Hor son of Punesh
Hor son of Punesh is a magician from ancient Egyptian literature.
Tales
The fragmentary Aramaic story of Bar Punesh has been transcribed and translated into English by Arthur Ernest Cowley. In the Aramaic version, Bar Punesh is a magician who announces a coming disaster. This seems to be a response to the murder of his sons by a king, who, given the fragmentary nature of the text, could be either the king of Egypt or another. The adventures of magicians are a common topic in ancient Egyptian literature.In Cowley's summation, Bar Punesh "had done some meritorious service for which he was suitably rewarded by the king". Terence Mitchell, too, sees him as having "a meeting with the Pharaoh". The edition of Bezalel Porten and Ada Yardeni agrees, having Bar Punesh put "over the host of kings, and set him among the officers". That the adversary of Bar Punesh was a foreign king is made clear by the Demotic texts.
The Demotic fragments show Hor son of Punesh as one of the priests of Ra at Heliopolis. His stories belong to a cycle separate from those of the High Priests of Ptah at Memphis. His chief adversary is the king of Meroë. His methods of spellcasting involve the Book of Thoth and waxen figures. In Setne Khamwas and Si-Osire, he protects the Pharaoh Ramesses II from some Meroite sorcerers.
Although his oldest attestation is in an Aramaic document, Hor son of Punesh must be an Egyptian literary creation. The translation and adaptation of his story into Aramaic, a lingua franca used as far east as India, demonstrate that Demotic literature was not limited in readership to a tiny elite.