The Mummy, often given the name of Prince Amenmose is one of many characters situated in the Graveyard scene of the Haunted Mansion.
Description[]
Background[]
The mummy is seemingly an ancient Egyptian individual of some rank, repute or nobility. Following their death they would have been mummified and placed in an impressive tomb.
Centuries (if not millennia) later, the mummy came to the Haunted Mansion by unknown means and circumstances. It is possible that their tomb and corpse were purchased by the mansion's owners as a curios as was a trend in the Victorian era amongst the wealthy. It is also possible that the mummy chose to come to the mansion post-mortem via the Ghost Relations Department as a sort of retirement and brought their tomb with them.
Identification[]
Prince Amenmose[]
In the Ghost Post service, Grim Gazette newspaper and Tales from the Haunted Mansion books, the mummy is identified as Prince Amenmose or, "Great Overseer of Soldiers, Son of Glorious Thutmose I". He reveals himself to have been son of, " Glorious Thutmose I, Bringer of Light, Conqueror of Nubia, Founder of the Great Canals", unhappily married to his own sister Hapshetsut, and reanimated from death via necronomical magic.
Amenmose was a historic prince of Egypt who lived at some point during Egypt's 18th dynasty (1549/1550-1292 BC) and was the heir of his father, Pharaoh Thutmose I (whose reign is thought to be 1506–1493 BC). In life, Amenmose received the military rank of, "Great Overseer of Soldiers"and is the first known Egyptian prince to have been known to have been given a military title.
It is unknown when or how the prince died but he did so before his father meaning that he never inherited the throne. Following his death, he oddly received some repute and treatment which would otherwise be reserved for Pharaohs and Chief Queens. The location of his tomb and corpse is unknown with there being the possibility that it was taken and/or destroyed by grave-robbers or grave-robbing European colonists.
King Tut[]
The identity of King Tut has sometimes been theorized for the mummy's identity. In part this is thanks to Pharaoh Tutankhamun (c. 1342-c. 1325 BC) or, "King Tut" having been listed as a potential inhabitant of the Mansion in unused concepts by imagineer Ken Anderson. This would be furthered by the notoriety of Tutankhamun, being a name pseudonymous with Egyptian Mummies in general thanks to pop-culture and the history of archaeology.
Tutankhamun was a pharaoh who ruled towards the latter end of Egypt's 18th dynasty and would have been coronated around the age of 8 or 9. Tutankhamun suffered from several mutations and conditions brought upon by generations of inbreeding in the royal family, causing Tutankhamun to have been very sickly, have a twisted spine, neurological mutations, clubbed feet, and circulatory issues. He would die around the age of 18 or 19 with his cause of death being completely unknown.
It is not for Tutankhamun's life that he is famous but rather for what came after for in the year 1922, his tomb in the Valley of Kings was excavated by Egyptologist Howard Carter. Tutankhamun's tomb was the most intact Ancient Egyptian tomb discovered at the time with it having taken a decade to properly excavate the tomb. Additionally, the tomb bore a warning of a curse for those who broke into his tomb, a curse which became infamous thanks to media and pop-culture with it often being imposed on the lives of those who dug up Tut's tomb.
History[]
The vocal track for the Mummy singing "Grim Grinning Ghosts" was recorded by Allan Davies. It is paired with the track of the spirit next to him, who continually asks the Mummy to speak up. When the WDW Mansion was "Re-Haunted", the Mummy was one of the few characters who didn't receive a new vocal track.
Appearances[]
The Haunted Mansion[]
In the Haunted Mansion attractions of Florida, California and Tokyo the mummy sits in his sarcophagus drinking a cup of tea while singing Grim Grinning Ghosts. An elderly spirit stands next to him, trying to understand him, but the mummy is unable to communicate with him through his bandages (another common interpretation is that the Mummy can't communicate because Mummies have their tongues removed). At the same time, a ghost dog whimpers beside the Mummy's sarcophagus.
Other Appearances[]
Haunted Mansion (Slave Labor Graphics)[]
The Mummy's story is told in "The Mummy's Curse". The Mummy was a young prince who snuck into the Temple of Anubis and stole an artifact from him. The god awoke and put the "Curse of 1,000 Curses" onto him and told him the only way to get rid of the curses was to pass them onto others. This continued after his death, when his sarcophagus was taken to America, with the mummy believing he was partially responsible for the misfortunes of the Graceys.
The mummy also appears in "Blue Loup Garou" as a friend of the Mansion's local werewolf Bisclavret.
