him as a gardener; the goddess Ishtar loved him and he became king.
Similar
- Secret birth
- A basket of rushes sealed with bitumen
- Set in a river and drawn out
- Raised by an adoptive parent; becomes a great leader
Different
- The surviving copies are later than the traditional date of Moses
- Sargon is rescued by chance and favored by a goddess; Moses is protected by his mother, sister, a princess, and God's providence
- Sargon's mother hides him out of shame, not to save him from a decree of death
Egypt · Nile Valley
Horus hidden in the marshes of Chemmis
Possible historical contact- Composed
- Egyptian myth attested from the 2nd millennium BC
- Earliest surviving copy
- Pyramid and Coffin Texts allusions; full form on the Metternich Stela (4th century BC)
The goddess Isis hides her infant son Horus in the papyrus marshes of the Delta to protect him from his murderous uncle Seth, who has killed his father.
Similar
- A mother hides her son in the Nile papyrus thickets
- A ruler who wants the child dead
Different
- Gods, magic and healing spells; no adoption by the enemy's household
Rome · Italy
Romulus and Remus
Resemblance only- Composed
- Told by Livy and others, 1st century BC
- Earliest surviving copy
- Medieval manuscripts of Livy
King Amulius orders his great-nephews drowned in the Tiber; they are left in a basket, washed ashore, nursed by a she-wolf, and raised by a shepherd. Romulus founds Rome.
Similar
- A king orders infants killed; the babies are set on a river and survive to found a nation
Different
- Much later; the twins are sons of the god Mars