1	Aegypt: The Ancient World through the Eyes of the Egyptians L.D. Alford Session 7: Legion Etrangere, French Foreign Legion www.lionelalford.com www.ldalford.com www.aegyptnovel.com
2	Introduction Aegypt Historical fiction novel with a fantasy/suspense driver Idea 1992, start 1992, finished 1994 Published by Copestone in Jan 08 Follows Lieutenant Paul Bolang Time July-Nov 1926 Location Tunisia (French Colony)
3	Class Syllabus 1. Novel, characters, history, politics 2. Tunisia (French colony) and Egypt (British colony) in time and place 3. Paganism and the Egyptian pantheon 4. Egyptian life 5. Egyptian hieroglyphics 6. Egyptian tombs and constructions 7. Legion Etrangere, French Foreign Legion 8. Conclusion
4	Aegypt A few days passed quietly before Williams returned with a group of Bedouin and the troop of mounted Legionnaires. Williams was elated to have found such willing support from the desert people, while Paul was immediately concerned by the report of his Legionnaires. The Legionnaires reported that the Bedouin were easily recruited to the work because in the last two weeks a Lamia had been seen in the desert. The spirit creature had frequented the edge of the Chotts, flickering like a large black moth at the brink of the darkness around the lighted tents and fires. Barely seen, yet seen by every man Williams had brought back with him, in their accounts, the Lamia was sometimes black, sometimes white. At times it had killed, and at other times, it had preserved life. The stories were as ambivalent as the descriptions, but on one thing, all the men agreed, the white Lamia came only two days ago; the black had been around much longer. And both had first been seen at the well at Sabria.
5	Aegypt They sent their families east and north toward the coast and came back with Williams hoping to earn enough to make up the losses, real or imagined, the Lamia had caused them that season. Paul was familiar with this people’s folklore and knew the creature: a Lamia was reputed to be a spirit of ancient tombs and death. Its shape could not be determined from the men’s accounts, but in their desert legends, the creature was described as a snake with a woman’s features and torso. These Bedouin had called the Lamia a spirit and portrayed it almost like a wraith. Paul was certain—he must see it. He had his own ideas about what the spirit might be.
6	French Foreign Legion French: Légion étrangère Unique unit within French Army Established in 1831 Open to French citizens, legion created as unit for foreign volunteers (foreigners forbidden to enlist in French Army after July Revolution of 1830) Primarily used to protect and expand French colonial empire during the 19th century
7	July Revolution French Revolution of 1830 Overthrow of King Charles X, French Bourbon monarch Ascension of his cousin Louis-Philippe, duc d'Orléans, After 18 precarious years on throne, Louis-Philippe would in turn be overthrown
8	July Revolution Marked shift from one constitutional monarchy, the Bourbon Restoration, to another, the July Monarchy Transition of power from House of Bourbon to its cadet branch, House of Orléans Substitution of principle of popular sovereignty for hereditary right Supporters of Bourbon would be called Legitimists, and supporters of Louis-Philippe Orleanists
9	French Foreign Legion Fought in all French wars including Franco-Prussian War both World Wars Considered an anachronism by some Remained an important arm of French Army Survived three Republics, one empire, two World Wars, rise and fall of mass conscript armies, dismantling of French colonial empire and, finally, French loss of legion's birthplace, Algeria.
10	French Foreign Legion Elite military unit whose training focuses Traditional military skills Strong esprit de corps Since its men come from different countries with different cultures Widely accepted solution to strengthen them enough to work as a team Training described as physically challenging, and extremely psychologically stressful
11	French Foreign Legion Created by Louis Philippe, King of the French, on March 10, 1831 Direct reason: foreigners forbidden to serve in French Army after 1830 July Revolution Indirect purpose of Legion remove disruptive elements from society, put them to use fighting enemies of France Included failed revolutionaries from rest of Europe Soldiers from disbanded foreign regiments Troublemakers, both foreign and French
12	French Foreign Legion Algeria designated as Legion's home Colony proving to be very unpopular posting with regular regiments in the French Army Introduction of the Legion well received Late 1831, landed in Algeria Legion's home for 130 years Shaped its character Early years in Algeria hard Often sent to worst postings Received worst assignments First service came to an end after 4 years
13	19th century colonial warfare During Third Republic, Legion played a major role in French colonial expansion. Fought in North Africa (where they established their headquarters at Sidi-Bel-Abbès in Algeria), Benin, Madagascar, Indochina and Taiwan.
