The Doomed Prince
In this ancient Egyptian tale, a king and queen are finally granted a son after long prayers. The Hathor goddesses arrive at the birth and prophesy that the child will die by either a crocodile, a serpent, or a dog. Desperate to protect his son, the king builds an isolated fortress in the desert where the prince is confined. The prince grows up but becomes determined to escape his fate. He takes his beloved dog and travels to the land of Naharin (Mesopotamia), where he wins the hand of a princess by climbing to the window of a tower seventy cubits high. He tells his wife of the prophecy. One n