Episode 1: Introduction and Where It All Began (Updated from an original post dated April 1, 2018
Ii-Wey (Welcome)! I am Michele Brittany, the creator and writer behind Michele’s Musings on Mummies. I am an independent scholar focused on horror, sci-fi/fantasy, spy, and mummy studies. In my scholastic travels thus far, I have edited James Bond and Popular Culture: Essays on the Influence of the Fictional Superspy (2014), and Horror in Space: Critical Essays on a Film Subgenre (2017), nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Nonfiction. I co-edited Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern: Critical Essays with Nicholas Diak. All three books were published by McFarland & Company, Inc.
My interest was born out of reading the Great Ages of Man series from Time Life Books that my parents collected when I was young. I remember when each new book would arrive, opening the box in excitement to see what subject/time period was featured. Being transported to another place and time was a favorite pastime. I travelled to so many places through those books, however, I would always return to the volume, Ancient Egypt. Photographs of beautiful tomb paintings, drawings of reconstructed temples, and descriptions of ancient beliefs of mystical gods and goddesses intrigued me and cultivated my imagination.
My love for Egypt was fostered by my father; he took me to see the “Treasures of Tutankhamun” exhibit in San Francisco during its 1970s United States tour and eventually, we travelled to Egypt via a TWA tour. It was my first trip out of the country and it was an incredible experience that became indelibly woven into the tapestry of my being. Over the years, my attentiveness to Egyptology became dormant. However, my interest has been stoked again. This time though my focus will go beyond the Egyptians to include mummies from around the world, both natural and artificial. In my musings, I will share items from my research and items I come across that may prove entertaining.
For the moment, I’m updating my original musing blogs and posting them directly to my website each Monday (#MondayMummies). As originally stated, most musings will be brief, no more than a few minutes’ read, but sometimes I may have more to say and share. As before, I hope you will come along with me as I learn more about mummies from around the world as well as their portrayal in popular culture. May you get swept up with the subject matter as I did as a child.
Senebti (Farewell)!