| “ | The scorpion: a perfect predator. It is silent, fast and deadly. The poison in its tail can kill a man... | ” |
–an account of the scorpion., The Scorpion King: Rise of the Akkadian | ||
Scorpions were arachnids known for their poisonous sting and large pincers.
Scorpions came in a variety of species worldwide and ate any small creature that could be caught with their large pincers and stinging tail. Scorpions were held in high regard in ancient times by both the ancient Egyptians, who dedicated a year in their zodiac, known as the Year of the Scorpion, and by the ancient Akkadian warlord, the Scorpion King, who took not only his namesake, but the image of scorpions on his shield, emblems, and his bracelet as well.
Millennia ago, one of Memnon's soldiers stabbed the Scorpion King in the leg with an arrow which had been smeared in Scorpion venom by Memnon. The venom almost killed him but he was saved by the Sorceress. The Sorceress proclaimed that if Mathayus did survive then the blood of the Scorpion would flow through his veins for the rest of his life.
Another scorpion was sent by the god Anubis, who was offered a pyramid of gold by the Scorpion King, as well as the Scorpion King's soul: the scorpion scuttled out of the sands of Ahm Shere, where the Scorpion King was dying of heat and thirst, and appeared before the warlord. The scorpion was seized by the King and, despite its stings, was promptly chewed up and eaten by the Scorpion King, who in turn received an oasis from Anubis, where he could recuperate.
Behind the Scenes[]
The scorpion filmed in The Mummy Returns that was chewed up and eaten by the Scorpion King was portrayed by a computer-generated creature when emerging from the sand, and a rubber prop scorpion for the scene in which the Scorpion King chews on it.