Name: JS

Ethnicity: Egyptian

Primary Language: Arabic and English

Age: 18

Career: Student

Hometown: Newport Beach, California

April 27, 2026

Context: 

JS and I were talking about where our families were from one day, and she mentioned her family was from Egypt. I had told her I had always wanted to go to Egypt to see the pyramids and the hieroglyphics. I asked her if she knew much about Ancient Egyptian history, to which she replied she didn’t- save for this one story. 

This story takes place in the Ramses era, 1279-1213 BCE in Egypt. During this time, it was believed that souls continue living in an afterlife when they die, as long as they are properly buried, or mummified. Their tombs would preserve their bodies and allow them entrance into the afterlife. However, only wealthy landowners or members of the court were commonly mummified and kept in tombs. 

Story:

Khonsuemheb and the Ghost

Long ago in Ancient Egpyt during the Ramses era, there lived a high priest named Khonsuemheb who served Amun, the king of gods. One day a frightened man came to Khonsuemhebm saying that a ghost had waken him when he was sleeping near a tomb in Theban necropolis (the city of the dead). That night, the priest prayed to the gods of heaven, earth, and the underworld, asking them to send the spirit to him. 

The ghost suddenly appeared before him, introducing himself as Nebusemekh, the son of Ankhmen and Tamshas. Nebusemekh had been powerful when he was living, serving as an official under a pharoh. He told the priest “ I am mad because nobody remembers my name, my tomb is in disarray, my tomb is exposed to the winds of the winter. I fear that I will no longer exist and be lost because my soul will have no home to contain it,”.

Hearing this, Khonsuemheb wept fot the spirit and took pity on him, saying “Please express to me a fine commission such as is fit to be done for you and I will surely have it done for you”. However the spirit isn’t convinced the priest will fufill his promises citing that many before him had promised the same. The priest has assured him already that, if he cannot build him a new tomb, he will have five men servants and five maidservants bring him food and water as offerings daily, but the spirit would not be consoled.

The sun then comes up, causing Nebusemekh to disappear. The priest is determiend to keep his promise, so he sends men to search for the ruined tomb. The priest completely renovates the tomb and instructs women to deliver food and water to it daily, ensuring that Nebusemekh will never be forgotten. 

The spirit of Nebusemekh was never seen wandering the world ever again, as he is thought to have finally achieved peace. 

Speaker’s Thoughts: I think it is very telling of Ancient Egyptian culture and symbolic of their religions and art, but it doesn’t carry to modern Egypt. I think a lot of people assume this is what modern Egyptians think and what they actively believe in but I personally don’t believe in this. I believe in ghosts for sure, but not in this story necessarily. 

My Thoughts:

This story is a classic ghost story in the sense that it follows the motif of improper burial. The ghost of Nebusemekh only appeared when his tomb was in disarray, and he was no longer properly buried. However, once this was righted, he disappeared – a common ghost story stereotype. 

However, this story drifts away from these classic stereotypes by not making it a horror story.  Nebusemekh only appears to people, pleading for help. Even the priest, Khonsuemheb, didn’t treat Nebusemekh as a being of horror, but rather a being worthy of empathy. This isn’t necessarily a horror story but more of a piece of folklore. I believe this story was told to Ancient Egyptians to convince them that if their pharaoh or other high society members received improper burials, they would exist in a life of misery in the afterlife. 

Given this story is centuries old, I wonder if its meaning or interpretation would change. Modern Egypt is a primarily Arabic nation, so I wonder if Nebusemekh would be considered a ghost or an Arabic “Jinn”. Jinns are considered to be natural spirits that always exist around people. My friend doesn’t believe in this story at all, but I wonder if any Egyptians believe in it and if so, do they interpret it differently, as their culture doesn’t believe in mummification and tomb burial. 

I find it interesting that this story is extremely old, first found on a piece of papyrus from the Ramesside period (13th Century BCE) and later passed down through generations as a piece of folklore. I wonder how long this story has been told, and what its effect on society has been. I find it fascinating that people have been telling each other ghost stories, the same way people are today in 2026.