14	World War I Fought in many critical battles of the war, on the Western Front Artois, Champagne, Somme, Aisne, Verdun (in 1917) and also suffered heavy casualties during 1918. Dardanelles and Macedonian front Highly decorated for its efforts
15	World War I Young foreigners, including Americans like Fred Zinn, volunteered when the war broke out in 1914 Marked differences between such idealistic volunteers and hardened mercenaries of old Legion, making assimilation difficult As most European countries and US were drawn into the War, such "duration only" volunteers generally released from Legion to join their respective national armies Citizens of Central Powers normally drafted to garrisons in North Africa to avoid problems of divided loyalties [
16	Between the World Wars Between the World Wars In 1932, the Legion comprised 30,000 men in 6 multi-battalion regiments: 1st - Algeria and Syria 2d, 3d, and 4th - Morocco 5th - Indochina 1st Cavalry - Tunisia and Morocco 1st Cavalry - Tunisia and Morocco
17	Members Most of commissioned officers are French, approximately 10% have risen through ranks Though open to people of any nationality, most still come from European countries. Membership of Legion useful guide to political history: specific national representations surge when country has political crisis, tends to subside once crisis is over, flow of recruits dries up.
18	Members After First World War, many (Tsarist) Russians joined Immediately before Second World War, Czechs, Poles and Jews from Eastern Europe fled to France and ended up enlisting After World War Two, German presence was particularly strong Following the break-up of Yugoslavia, there were many Serbian nationals
19	Members Also in the 1990s, collapse of the Soviet Union, and changes in former Warsaw Pact countries, led to an increase in recruitment from Poland and former republics of USSR Recent years have seen an increasing number of recruits from African and Balkan countries
20	Members In addition to fluctuating numbers of political refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants from a wide variety of nations, since the end of World War Two, a strong core from two nations in particular, Germany and Britain Legion appears to have become as much a part of these two nations' culture as a French institution, and a certain stability in recruitment levels has developed; it does not follow general 'yo-yo' trend as closely
21	Members After the fall of Third Reich, Germans, accounted for roughly 60 % of manpower After the war, the French administered two zones of Western Germany adjacent to France In these zones, recruitment offices enabled many former German POWs to join the legion almost immediately after their release from prison camps Bernard B. Fall, a leading expert on French Indochina and author of the famous accounts Street without Joy and Hell in a Very Small Place, disputes this, claims Germans made up 35 % Image of a German-dominated Legion is setting for well-known novel Devil's Guard, Former Waffen-SS brutal experience of joining and fighting alongside other former SS against Vietminh in Indochina
22	Members During the late 1980s, Legion saw a large intake of trained soldiers from UK Men had left the British Army following its restructuring and Legion's parachute unit was a popular destination At one point, the famous 2eme REP had such a large number of British citizens amongst the ranks that it was a standing joke that the unit was really called '2eme PARA', an reference to the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment of the British Army No serious studies made of motives for enlistment over the years, majority were either transient souls in need of escapism and a regular wage, or refugees
23	Members In recent years improved conditions and professionalism have in turn attracted a new kind of 'vocational' recruit, from middle-class backgrounds in stable and prosperous countries, such as the US, Britain and France itself In the past, the Legion had a reputation for attracting criminals on the run and would-be mercenaries, but in recent years the admissions have been severely restricted and background checks are performed on all applicants Generally speaking, convicted felons are prohibited from joining the service.
24	Members In past, Legionnaires could choose to enlist under pseudonym ("declared identity") and declared citizenship, today everyone who applies changes his name Disposition exists to allow people who want to start their lives over to enlist French citizens can enlist under a declared, fictitious, foreign citizenship (generally, francophone, often Canada or Monaco) After 1 year's service, can regularize their situation under their true identity
25	Members After serving in for three years, may apply for French citizenship Must be serving Under real name No longer have problems with the authorities Served with “honour and fidelity” for 3 years French nationality cannot be granted under a declared identity A soldier who becomes injured during a battle for France can apply for French citizenship under a provision known as “Français par le sang versé” (”French by spilled blood”)
26	Code of Honour Every Legionnaire must know by heart "Legionnaire's Code of Honour". Legionnaires spend many hours learning it, reciting it, and getting vocal synchronization together: Légionnaire, you are a volunteer serving France with "Honour and Fidelity" Every legionnaire is your brother-in-arms, regardless of his nationality, race, or religion. You will demonstrate this by strict solidarity which must always unite members of the same family.
