Okay, why I like Rath...hmmm. I suppose I can see a lot of myself in him. He may not be in the modern world, but he was one of the most intelligent men in ancient Egypt. Therefore, being an educated man, as only the privalaged and well-to-do families could afford to send their children to school to become scribes, he believes knowledge is power and education is the most important thing. I sort of agree. After all, think about if you could not read or write. you wouldn't be able to enjoy this page, since you couldn't understand the words. Nor could most of you write your fanfiction. So, it seems reading and writing are the backbone to a strong educated society, and this is how Rath sees it.
Rath, like most scribes, bases his career on his ability to write. And he obviously enjoys writing, and/or reading. I too enjoy this pastime. I've been writing my own books since I learned how to write a sentence. Nowadays, I'm writing long novels in which I have hopes of publishing one day.
Rath has a very concieted side. If he's wrong, he hates to admit it, nor is he all that quick to admit he does not know something. That is perhaps one of my poor attributes as well. I hate to be wrong. Although I don't mind admitting when I don't know something.
Anyhoos, you people came here to read about Rath, not me, otherwise you'd be on my Scribe's Faves page. Ok. Rath, so I see on all the pages, was born and taught in Amarna. However, I must say, for the factual point of view, Amarna didn't exist until about eight pharaohs down the line. For those of you that are wondering what I mean, it was Amenhotep IV {Akhenaten} that created Amarna {Akhetaten}:
Amenhotep I
Tutmosis I
Tutmosis II
Hatshepsut
Tutmosis III
Amenhotep II
Tutmosis IV
Amenhotep III
Amenhotep IV
Anyways, Rath, again from what other pages say, was very studious and was called upon by a nobelman in Thebes. Rath found it wasn't worth it and returned to his school as a teacher. My assumption is that most of his students were older, since I've noticed he really doesn't get along well with children, other than the prince. Didn't you see Kid-Scarab? It's obvious Rath has a more sophisticated taste in company. Also, Chontra was an adult. Why would Rath be teaching an adult magick alongside with children?
Rath didn't really want to leave his simple position as a teacher, but, Amenhotep called for him. He soon learned that Amenhotep's son and heir, Prince Rapses needed a tutor, and only the best would be considered for the future king of Egypt. Naturally, when dealing with royalty, one would expect to be extrememly honored. But, Rath felt as though it was a waste of his time. But, he accepted anyway. Wouldn't ya think he'd feel pretty good if Rapses didn't die and did become pharaoh and ruled strongly and wisely? Betcha Rath coulda choked on that piece of pride.
Rath did as he was expected. He taught the young prince. And, he soon bonded with the boy and learned to love him as a son as well as a student, though he was much more strict than any of the other gaurdians.
If ya think about it, if he was Rapses' appointed tutor, the schooling would have started when the prince was about 4 or 5. My guess is Rath has been there for a while. As for his age...one page said he was 21, where another estimated him about 48. In my opinion, I'll lean towards 48. Rath would have spent at least 13 years in school. Plus any extra time he spent learning magick after he "graduated." Then he spent time with the nobelman and returned to teach. In order to be experienced as a teacher, he would have perhaps had to have taught for a few years, as well as perhaps serve as an apprentice. Then, being called as the pharaoh's scribe. To be so trusted by Amenhotep, they must have had a longer relationship than those few months. I wouldn't want my son's life in the total care of someone I knew for only a few months. Then, he taught Chontra. He obviously spent anywhere from quite a few months to a year or so teaching her. Then, if I'm right to think he began a tutorship of the prince when the prince was 4-5, that's be another 5-6 years. So, if you were to ask me how old Rath would be....I'd go for the estimate of 48.
That leads me to another point. Rath, in one episode was called an "elderly man." In acnient Egypt, a man going on 32 was considered pretty old, since life expectancy was quite short. However, there are a few to live on to 72 or 90. But most didn't quite make it that far. So, in ancient Egypt at least, Rath could pass as an elderly man.
Rath is pretty odd when it comes to company. On the surface, he seems to dislike the younger members of the team though tolerating them. Nefertina, at least when he found out he was a she, is treated with a little less respect than she deserves I think...except when she totals the Hot-Ra. But, I suppose Rath appriciates her testing his vehicles than himself jumping in.
Then there's Armon. Rath seems to dislike him terribly, or at least pretends to. But, if you ever notice, the two usually end up getting stuck together one way or another. There's the shrinking incident, and the who's who incident, and the popcorn incident...etc. Obviously Armon enjoys Rath's company. He finds it humorous to annoy him. And Rath, though he won't admit it, enjoys his company to a degree as well. Face it, his life would be so less exciting if it wasn't for Armon constantly keeping him on his toes.
When watching Missing Jakal I watched the fight for who should be the leader. If we looked at status, I'd say Rath would have been a good leader in Jakal's absence, if Nefertina and Armon would have listened to him. Rath's only problem is his overprotectiveness. And his lack of understanding on the part of his youthful companions. I never said he'd be a perfect leader! I just said he'd be the best substitute.
Hmmm, this is all I can think of for the moment. When I think of something else about Rath to ramble about, I'll be sure to post it. Hope you enjoyed Rath's Corner.
