100 pages • 3 hours read
Rick RiordanThe Red Pyramid
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
The Egyptian Gods
Many of the Egyptian gods make single-time appearances in The Red Pyramid. In doing so, they exemplify the relationship between gods and mortals in Riordan’s world. Gods exist in the domain over which they have power and can influence mortals indirectly through gifts and words. When Sadie visits with Nut, the sky goddess, Nut gives Sadie and her group safe passage through the sky to a certain point, but she cannot guarantee any further than that due to Set’s influence overtaking the sky. Nut also asks Sadie to deliver a letter to Geb, Earth god, which allows Sadie to communicate with Geb and gain information about taking a necessary detour to Las Cruces. The gods also present more direct obstacles for the group. Serqet, Sekhmet, and the crocodile god all present direct threats to Carter and Sadie’s progress, but none can dispose of the siblings on their own. Instead, they act on Set’s orders and must deliver Carter and Sadie to Set, showing the hierarchy among the gods.
For most of the book, Carter and Sadie host Horus and Isis, and these pairings of mortal and god show what can come from a partnership between god and magician. Horus is the falcon-headed warrior god, which matches Carter’s tendency toward combat magic. Carter transforms into a falcon several times, and his combat avatar also takes the shape of a falcon. In Egyptian myth, Isis is associated with magic and healing, areas where Sadie excels. Sadie’s magical aptitude is strong from the first spell she casts all the way to the end, where she banishes Set. It is unclear how much of Carter and Sadie’s skills are their own resources and how much is offered by the gods, but it is possible that Horus and Isis influenced how Carter and Sadie’s magical abilities develop, showing the link between gods and magicians.
Pyramids and Obelisks
In ancient Egypt, pyramids and obelisks were considered shapes of power. Pyramids were constructed in the shape of the primordial mound from which Egyptians believed life sprang, and their shape was also believed to represent the sun’s descending rays, meaning pyramids were symbols of life-giving origins. Pyramids were tombs for pharaohs, showing how they were also linked to the Duat and the afterlife. Egyptians believed the east (the direction of sunrise) was the direction of life, and so all pyramids were built on the west bank of the Nile, the side believed to be associated with death. In The Red Pyramid, Carter and Sadie use pyramids as places to open portals or perform other feats of magic. Set’s red pyramid is the color of chaos and symbolizes how any object of power may be used for chaotic or ordered purposes.
Obelisks are also used for portals and magic in The Red Pyramid. In Egyptian myth, obelisks represent Ra and are thought to be petrified sun rays, thus giving them similar life-affirming properties to pyramids. Riordan uses both modern and ancient obelisks in the book. Cleopatra’s Needle in London is an ancient Egyptian obelisk that was moved to England later but still retains its magic. By contrast, the Washington Monument was never associated with ancient Egypt but is the most powerful obelisk in the North America of the story world due to its height. Sadie uses the Washington Monument’s power to defeat Set’s red pyramid in the final chapters, which equates to Ra helping her overcome chaos.
Shabti
Shabti have many uses throughout The Red Pyramid. Doughboy, Julius’s shabti, was made for keeping information and finding things. Since Carter and Sadie are of their father’s blood, they have power over Doughboy and can use the shabti to help them locate information, such as in Desjardins’s library. The shabti in Amos’s library at the mansion show how vast the definition of information extends. A specific shabti helps the kids find information within the library itself, while another retrieves Egyptian artifacts from across the world. The functions of the two other shabti in Amos’s library are never shown, but it may be assumed they have their own functions in information retrieval. It is unclear if Carter and Sadie can use Amos’s shabti because of their blood link or if Amos’s shabti would work for any magician.
Shabti are not only limited to information. Zia’s shabti lives her life for her and contains many of Zia’s memories and skills, making it a passable copy of Zia. Thoth creates the shabti at Elvis’s mansion, and it is unclear if they are modeled after real magicians or simply imbued with various magic and combat skills. In Egyptian myth, shabti were created to be helpers or servants in the afterlife, performing tasks for the deceased. Since Julius is descended from the pharaohs, Doughboy stays true to the shabti’s original purpose, but the other shabti, which serve Iskandar and Thoth (who are not pharaohs), may be Riordan’s take on how else shabti could be used.
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