Yes, I understand you fully. My point is that a real person/event is not necessary for these stories to grow.
Ptolemy I is supposed to have invented the god "Serapis" to replace Osiris as a consort for Isis and thus meld Greek and Egyptian culture. I suppose anyone who objected got a spear point up his ass. Doubtlessly an effective means of discouraging consent. But did the first group to hear the story really believe it?
That's another good addition to the catalog of examples, too.
Ptolemy I is supposed to have invented the god "Serapis" to replace Osiris as a consort for Isis and thus meld Greek and Egyptian culture. I suppose anyone who objected got a spear point up his ass. Doubtlessly an effective means of discouraging consent. But did the first group to hear the story really believe it?
That's another good addition to the catalog of examples, too.
