King Ramses Courage Hot! May 2026
For over six decades, he ruled the most sophisticated civilization on earth. But while historians love to debate his architectural achievements (Abu Simbel, the Ramesseum) and his staggering progeny (over 100 children), I want to talk about something deeper: his courage. Not the fleeting bravery of a soldier in a single battle, but the existential courage of a king who decided to become a legend while he was still breathing.
Yet, he continued to father children. He continued to ride in processions. He continued to oversee the building of the greatest temples in history. king ramses courage
And Ramses is alone. Here is where courage stops being a concept and becomes a noun. According to the Poem of Pentaur (the official Egyptian battle report, which, yes, is propaganda, but propaganda often hides a grain of terrifying truth), Ramses realizes he has no reinforcements coming. He turns to his fleeing charioteer and says, “What is this you have done, my princes? Is there one among you who can seize a bow? My infantry and chariotry have deserted me.” For over six decades, he ruled the most
So, he smiled through the pain. That is a physical courage we rarely talk about—the courage to simply endure for the sake of others. Let’s talk about Abu Simbel. Ramses ordered two temples carved into a solid sandstone mountain on the Nubian border. The façade features four colossal seated statues of himself, each 66 feet tall. Yet, he continued to father children
Ramses marches north with four divisions of troops. But there is a fatal flaw: his intelligence is wrong. His scouts, either bribed or incompetent, report that the Hittite army is far away near Aleppo. Relaxed, Ramses pushes ahead with his personal division, the Amun , and sets up camp.
We are talking, of course, about Usermaatre Setepenre, better known to history as Ramses the Great (Ramses II).
Ramses didn't just rule from a throne; he performed kingship . He understood that in ancient Egypt, the pharaoh was the force that held chaos (Isfet) at bay. If he showed weakness, the Nile might not flood. The crops might fail. The foreign nations would smell blood.