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The myth of the Princess of Bekhten tells the tale of the power of the God Khonsu (god of the moon) and how he saved the Princess of Bekhten.
The tale begins during the reign of King Rameses III who was celebrated as the warrior Pharaoh. When he arrived in the country of Nehern for the annual tribute collection, all the princes welcomed him with precious tributes, which consisted of gold and precious stones. Among these princes was the Prince of Bekhten, who along with other tributes, brought his eldest daughter, who possessed immense beauty.
Mesmerised by her beauty, the King made her his queen and brought her back to Egypt. There he named her Ra-neferu "the beauty of Ra" (Ra was the sun god).
Some time later, when Rameses was visiting the temple of Amon in Thebes, a messenger arrived. The messenger carried the words of the Prince of Bekhten who said:
"I come to thee, O living King, my Lord, on account of Bent-reshet, the little sister of the Great Royal Wife, Ra-Neferu; for there is a malady in all her limbs. Send therefore a learned man that he may see and heal her."
Bent-reshet, the younger sister of the queen Ra-Neferu was severely ill. The Prince of Bekhten begged for a physician so she could be cured of the ailment. The King asked among his counsel for a learned and skilled physician, and the council chose Tehuti-em-heb. The physician travelled to Bekhten and found that the reason for the princess's ailment was a hostile spirit. Tehuti-em-heb's skills were not enough to defeat the spirit. The Prince of Bekhten was heartbroken. But, Tehuti-em-heb advised him to go to Egypt and ask for the help of God Khonsu. So, the Prince sent another message to King Rameses III.
Upon hearing the plea of the Prince, the King decided to visit the temple of Khonsu and pray before his statue. The temple had two statues of Khonsu: one was called Khonsu in Thebes Neferhotep, and the other Khonsu, the Expeller of Demons. As the King prayed, Khonsu in Thebes Neferhotep gave his powers to Khonsu, the Expeller of Demons. The statue of Khonsu, the Expeller of Demons, was put on a boat and several other boats accompanied him. After the journey of a year and five months, they finally arrived in Bekhten.
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When the statue was placed in the room of the younger princess, she was instantly well. Sensing the presence of Khonsu, the spirit who possessed the princess spoke to him:
"Thou hast come in peace, O great God, Expeller of Demons. Bekhten is thy city, its people are thy slaves. I bow before thee, for I also am thy slave. I will go to that place from which I came that thy heart may have peace. But ere I go, let the Majesty of Khonsu give command that a holy day be made for me by the Prince of Bekhten."
As the spirit left the body of the princess, Khonsu asked for a great sacrifice. Hence, a great feast was organized by the Prince of Bekhten with sacrifices for Khonsu. But soon, a fear entered the heart of the King. What if the spirit returned after Khonsu's departure? So, he decided to keep the statue in Bekhten. The statue of Khonsu, the Expeller of Demons, remained in Bekhten for three years, four months, and five days.
On the sixth day, as the Prince went to sleep, he saw a dream in which Khonsu turned into an eagle with golden wings and flew towards Egypt. The prince realized that the god had departed. So he decided to send the statue with all the gifts and offerings back to where it belonged.
After a long journey, Khonsu, the Expeller of Demons, finally returned to his temple.