Ghost Gallery[]
In the unofficial Ghost Gallery storyline, the Mummy is said to have been an authentic Egyptian Mummy obtained by Master George Gracey Jr. (a composite of the Ghost Host and Master Gracey) with help from his uncle Edward Gracey. The mummy and it's sarcophagus were later put up on display in the graveyard in 1931 by George jr.'s aunt Mme. Tangerine for a Halloween party. The ghost dog is also said to have been the Caretaker's dog's father Loki who had died after getting trapped in the mummy's tomb.
Ghost Post[]
An article written by the Mummy appears in an issue of the Grim Gazette, identifying him as the spirit of Amenmose, son of Thutmose I. His article criticizes both the Committee of Wandering Ghosts and the Ghost Relations Department.
Tales from the Haunted Mansion Volume III[]
In the Tales from the Haunted Mansion book series, the mummy (once again referred to as Prince Amenmose) was revealed to have had his remains discovered by Colonel Bartholomew Tusk, a treasure hunter dismissive of curses and Egyptian culture that broke through a hieroglyphic wall concealing his tomb. Ignoring the warnings of Bahgal, a high priest of Karnack guarding the tomb, Tusk discovered the Tanis leaves buried with Amenmose, that according to legend, were capable of waking the dead. Brewing them into tea, Tusk decided to recultivate the near-extinct plant and begin selling "Tanis's Tasty Tanis Tea" as a trendy new drink. Amenmose was removed from his tomb and became the basis of the Tanis Tea Mummy mascot character, as well as being put on display in an American Museum of Ancient Antiquities.
Disgusted by Amenmose being treated as a harmless cartoon mascot and hoping to contain the spread of the Tanis leaves, Baghal goes to America to confront Tusk, only to be shown the door, leading him to revive Amenmose with Tusk's Tanis Tea and send him on a rampage across the town to take revenge on Tusk. Along the way, Amenmose shows interest in a girl named Penny, who had begun seeing visions of her past life as Hatshepsut after drinking the Tanis tea, something which Amenmose recognized when encountering her. However, despite the ominous tones of describing her visions to her boyfriend Carter, she greets the Mummy as the goofy tea mascot and takes a selfie with him, with Amenmose leaving the couple in disgust after seeing how shallow this incarnation of Hatshepsut was. Storming Tusk's mansion, Amenmose is initially believed by Tusk to just be Baghal in disguise, though this disbelief turns into insane terrified laughter when Tusk witnesses the mummy's supernatural strength and a hollow space left behind when trying to skewer him with a fireplace poker. With Tusk being left mindbroken from the experience, Tusk's Tasty Tanis Tea is taken off the market and Amenmose disappeared before his coffin ended up being shipped to the Haunted Mansion in the events of the book's framing story.
Disney Kingdoms: The Haunted Mansion[]
The Mummy appears in group-shots of the ghosts in the mansion, explicitly being a ghost.
The Haunted Mansion: Frights of Fancy[]
The Mummy appears as a ghostly character under the name Marshall Mummia Mendelsohn (or Müm for short), who claims to merely have come from a costume party when introducing himself to Sydney in the Ballroom.
Haunted Mansion (2023 film)[]
The Mummy appears as part of the ghostly ensemble, following Gabbie and Travis as a hitchhiking ghost when they try to leave the Mansion near the start of the film and later appearing as part of the ghost army chasing Father Kent through the halls on the Hatbox Ghost's orders. Though finding him genuinely scary, Kent convinces him and the rest of the ghosts to join forces against the Hatbox Ghost and defeat him.
Trivia[]
- While the 2003 film does not feature the Mummy, one of the guests in the prologue's masquerade ball is dressed as a pharaoh.
- In Mystic Manor there is a possible reference to the character in the form of a dilapidated mummy in the Egyptian Antiquities section (identified as Rameses on exhibit signage) where it rests in a sarcophagus and then due to the curse of the Music Box it releases a swarm of insects from it's bandages
- The Tales from the Haunted Mansion story is a pastiche of Universal's Mummy film series, specifically the Kharis films starting with The Mummy's Hand (1940), with priests of the Cult of Karnak striking at any archaeologists seeking to defile the tomb of Ananka by using Tana leaf brews to awaken Kharis to protect the mummy of his dead lover.
- The mummy is likely the second oldest inhabitant of the mansion, being proceeded by Medusa and followed by Great Cesar's Ghost, the Egyptian woman and the Roman Soldier in the Ballroom.
Gallery[]