27	Code of Honour Respect of traditions, devotion to your leaders, discipline and comradeship are your strengths, courage and loyalty your virtues. Proud of your status as legionnaire, you display this in your uniform, which is always impeccable, your behaviour always dignified but modest, your living quarters always clean. An elite soldier, you will train rigorously, you will maintain your weapon as your most precious possession, you are constantly concerned with your physical form.
28	Code of Honour A mission is sacred, you will carry it out until the end respecting laws, customs of war, international conventions and, if necessary, at the risk of your life. (Changed in November 2000) In combat, you will act without passion and without hate, you will respect the vanquished enemy, you will never abandon your dead or wounded, nor surrender your arms.
29	Tunisia
30	Tunisia
31	Tunisia
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38	Tunisia Fort Saint Chott Djerid Chott Melrhir Tozeur Nefta Tomerzu Sabria Douz
39	Fort Saint
40	Foundation
41	Synopsis Beginning of the dig Breakthrough Discovery of the corridors The basalt plug The seal on the basalt plug The northern corridor The rubbing
42	Clearing
43	Northern Corridor
44	Synopsis The rubbing The discovery of the northern entrance The discovery of the Antechamber The Temple The Tomb
45	The Antechamber
46	The Tomb
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54	Sabria
55	Douz
56	Aegypt Paul heard a rustling before he saw anything. The sound came from behind him in the ruins. Paul jumped to his feet, held the torch before him, and turned. He could see nothing. Then, without warning, he felt a breath of coldness behind him. It paralyzed his muscles. It touched his mind and soul, and he couldn’t move. A blackness like a shroud reached around him, and though he wanted to cry for help, he couldn’t make a sound. Suddenly, in the ruins, a tiny fire kindled. With a sigh, it shot up like a column. It coalesced into the form of a woman. Paul raised his arm to cover his eyes. He could move! He sparked his lighter, and the torch caught with a merry crackle. As he turned, he felt the slightest tug on his shirt, and wielding the torch like a club, he slashed at the fluttering black veil before him.
57	Aegypt Much like the night before, with a howl, the unseen creature raced off into the darkness to the west. Paul turned immediately. The girl—no, woman—stared at him. She was clothed only in light—surrounded by light, yet the walls of the ruins remained as dark as the night sky. Paul shielded his eyes from her, and he held the blazing torch ahead of him as if that light, not quite as bright as hers, might dim her brightness slightly. In the light she cast, the torch looked almost black, yet nothing around her was illuminated, and in her brilliance, Paul could not make out his torch apart from its shadow of darkness. Paul stepped toward the woman, and without a sound, she turned to the northern wall, slipped over it, and fled. Paul circled the building and followed. The torch blazed as he ran.
58	Aegypt On the black Chott, she was a bright and unmistakable mote. She ran like a deer, like a gazelle sailing over the flat hard bottom of the Chott. He did not lose her, but neither could he catch up to her. He could barely match her and still watch his steps in the flickering torchlight. All the time, the moon rose over the Chott and illuminated more and more of the dry lakebed. The woman’s light seemed to grow with the rising of the moon, and still she raced like a deer straight to the east. As he ran, Paul felt a sudden twinge of weakness as if his vitality slowly flowed from him. He redoubled his efforts, but his strength was not enough and the brilliant figure began to slowly outpace him.
59	Aegypt When she began to finally pull away from him, Paul found the thought and the breath to call out, “Stop,” first in French, then in Egyptian. She faltered in her pace but didn’t stop. “Father Ra,” he called out in Egyptian. She looked back at him and her path changed; she now followed a dry streambed in the lake. Paul called out again in Egyptian, repeating the words he found on the basalt plug, “Goddess of light, stop in the name of Ra.” The walls of the streambed rose quickly above his head, and in a moment, the moon cut off from view. The woman disappeared so suddenly that Paul, already weakened, missed his footing and fell headfirst into the streambed. He rolled over and over before he finally came to rest at the base of the bank.
60	Aegypt When she began to finally pull away from him, Paul found the The woman was gone, and his torch had gone out. Paul sat in the darkness and nursed his hurts for a moment. He let his eyes acclimate to the darkness again, and listened for the slightest movement. He heard nothing. After a moment, Paul touched his lighter to the torch and it flared up immediately. The sudden light blinded him, but when he could see again, in front of him stood a woman. She was naked, and she looked fully human. Unbelievably, she didn’t try to run away nor did she move toward him. Instead, she looked thoughtfully, perhaps with melancholy at him. She didn’t speak a word.
61	Synopsis The Lamia The Goddess of Light To be continued…
62	Summary Overview of the Novel Not finished… Give you a chance to catch up Met the major characters Not all…
63	Next Time Conclusion