¨quote on the ichneumon from Mercatante's _Who's Who in Egyptian Mythology_
snippedŁ
>i wondered how many people knew this??  i had heard that ferrets were in
>egypt and then i heard that was a myth.  i just happened on this
>information, and thought to myself.."cool, mongoose in egypt"....and i
>knew why people thought ferrets were there.  people get them mixed up with
 
It seems me that people have talked about this on the FML before.  A search
through the archives would probably be of interest to you.
 
While there, you may wish to check out a myth that I posted some while ago
that features the ichneumon.  That myth is found in a variety of cultures
and sometimes features the weasel, otter, or polecat instead of the
mongoose.  The subject line is "Ferret myth (sort of)".
 
The hero of the story is an animal which is a faithful, loyal, and
ferocious defender of an infant left in its charge.  Unfortunately, a
parent of the infant reacts poorly to first impressions and kills the
heroic animal thinking them guilty of killing the baby.  They regret
their actions when they find the blood is that of a snake and the baby is
unharmed.  (You'll see this same motif in the Celtic story of Gelert.  A
dog and a wolf fill the animal roles in that story.)
 
The myth struck me as strangely appropriate for ferrets since they are
sweet creatures that are too often misunderstood and maligned unjustly.
 
-kim, squirt (ferret of myth), pippi (Goddess of the hunt), atlas
 (Fertcules), Jinx (Ferret of the never ending tongue) and rosie
 (Zephyr is a slowpoke compared to her)
 
Kimberly Burkard     |             _    Everything I needed to know in life,
Eastman Kodak Company|      _____C .._. I learned from my ferret:
Rochester, New York  | ____/     \___/  Frolic and dance for joy often, have
[log in to unmask]    |<____/\_---\_\    no fear or worries, and enjoy life.
[Posted in FML issue 2689]