The Ancient Greek Legend of the Blind King of Egypt Who Attacked the Nile

According to an obscure ancient Greek legend set around the Trojan War, a king of Egypt was struck blind as a divine punishment for attacking the River Nile. Who was this king? Is the account of his reign just a fictional story, or could there be some truth behind the legend?

King Pheron, the blind king of Egypt

The earliest trace of this legend comes from Herodotus, the 5th century BCE Greek historian. In The Histories 2.111, he wrote about the blind king of Egypt named Pheron. According to this Greek historian, Pheron was the son of Sesostris, the legendary Egyptian king who engaged in widespread conquests.

Herodotus tells us that Pheron did not engage in wars after succeeding Sesostris as king. This positions him in stark contrast to his father. He appears to have been a relatively peaceful king, at least at first glance. However, the rest of the legend shows he had quite the temper.

At one point during his reign, the Nile River overflowed far more than it normally did, leading to panic. In a fit of rage, Pheron hurled his spear at the river. For this act of impiety, the gods punished him with a disease that rendered him blind.

How Pheron’s blindness was cured

According to Herodotus’s account, ten years passed until Pheron was cured. At that time, an oracle told the king that, to be cured, he needed to wash his eyes with the urine of a woman who had only ever had sexual relations with her husband.

Pheron initially approached his wife for a cure, but it proved ineffective, indicating her past infidelity. He subsequently attempted to find a remedy with other women throughout the kingdom until he finally discovered one whose urine could cure him.

After this, Pheron gathered all the women of Egypt who were unfaithful to their husbands – including his wife. He confined them to one particular city and then burnt it to the ground, killing them all.

Did Pheron, the blind king of Egypt, really exist?

Did this legendary king of Egypt exist, or was Pheron just a fictional character? Fortunately, there is enough circumstantial evidence surrounding this figure to be able to identify him.

Firstly, we must establish that ‘Pheron’ is not a personal name. Scholars widely accept that it is simply a form of the title ‘Pharaoh’. Therefore, this ‘name’ does not help us to identify the true figure behind this legendary character. His real name could have been anything.

Secondly, we should note that he was said to have been the son and successor of Sesostris. Based on an analysis of the legendary information about him, Sesostris can most likely be identified as the historical Shebitku. He was an Ethiopian king of Egypt who ruled toward the end of the eighth century BCE.

Therefore, we can logically identify Pheron, the blind king of Egypt, with a king who came shortly after Shebitku. The fact that Pheron was allegedly blind is another hugely helpful detail.

The true identity of Pheron

As it happens, Herodotus also recorded a separate tradition about a blind king of Egypt who ruled shortly after Shebitku. His name was Anysis. According to Herodotus’s account, he ruled for a while before being ousted by Shabaka. Historically, Shabaka was the successor of Shebitku.

He returned to power after residing on the island of Elbo for fifty years. Notably, Herodotus states that he was blind, a rare characteristic among Egyptian kings.

Therefore, this attested blind king of Egypt who lived just after the reign of the historical Sesostris (that is, Shebitku) is virtually certain to be the historical Pheron.

Anysis was a minor king, not ruling over most of Egypt like Shebitku and Shabaka did. He was probably identical to Ameres, recorded by Manetho as the founder of the 26th Dynasty, which ruled from Sais. This is in the same general part of Egypt where Pheron is said to have been king, and the chronology matches too.

Although Ameres may not have been the son of Shebitku, scholars believe that Shebitku was the one who installed him on his throne. This would explain the legendary connection between Pheron and Sesostris.

Furthermore, we should note that the legend of King Pheron of Egypt claims that he was not blind forever. Rather, his eyesight was eventually restored. Perhaps then, Pheron is a composite figure, a combination of a blind king and his non-blind successor. If so, the secondary figure would logically be Ameres’s son, Tefnakht II.