An Egyptian myth from the late second millennium B.C, involves Bata, who hid his heart within a pine tree. The Ennead saw that Bata was lonely, and so they created a beautiful wife for him. Bata loved his wife, and fearing for her safety, he warned her never to leave their house, should the sea try and steal her away. One day, when Bata was away hunting, she disobeyed her husband, and just as Bata had feared, the sea attempted to seize her, but only managed to tear out some of her hair. The sea carried it all the way to Egypt where it came into the possession of Pharaoh. Captivated by its beauty and fragrance, he sent envoys to find the owner of the hair, but Bata killed them. Undeterred, Pharaoh sent an old woman accompanied by soldiers, who succeeded in tempting Bata’s wife with fine jewellery. She revealed the secret of her husband’s heart, and the pine tree was cut down. Bata died instantly, and his wife became Queen of Egypt.
Anubis, Bata’s Brother, discovered what had happened, and after many years of searching he finally found his brother’s withered heart. He soaked the heart in a bowl of water, which restored Bata to life, who then transformed himself into a resplendent bull. Anubis took the bull to Egypt and presented it to Pharaoh as a gift. Bata revealed his true identity to the Queen, but she was unmoved, and during a royal feast she asked Pharaoh if she could eat the bull’s liver. Bata was sacrificed, and as the liver was passed to the queen, two droplets of blood fell upon the ground, from which grew two beautiful trees. The Queen ordered that the trees be felled, and as they were chopped down, a splinter of wood flew into the Queen’s mouth and impregnated her. She gave birth to a son, and after the pharaoh had died, the boy proclaimed that he was Bata reborn, and revealed to the people how he had been betrayed by the Queen. Bata was crowned the new Pharaoh, and the Queen, for her treachery, was condemned to death.
