Francis Llewellyn Griffith (1862–1934)

two stories about an ancient bibliophile, Khamuas, who searched out and collected even more ancient books of magic; demotic stories of the Graeco-Roman epoch c. 250 BCE, "THE TALE OF KHAMUAS AND NENEFERKAPTAH" and "THE TALE OF KHAMUAS AND HIS SON SI-OSIRI."

from the introduction:
"Two of these stories—later by several centuries than Herodotus—relate to a famous high priest of Ptah who flourished about 1250 B.C. His name Kha-m-uas, meaning 'manifestation in Thebes' indicates that he was born in the southern capital; but he lived and died a Memphite. He was head of the whole hierarchy of his time, and the most notable of the innumerable progeny of the great King Rameses II."

A story within a story: Three magicians, an Ethiopian Hor, his mother the Negress, and an Egyptian Hor, fight a great battle of the elements - fire vs. water, darkness vs. light, a stone vault (earth) vs. a flying papyrus (air).
"The man of Ethiopia made an effort of written magic, he caused fire to come out in the court.
"Pharaoh and the princes of Egypt uttered a great cry, saying, ' Hasten to us thou librarian, Hor son of Pa-neshe.' Hor son of Pa-neshe made a formula, of writing, he caused the sky to make a southern (?) rain upon the top of the flame: it was extinguished on the instant.
"The Ethiopian made another effort of magic in writing, he made a great darkness (?) over the court, none saw his brother nor his companion.
"Hor son of Pa-neshe read a writing to the sky, he caused it to desist and to be calm from the evil wind which possessed it.
"Hor the son of the Negress made another effort of written magic. He created a great vault of stone 200 cubits in length by fifty cubits in width above Pharaoh and his princes, which threatened to make Egypt without a king, the world without a sovereign.
"Pharaoh looked at the sky, he saw the vault of stone above him, he opened his mouth with a great cry together with the people that were in the court. Hor the son of Pa-neshe pronounced a formula of writing. He created an aerial boat of papyrus, he caused it to carry away the vault of stone. Behold it flew with it towards (?) the Mighty Pool, the Great Water of Egypt
"(Then) the man of Ethiopia knew that he was not able to contend with (the Egyptian); he made an effort in written magic to prevent his seeing him in the court, that he might transport himself to the land of Nehes, his city.
"Hor son of Pa-neshe pronounced a writing at him, he caused the sorceries of the Ethiopian to be revealed, he made him visible to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt that were standing in the court, he being in the form of an evil fox-goose and about to flee away. Hor son of Pa-neshe pronounced a writing at him, he caused him to fall on his back (?), a fowler standing over him, the knife in his hand ready to pierce, he being about to do abomination unto it.
"All these things having happened, the signs which Hor the son of the Negress had set between himself and his mother happened before her—all. She delayed not to go up to Egypt she being in the form of the female goose; she stopped over the palace of Pharaoh, she wailing with her voice unto her son, he being in the form of an evil fox-goose, the fowler standing over him.
"Hor son of Pa-neshe looked at the sky, he saw the Negress in the guise in which she was, he knew her to be the Negress, the Ethiopian. He pronounced a writing to her, he caused her to fall on her back, there being a fowler standing over her, his knife being about to put her to death.
"She changed from the form in which she was, she made her (proper) guise as an Ethiopian woman, she praying, saying, 'Make not an end (?) of us, Hor son of Pa-neshe. Forgive us this evil attempt. If it be that thou givest to us an aerial boat we will not return to Egypt ever again.'
"Hor son of Pa-neshe made an oath by Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt saying, 'I will not [let go ?] my effort of sorcery until ye have made to me oath not to return up to Egypt for any kind of purpose (?).'
"The Negress raised her hand (in oath) not to come up to Egypt for ever eternally. Hor the son of the Negress made oath saying, 'I will not come up to Egypt until fifteen hundred years.'
"Hor son of Pa-neshe withdrew his hand from his feat of written magic, he gave an aerial boat to Hor the son of the Negress and the Negress his mother. They proceeded to the land of Nehes, their city."
Of course, 1500 years later, the Ethiopian returns to Egypt to continue the magic battle.… (plus d'informations)