Beka
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- "I have been praying for someone like you. That Book will unite me with my wife's spirit!"
- ―the old man to Bayek, 48 BCE[src]
Beka (died 48 BCE) was an old man who lived in Yamu, Egypt trekked all the way to Memphis after his wife's death to procure a Book of the Dead for their souls.
In 48 BCE, however, he was a accosted by bandits based at the Necropolis of Iment Nome who robbed him of the Book. Despairing of his and his wife's fate in the afterlife, he turned to the Medjay Bayek for help. Although the old man's daughter was cynical of any success, Bayek managed to recover the Book from the bandits, but not before the old man himself passed away. Fulfilling his duty, Bayek returned the Book to him while his body awaited mummification.
Biography
Beka was a resident of the village of Yamu in the 1st century BCE. Along with his wife and daughter, he lived a humble existence. Around the time his wife died in 48 BCE, he made an arduous journey to the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis to purchase a Book of the Dead. This was a funerary text which, in his native Egyptian religion, was indispensable to ensure a safe journey to the afterlife paradise of the Field of Reeds. Without it, he feared that he and his wife would not meet again in the afterlife.[1]
Much to his despair, when he returned to Yamu, he was assaulted by bandits whose leader seized the book from him upon recognizing how much he valued it. These bandits hoped to ransom it from him later although aside from his meager livelihood, he was convinced that the book was entirely lost, not having yet heard back from the thieves. Before they left, he heard the leader order the others to rendezvous at the nearby Necropolis.[1]
Later, while grieving audibly at Yamu's marketplace, Beka caught the attention of the Medjay of Siwa, Bayek. Beka shared with Bayek the source of his depression, asking if he had happened to chance upon his book in his travels. It was just then that the two were interrupted by the old man's daughter who had been searching the village for him. She urged that it was time for them to return home, believing that it would take a miracle for his Book of the Dead to ever be recovered. Before they parted, Bayek asked the old man for a lead, to which he could only suggest the necropolis.[1]
A short time later, Beka from natural causes, too weak and heartbroken to linger much longer. He did not even live to hear of Bayek's almost immediate success as the Medjay eliminated the bandits at their hideout in the Necropolis and retrieved his Book of the Dead. Though he passed away with a heavy heart, his ills were rectified posthumously. His daughter directed Bayek to the local temple where his corpse awaited mummification, and the Medjay faithfully laid the Book of the Dead beside his body.[1]
Personality and characteristics
- "He was in despair his ka would not join my mother's."
- ―the old man's daughter, 48 BCE[src]
Earnest and pious, Beka harbored a deep faith in the traditional Egyptian religious beliefs, particularly that of the afterlife. It was this conviction that led him to endure a long journey to Memphis in spite of his advanced age—all to secure a Book of the Dead. Far more than mere faith that drove him, however, was his fierce love and devotion to his late wife; in his last days, he was anguished over the possibility of never joining back with her after his own death. He was a mild-mannered man of humble means, and in the perspective of his daughter, his was a "good life".[1]
Trivia
- Beka is the subject of the side-quest "Hidden Tax" in Assassin's Creed: Origins. Throughout this quest, he is referred to only as the "old man" by Bayek and the quest log. The name "Beka" is only mentioned when Bayek utters "Beka will be pleased" upon recovering the Book of the Dead. By logical deduction, this Beka should refer to the old man, but not only did the old man never introduce his name to Bayek, but Bayek oddly enough continues to address him as only the "old man" even when giving him his last rites. As a result, it is unclear if Beka is truly the old man's name.