In ancient Egypt, when a body was mummified, its organs were placed in canopic jars, and the body was packed with natron before being wrapped in bandages to dry. This preservation process has proven robust enough to keep bodies intact for millennia. Although the body—and its pieces—survive, the person’s identity and story are often lost to time.
Mummy Feet as Souvenirs and Keepsakes
Mummy feet were collected as souvenirs and keepsakes as imperialist explorers invaded ancient Egyptian tombs and pillaged artifacts from North Africa. Human remains weren’t always given the respect their age deserved. Some mummies were unwrapped for public entertainment, and others were even used as fertilizer to grow crops.
This particular foot was probably cut off so that it would make for an easier curio to transport and display. Curiously, a mummy foot was the centerpiece of an 1840 gothic short story simply titled, “The Mummy’s Foot.” The story focuses on a collector obtaining a mummy’s foot from a curiosity shop with plans to use it as a paperweight.
The Short Story: “The Mummy’s Foot”
While the main character of the short story first describes the foot as something akin to a foot of Venus or polished bronze, he quickly realizes it is the foot of a mummy. The man takes the foot home but is beset by dreams that take him across the continent to Egypt, where he meets the owner of the foot, Princess Hermonthis, the daughter of a Pharaoh, who is none too happy that her foot has been stolen and used as a paperweight.
He promises to return the foot but asks for the princess’s hand in marriage in exchange. Her father, however, will have none of it, remarking that Hermonthis is nearly 30 centuries the man’s elder. Instead, she offers him a statuette. When the man awakes the next morning, it appears to have all been a dream, except the foot on his desk has been replaced by the same statuette from his dreams.
The Real-Life Mummy Foot
While this story was never meant to have been anything more than for entertainment, it’s quite possible that it spurred on the actions of real collectors in Europe. Our mummy foot is believed to have once belonged to a British physician in the 1800s. Dated to somewhere in the 12th or 13th dynasties, another curious possibility also exists.
Around the same time, a region known as Armant was an important part of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom. In the ruins of the city, archaeologists have uncovered pieces of a statue, showing just the feet of the city-state’s princess. Believe It or Not!, the Greek name for Armant was Hermonthis. The feet they found are of the princess of Hermonthis!
Whether this influenced the author of the story is unknown, but the idea that Ripley’s could possess the foot of the princess seems possible, however much improbable. Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below, and we’ll let you know if a statuette ever shows up in its place.
