Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

A myth is a narrative account that contains unique knowledge of a pre-historic event. The role of myths in human societies may vary depending on the facts on which it is based upon. Some myths sometimes have been purported to be factual whereas others have been disproved. Some myths are based on the origin of human life while others may be narrowed down to the origin of a society. Those that are based on the origin of a society such as Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, tend to play a more important role in human societies.
Myths are like instruments that generate curiosity which may lead to interesting discoveries about historic events or people that lived in the ancient times. A myth that is based on a particular location gives the occupants of that location a sense of belonging. This strengthens the societal bonds, inter-personal relationship between the people of the society and therefore it gives them an identity. The people are united by a particular idea or belief. For example, the Christians in Ethiopia can relate with the myth of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and thereby trace the emergence of Christianity in Ethiopia. More so, they can also add to the credibility of the story by confirming most of the facts from the Bible.
The events in this story was said to have occurred around the first centuries AD. It took place in Israel (in the city of Jerusalem) and Ethiopia (in the land of Sheba).
Myths like this (The story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba) still exists in our modern day societies. Though some myths have been totally discarded due to their un-realistic nature, and some are used as folk stories for children, the story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba has been preserved and passed on through Christianity. This explains the existence of a similar story about the interaction between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, in the Bible. Though the story might have been slightly altered as it passed from generation to generation, may be it is because of the differential interpretations from one person to another. But one can not ignore the similarities between the story in the Bible and this (Solomon and the Queen of Sheba) story. Such similarities include: the location of the event (the story in the Bible talks about Ethiopia and Israel also), the characters in the Bible story have the same names with this story (Solomon, David, Queen of Sheba), the story also talks about the Ark of the Covenant which is also a very important item of Christianity. These are the main features that make this story very similar to that of the Bible stories I have heard of at “Sunday schools”.
According to the myth, Bayna Lekhem wanted to go back to his homeland with the command that women should no longer rule and men should rule instead. It means that at that time, in Ethiopia, women could rule. This is a bit unlike the structure of societies today where men are dominantly in control of power. The myth teaches us about wisdom. Solomon was renowned for his wisdom and the story tells us how Solomon used his wisdom to achieve many things. Solomon’s wisdom was the main reason why the Queen of Sheba traveled all the way from Ethiopia to pay him a visit. Solomon’s wisdom helped to convince the Queen about the existence of the one true God. This therefore propagated the spread of Christianity to Ethiopia.