posted
This is taken from Wallis Budge's, The Egyptian Sudan.
Pseudo- Callisthenes in his book (iii. 18) introduces an account of a fabulous visit of Alexander to Queen Candace, who is described as a descendant of Seniiramis, and declared to have possessed wondrous beauty. To her Alexander is made to write a letter in which, after referring to the graves and houses in her land, and her worship of the god Amen, he invited her to meet him at the boundary of her territory so that they might worship Amen together. To this, "Candace, Queen of Meroe" replied, that Amen, by way of an Oracle, has forbidden his image to be moved, that no one is to enter her country, and if he does he is to be treated as an enemy. Alexander is not to think scorn because her people are dark skinned, for they are whiter in soul than the white people who are with him. Her tribes are eighty in number, and are ready to punish any who attack them.
What is meant by this phrase, "Souls whiter than those of white people?
-------------------- Selenium gives real life and true reality Posts: 4693 | From: Saturn | Registered: Apr 2012
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posted
If I'm not mistaken it's suppose to mean clean or pure if the reference is not for ancient white people,assuming that's the original translation.
[ 04. July 2017, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: Punos_Rey ]
Posts: 1123 | From: New York | Registered: Feb 2016
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posted
I believe you are right. It does sound like something a Queen would proclaim, in context. However, the "Don't scorn my people because their skin is black" part seems something injected by the white writer. The passage also makes it sound as if Alexander very much wanted to do a Solomon/Sheba thing, but Candace wasn't playing.
There is not very much written about Queen Candace or Meroe and only this small mention in Budge's Egyptian Sudan. Anyone know of any other good references for Meroe?
-------------------- Selenium gives real life and true reality Posts: 4693 | From: Saturn | Registered: Apr 2012
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