The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor

E236613

The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor is an ancient Egyptian literary tale, often regarded as one of the earliest works of adventure fiction, in which a mariner recounts his survival on a magical island ruled by a giant serpent.

All labels observed (2)

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Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf adventure fiction work
ancient Egyptian literary tale
didactic tale
short story
approximateDateOfComposition Middle Kingdom of Egypt
circa 2000–1800 BCE
authorshipStatus anonymous
comparedWith The Eloquent Peasant
The Tale of Sinuhe
containsMotif encounter with a supernatural being
promise of reward
prophetic speech
shipwreck and miraculous survival
countryOfOrigin Pharaonic Egypt
surface form: Ancient Egypt
culturalSignificance important example of Middle Kingdom narrative prose
one of the earliest known works of adventure fiction
didacticFunction to encourage courage and composure before the king
ending the sailor returns safely to Egypt
featuresCharacter a giant serpent
a ship’s commander
the king of Egypt
frameNarrator the shipwrecked sailor speaking to his superior officer
genre adventure fiction
didactic literature
fantasy literature
literaryForm prose narrative
mainCharacter an unnamed sailor
manuscriptForm papyrus roll
moral humans should trust in the gods and accept fate
narrativeFrame story within a story
narrativePerspective first-person account by the sailor
originalLanguage Middle Egyptian
period Middle Kingdom Egyptian literature
plotSummary a sailor recounts his survival after a shipwreck on a magical island ruled by a giant serpent
principalManuscriptCity St. Petersburg
surface form: Saint Petersburg
principalManuscriptCountry Russia
principalManuscriptLocation Hermitage Museum
surface form: Imperial Hermitage Museum
serpentAction foretells the sailor’s safe return to Egypt
rescues and feeds the sailor
serpentDescription a giant, speaking, benevolent serpent
serpentRole ruler of the magical island
setting a magical island
Pharaonic Egypt
surface form: ancient Egypt
studiedIn Egyptology
comparative literature
theme consolation after failure
divine providence
gratitude and humility
the power of storytelling
writingSystem hieratic script

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Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Middle Kingdom of Egypt producedWork The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor
Westcar Papyrus relatedWork The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor
this entity surface form: Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor