Episode 1: Introduction and Where It All Began

Ii-Wey (Welcome)! I am Michele Brittany, the creator and writer behind Michele’s Musings on Mummies, and an independent popular culture scholar. 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 am current writing my first solo nonfiction book focusing on monster mummies. 

My interest was initially 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 up the box in excitement to see what subject/time period would be 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 go back to the Ancient Egypt volume. The beautiful tomb paintings, drawings of reconstructed temples, and ancient beliefs that included 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 during its 1970s tour in the United States and eventually, we travelled to Egypt through a TWA tour. It was my first trip out of the country and it was an incredible experience that was indelibly woven into the tapestry of my being. Over the years, my attentiveness to Egyptology waned and became dormant. However, with the opportunity to write a book on mummies resurfaced my interest and curiosity. This time though my attention will focus beyond the Egyptians to include mummies from around the world, both natural and artificial. In my musings, I will share items from research and items I come across that may prove entertaining.  

I’ll be posting a new musing each Monday, hence #MondayMummies. Some of the items I’m working on are: the new “King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh”; Tut Tut Tiki, a mummy meets Tiki culture mug from House of Tabu; ARCE lectures; and much more. Most musings will be brief, no more than a few minutes read, but sometimes I may have more to say. I hope you will come along with me as I learn more about mummies from around the world and that you’ll get swept up as I did as a child. 

Senebti (Farewell)