Summary

• The tale of Dedi, one of ancient Egypt’s most legendary magicians, unfolds in the Westcar Papyrus, dating back to the reign of Pharaoh Khufu (2589–2566 BC).
• Known for his powers to resurrect animals and his deep wisdom, Dedi is portrayed as a mystical figure who amazed the pharaoh with magical feats like restoring severed heads and taming wild beasts.
• Though debated by scholars as myth or fiction, Dedi’s story remains one of the earliest recorded accounts of magical illusion in history.
• His narrative reflects ancient Egyptian beliefs in the supernatural and the sacred role of knowledge, prophecy, and priestly power in society.

The oldest trick in the book can be traced back all the way to 2600 BC, where ancient Egyptian magicians attempted to control the fabric of reality by harnessing magical power from their environment and enchanting the minds and heads of ancient Egyptians. Magic may have been first documented in the history of Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu (2589–2566 BC) of the 4th dynasty.

One of the oldest magicians in the history of Egypt is known as the Dedi, who might have been the most renowned warlock at the dawn of time. The name Dedi was the name of a famous ancient Egyptian magician who was mentioned in the epic Westcar Papyrus, who had many tales of him working a lot of wonders and miracles that even captivated the attention of many pharaohs.

Uncover If Dedi Was Indeed A Literary Person

Dedi was mentioned in the 4th story found in the Incredible Westcar Papyrus, but there is no historical and archaeological evidence that he ever existed in the first place. His name was translated to “He Who Endures”. For many years, he was the object of great interest for Egyptologists and Historians. His mentioned magic tricks are connected to the cultural perceptions of Pharaoh Khufu’s personality. Djedi was seen as a commoner, but was made a mysterious character with an extraordinary age who also had several magical powers and had a great talent for producing prophecies.

Listen About the Immortal Tale and Wonder of Djedi

All the information that we know about the marvels of Dedi comes from the westcar papyrus that narrates the son of king Khufu, Prince Djedefhor who stood before his father where her mentioned that there is someone who lived under his majesty who has great power of able to make any ignoramus wise, so Khufu asked for his name, then the prince said a commoner known as Djed-Sneferu who was believed to be a simple citizen who is 110 years who feed everyday on 500 creed loaves, Beef shoulder, and 100 beer jars. He is said to have the power of resurrecting all kinds of decapitated beings and taming wild lions to become obedient to the point where he would drag them on the ground with a cord.

Dedi has a knowledge of the full number of Iput, which is found in the wenet-sanctuary of one of the most famous ancient Egyptian gods, the god of writings and knowledge Thoth. Khufu admired these claims, which he wished to add to his horizon, and ordered his son to bring him to the royal palace. Prince Djedefhor began his quest during the schemu season and traveled to the Djed-Sneferu. The Djedi was found by the prince, and the old man was invited to the king’s palace. Djedefhor honored Djedi, who looked like an elderly person who lived free from illness. The prince came to summon him from his father, where he would eat from the delicacies of his father and be in the presence of the great ancestors in the necropolis.

Djedi was honored by the invitation and declared that he accepts this amazing chance from Khufu, the justified, and wished his Ka defeat all his enemies and his Ba know all the ways across the gateway of the underworld. The Prince brings Dedi with all his books and scholars, and they head to Khufu’s royal palace.

When Djedefhor and Dedi arrived at the royal palace, King Khufu welcomed both of them and then began to question them about whether all the tales and legends about him were true. Khufu then challenges the wizard if he can mend a severed head like he is famed to be able to do, the king orders a prisoner to be executed so the magician can put his head back. Dedi refused as he did not want any man to suffer, so instead the magician chose three animals.

The first was the goose that was decapitated, and the body was placed on the western side of the audience hall, and its head was placed on the eastern side. After Djedi cast a certain spell, the head of the goose stood up and began to waddle, and the body started doing the same. Both body parts met in the middle and merged together like before, then the goose leaves the royal court cackling like any bird. The exact same performance was done on a bull and a water bird, and both were brought back to life in the same manner. King Khufu was impressed.

Pharaoh Khufu asked the wizard if he knew the Number of the Iput within the Wnt-sanctuary of Thoth. Dedi answered that he did not know, but he knew where to find them, which was in a box of scrolls, which was made of flint and was stored in the archive room in Heliopolis. The king commanded the wizard to take the box, but Djedi said that he was not the one to bring it, but it was the eldest of the three children found in the womb of Reddedjet, who was the wife of the lord of Sachebu, a wab priest of the god Ra.

The god has overshadowed that the third son will worship Ra ad the high priest of Heliopolis, over the whole kingdom. King Khufu asked with a grim face when this Rededjet would give birth. The Magician said on the 15th day during the first month of the Pere-season. Djedi promised the king that he would make the waters at the strong spots of the canal of Two Mugilidae four cubits in height for his excellence, so he could visit the temple of Ra at Heliopolis and see for himself. The king was once again blessed and assigned Djedi a chamber within the palace of his son Djedefhor, and each day 100 jars of beer, 1000 loaves of bread, one neat and 100 bundles of field garlic were delivered each morning.

The Legendary Tales of the Ancient Egyptian Magicians

Across the history of the civilization ancient Egypt, we witness fragments of enchanting stories of ancient Egyptian magicians across the art of the ancient Egyptians which was the echo of the sacred skill of the temple priests who were able to harnessed the secrets of physics, mechanics, medicine, chemistry, and pneumatics to wield influence over Pharaoh’s subjects. Many tales narrate the Egyptian wizards’ ability to create animated idols’ voices from sound chambers in the temple and conjure fire and water from stone mouths.

The legend of Dedi and his encounter with Pharaoh Khufu was documented by an anonymous scribe more than 5000 years ago, thus making Dedi’s famed “Cut and Restored Goose” illusion a remarkable artifact. It’s widely regarded as the first documented conjuror’s trick by many archaeologists and experts.

This ancient papyrus remained a mystery until it was comprehensively edited and translated by the German Egyptologist Adolf Erman in 1885–1890. The enigma and enchantment emitted from these papyrus, which was discovered by an amateur Egyptologist Henry Westcar, it later found its home in the Berlin State Museum in 1884 has shed light on a new aspect of the ancient Egyptian society.

Many scholars today doubt the happening of the story, if it was a product of embellishment and imagination, nothing more than a fictional tale. Many modern-day magicians have created a similar trick as in a recent episode of the revamped Penn and Teller show, “Fool Us,” English magician Ali Cook wowed audiences with a dual decapitation trick involving a duck and a chicken. Upon restoration, the chicken’s head adorned the duck’s body, and vice versa.