Ancient Egyptian Storytelling as a Foundation: The conventions for novels, plays, and poems originated in ancient Egypt (Khamit). These ancient stories were written with the intention of changing the way a person thinks, feels, and acts. This means that the ancient Egyptian (Khamau) understanding of storytelling aimed for a transformative impact on the audience, a concept that is considered important in Khamitic spirituality. We will pursue this further in the course.

Theme and Purpose: The goal of ancient Egyptian (Khamau) stories, was to change the audience's way of thinking, feeling, and actions. This was achieved by creating tension, heightening that tension, and bringing it to a climax, where a solution is revealed. This connects with the ideas of character change, inner conflict and how to resolve problems through growth and awareness.

Conflict as a Driver of Change: In the ancient Egyptian tradition, stories used conflict to create tension, engaging the audience. The audience should care about the resolution of the conflict because it speaks to something important in their lives. Similarly, character development should include conflicts that the audience finds meaningful. This idea supports the view that characters should face inner conflict, make decisions that lead to growth and discover their "true" selves by addressing their flaws.

Universal Themes: The stories that have endured through time, like Crime and Punishment, resonate because their themes are universal. They apply to people regardless of their background, which may connect with the idea that there are shared human spiritual experiences. The Kings Horseman, a Nigerian story, makes the point that the theme of a story should be relatable and speak to an experience that the audience has or may have.

Character as a Vehicle: The protagonist is the vehicle for the story's theme. The audience must be able to identify with the character, who should be believable and have both positive and negative traits. This idea of character serving a purpose seems related to Khamitic spirituality in the sense that the characters are not just individuals, they represent larger issues, ideas, or lessons.

Symbolism and Metaphor: Ancient Egyptian stories, like any well-crafted story, do not preach but instead use symbolism and metaphor. The message is not explicitly stated but is revealed through the plot and the characters' actions. This encourages the reader to discover the meaning themselves and connect with the story on a deeper level.

Examples from the Behutet Series: The Behutet Series is given as an example of how a story can reflect themes from ancient Egyptian spirituality. The protagonist, Ra Herukhuti, has to overcome his hatred to defeat the evil character Set. The story shows that the more Ra Herukhuti hates Sethe, the more powerful Sethe becomes. It illustrates how hatred destroys the person who holds it and makes the antagonist stronger. This theme of finding peace and overcoming hatred is a spiritual/universal message that resonate across many cultures and religions.

In summary, Khamitic storytelling principles emphasize the transformative power of stories, the importance of conflict and character growth, universal themes that resonate deeply, and the use of symbolism and metaphor to teach meaningful lessons. By applying these principles, writers can create characters that are transformative, connecting with audiences on a spiritual or philosophical level.