Hello all,
I know the title is a little unclear, so let me explain.
I've been thinking about Alexander the Great -- and more specifically, Alexander's role in myth, legend, religion, and literature.
Alexander the Great is very rare. Not only is he identified as an important historical figure in many different traditions, but he's also a renowned figure in myth and legend, and has endured as such long after his empire had fallen. Indeed, the Alexander Romance reflects a shared tradition of storytelling and mythmaking which extends well beyond the borders of historical empire. It tells the story not just of Alexander's conquests, but also his more fantastical adventures -- ranging from finding the Fountain of Youth, to exploring the ocean floor in a glass submarine with his mermaid sister, to building a great wall against Gog and Magog. And like all storytelling traditions, it has evolved over the generations, with more fantastic elements being added and the tales themselves being adapted to suit different cultures, times, and aesthetic tastes. There are many diverse pagan, Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian, Islamic, and Indian versions of the Alexander legend, told and retold in languages ranging from Scots to Ge'ez to Persian to Malay.
What is so compelling about Alexander the Great, that made his legend so enduring to pre-modern audiences across cultures and throughout time? Are there any other similarly-universalisable heroic characters? What makes Alexander so suitable for legend and lore?
To me, I think that it comes down to a few things:
So, what other historical figures could be so mythologised, that their myth becomes foundational to the cultures of many different peoples? I don't want to include religious leaders like Jesus or the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) -- they set out to found/transform a religion, so obviously they would be treated as greater than mere worldly figures. I'm talking about someone like Charlemagne -- who was foundational to the cultural/literary legacies of France and the Holy Roman Empire; whose legacy would be variously claimed by France, Germany, and others; and who became a figure of myth and legend through the Matter of France. Another example might be Cyrus the Great, who remained a model for rulership long after the Achaemenid Empire had faded, even into the Hellenic and Islamic periods; and whose mythical legacy is also felt the world over, from the Shahnameh to the Arabian Nights to the Bible.
Can you think of anyone else who was, or could have been, so exalted in death that their legend and propaganda became foundational to a culture? How would the world be different if, say, mediaeval kings sought to legitimise themselves by the legacy of Carthage rather than Rome? What would European and Middle-Eastern kingship look like if Mark Antony and Cleopatra had defeated Augustus, moved the capital from Rome to Alexandria, and ruled as Pharaohs? What sort of legends would be attached to them (for example, as propaganda to legitimise their reign; or as a result of cross-cultural/intergovernmental exchange; or whatever), and how would these stories change over time and across different cultures?
Cheers, all!
I know the title is a little unclear, so let me explain.
I've been thinking about Alexander the Great -- and more specifically, Alexander's role in myth, legend, religion, and literature.
Alexander the Great is very rare. Not only is he identified as an important historical figure in many different traditions, but he's also a renowned figure in myth and legend, and has endured as such long after his empire had fallen. Indeed, the Alexander Romance reflects a shared tradition of storytelling and mythmaking which extends well beyond the borders of historical empire. It tells the story not just of Alexander's conquests, but also his more fantastical adventures -- ranging from finding the Fountain of Youth, to exploring the ocean floor in a glass submarine with his mermaid sister, to building a great wall against Gog and Magog. And like all storytelling traditions, it has evolved over the generations, with more fantastic elements being added and the tales themselves being adapted to suit different cultures, times, and aesthetic tastes. There are many diverse pagan, Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian, Islamic, and Indian versions of the Alexander legend, told and retold in languages ranging from Scots to Ge'ez to Persian to Malay.
What is so compelling about Alexander the Great, that made his legend so enduring to pre-modern audiences across cultures and throughout time? Are there any other similarly-universalisable heroic characters? What makes Alexander so suitable for legend and lore?
To me, I think that it comes down to a few things:
- Alexander was a great conqueror, but his campaigns were accomplished within only a few years. In truth, Alexander didn't conquer the world; he essentially just conquered the Persian Empire, which had already conquered "the world." But Alexander's life was all conquest and glory, without much time for the governance or administration which, although less heroic, made Persia an enduring state.
- Alexander was not merely some obscure warlord; he was exalted as a great king by his successors, who legitimised their own kingship through their connections to him and by following in his example. What's more, he went out of his way to take part in non-Greek rituals and customs -- for example, he sought the legitimacy of Egyptian priests, Persian magi, the Jewish High Priest of Israel, and Hindu Brahmins. And his successors -- the Seleucids of Persia; the Ptolemies of Egypt; the Antipatrids/Antigonids of Macedon; etc -- served as the idealised models of kingship emulated in various ways by the Romans, Sassanians, etc., who in turn were emulated in various ways by various medieval Christian and Islamic dynasties. In days gone by, Alexander could be seen as a Greek hero, in the tradition of Achilles or Hercules; but it was easy to adapt the story to make him a chivalric hero like King Arthur or Charlemagne; or to other similar concepts in Islamic (futuwwa, etc), Zoroastrian, or even Indian contexts.
So, what other historical figures could be so mythologised, that their myth becomes foundational to the cultures of many different peoples? I don't want to include religious leaders like Jesus or the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) -- they set out to found/transform a religion, so obviously they would be treated as greater than mere worldly figures. I'm talking about someone like Charlemagne -- who was foundational to the cultural/literary legacies of France and the Holy Roman Empire; whose legacy would be variously claimed by France, Germany, and others; and who became a figure of myth and legend through the Matter of France. Another example might be Cyrus the Great, who remained a model for rulership long after the Achaemenid Empire had faded, even into the Hellenic and Islamic periods; and whose mythical legacy is also felt the world over, from the Shahnameh to the Arabian Nights to the Bible.
Can you think of anyone else who was, or could have been, so exalted in death that their legend and propaganda became foundational to a culture? How would the world be different if, say, mediaeval kings sought to legitimise themselves by the legacy of Carthage rather than Rome? What would European and Middle-Eastern kingship look like if Mark Antony and Cleopatra had defeated Augustus, moved the capital from Rome to Alexandria, and ruled as Pharaohs? What sort of legends would be attached to them (for example, as propaganda to legitimise their reign; or as a result of cross-cultural/intergovernmental exchange; or whatever), and how would these stories change over time and across different cultures?
Cheers, all!
