Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

INTRODUCTION.
Egyptian and the son of Nectanebus II. who, in
common with all Egyptian kings, was God's vicar
upon earth, the national spirit would be flattered,
and the Egyptians would sit more easily under
the yoke of a Greek king.
From these considerations it seems clear that
the Alexander story is of Egyptian origin. But,
besides these, there is a mass of internal evidence
in the work which shews that the author was more
versed in Egyptian matters than any foreigner
could well be, and these must be briefly noticed.
According to the oldest versions of the story
Nectanebus Nectanebus, the putative father of Alexander, was
the magi- . . , . . ,
cian. a very expert magician; by his magical powers
he had kept his enemies at bay and had succeeded
in keeping fast hold upon his own kingdom for
many years. How he gained his reputation as a
magician cannot be said, and there is no historical
documents which would account for it; the hieroglyphic
texts prove that he repaired and added to many
Egyptian temples, and the text on one of his statues
shews that he reigned seventeen years at least.'
The versions of the story go on to say that he
wrought his magic by means of a bowl of water,
some waxen figures, and an ebony rod. The
Magic waxen figures were made in the forms of the
wroug
waxen
j.^ soldiers of the enemy who were coming against
gures.
him by sea or by land, and were placed upon the
water in the basin by him. Nectanebus then
' Wiedemann, Aegyptische Gcschichte, p. 717.