Antarah ibn Shaddad al-Absi was the greatest of all the Arab heroes
The Arab people comprise one of the largest ethnic groups on earth and are the largest ethnic group in Western Asia/The Middle East as well as North Africa. For more on the cultural background of the Arab peoples see Arab World.
This page concerns itself largely with the myths and legends of the pre-Abrahamic Arabs, and with lesser-known aspects of post-Abrahamic Arab mythology. Emphasis on the term "Abrahamic" rather than the more commonly used "Islamic" as it is important to remember roughly 10% of contemporary Arabs are Christian and other faiths. Arabia between the rise of Islam and the rise of Christianity was a rather eclectic region theologically.
Eastern Arabia or as it was known historically "Al-Bahrain" was under significant Zoroastrian influence due to the proximity of the Persian Sassanid empire, with a number of petty Arab kingdoms falling under client state status. Southern Arabia was once home to a large population of Jewish Arabs, most notable of which was the Himyarite kingdom. Northern Arabia was dominated by Christians. Western Arabia or the "Hejaz" region was heavily mixed due to the volume of commerce from across the Near East, however it was and is home to the famous Kaaba which was the holiest shrine in the ancient Arab world. The central deserts of Arabia or Najd which was primarily dominated by the Bedouin held most strongly to traditional Arab religion.
In pagan times the Arabs worshipped hundreds of deities, the core of which were the gods of their fellow Semites, most importantly Allah (counterpart of the Northwest Semitic "El" or "El Elyon" who would evolve into the god of the Abrahamic faiths). Aside from the divinities, the Arabs paid great attention to the deceased spirits of their ancestors, who were believed to have influence in the world from beyond the grave. In everyday life however the bulk of concern lie with the Jinn, or as they are commonly known to English-speakers: Genies. Jinn were the spirits of nature in line with the Jewish "Shedim" and the Mesopotamian "Shedu" or "Lamassu". Like The Fair Folk of Europe, the Jinn varied wildly in characteristics from behavior to appearance to abilities.
Though no myths concerning the Arab gods have survived into the present day, the ancient Arabs produced a rich corpus of heroic and epic poetry. The Arab love of poetry has endured throughout the ages, birthing new works to commemorate topics from romantic love to war to religious devotion. Western readers may already be familiar with compilations of Arab fairytales and legends such as the famous Arabian Nights, which were traditionally considered for women and children.
Less well-known legends might include works such as "Taghribat Bani Hilal" concerning the dramatized migration of the Banu Hilal from their homeland in central Arabia to what is now Algeria, or the tragic romance of "Layla and Majnun", or the adventures of the great sage Al-Khidr.
Tropes found in Arab Mythology include:
- The Ace: Antarah was to Arab culture what Sigurd was to Germanic culture or what Cú Chulainn was to Gaelic culture, the ultimate champion and embodiment of their traditional values.
- Achilles in His Tent: After Antarah was banished to the fields again the tribe of Tex invaded and harassed the tribe of Abs' and their allies. The Tex killed many other Arabs, and this caused the chiefs of Zoheir to beg Antarah to help them. But Antarah was bitter and refused to leave his tent. They came day after day pleading for him to take action until finally offering him Abla. Antarah was pleased and joined the battle.
- Almighty Janitor: Antarah was the strongest of all the Arabs despite being a literal slave. When his father Shaddad and other tribesmen came to punish him for loving Abla they chanced on him killing a lion with spectacular grace. They were so impressed they forgot their anger and instead sought to make him join their band of warriors.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Antarah quickly rose from lowly camel-boy to valiant warrior owning to his boldness, poetry, and skill in battle.
- Beautiful Slave Girl: Zebiba was an Aksumite princess from Ethiopia, taken as the spoils of war during the conflict between the Arabs led by Shaddad of the Abs' tribe against the tyrannical Aksumite emperor. King Shaddad wanted her so much he agreed to give up his share of the plunder if he could have her.
- But Not Too Black: Antarah was only half-black, but he was pitch-black like a crow. His inability to hide his status was part of the reason he had to perform great deeds to be accepted.
- Carry a Big Stick: Antarah beat the Persian lion to death with a tree and crushed its skull. The Persian king was so delighted he gifted him the thousand camels needed to marry Abla.
- Cool Horse: Abjer was the greatest of all horses.
- Cool Sword: Antarah was the wielder of Dhami or "the trenchant" which was crafted from a meteor. Dhami was two cubits long and two spans wide. The kings of Persia and Rome would have paid handsomely to own Dhami.
- Disguised in Drag: Timadhur dressed up as a man and returned to her tribe in order to let them know about her plan to secure dowry. They pretended to be angry with Zoheir and captured him, convincing him to provide dowry. The scam worked. She had ten mighty sons and a daughter by Zoheir.
- Driven by Envy: After the Cathan episode many chiefs andask warriors became jealous of Antarah and plotted against him.
- Engagement Challenge: Shaddad and Malek were both deeply reluctant to let a princess like Ablas marry a black man like Antarah despite him being their son/nephew respectively and the greatest hero of the tribe. So after the Tex were defeated they suddenly tacked on the stipulation that Antarah must present Malek with a thousand rare camels before the engagement was official.
- Engineered Heroics: King Zoheir was in love Timadhur daughter of Amr bin Shaddad, he refused all her suitors. So Zoheir organized a phony raid on Amr's tribe and appeared to "save" everyone from the marauding bandits (who just ran around and scared people rather than seriously attack). Amr bin Shaddad was grateful and handed over Timadhur without giving any dowry.
- Fury-Fueled Foolishness: A wealthy young man of good breeding named Umara bin Zayad proposed to Abla but couldn't keep his mouth shut about how successful and important his father was. Antarah flew into a jealous rage and tried to kill him, but the young man escaped. The envious chief who hated Antarah took this matter to sultan Zoheir, telling him that an attempted murderer must be punished. So Zoheir had Antarah banished back to the fields where he began his life as a slave.
- God of Darkness: Al-Qaum is the Nabataean god of war and the night, and guardian of caravans.
- Kissing Cousins: All over the place considering the Arab preference for marriage within the family.
- Abla the love interest of Antarah was the daughter of Malek who was the son of sultan Zoheir, making her his cousin.
- Lady of War: Queen Rabab refused to pay tribute to Sultan Jazima of the Abs tribe, and challenged him to single combat to avoid war. She slew him with her lance and his men fled.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: Antarah cut Nakid of the Maan tribe clean in half during their duel.
- Antarah chopped Geíhdac and his steed in half in battle, right down the middle.
- Muggle in Mage Custody: Sultan Jazima of the Abs tribe (grandfather of Sultan Zoheir) had a son named Amir whom he wanted to be his heir. Amir disappeared while swimming one day and was assumed drowned. Amir appeared again naked in the brush, explaining that he had been kidnapped by Jinn.
- One-Man Army: The women of the Abs tribe and allies grew bored while their husbands were off on campaign against the Temin. So Shaddad's legal wife Semiah suggested they throw a party near the lake. Antarah watched Abla wistfully from afar while the women and girls socialized. Then a great dust cloud kicked up and out of it came an army of warriors from the Cathan tribe who snatched all the women and girls and carried them off. Antarah had no steed to ride but Abla's terrified facial expression filled him with such fury he ran faster than a speeding horse and caught up with the raiders. Antarah grabbed one man off his horse and killed him, donning his armor for himself. The Cathan began shouting for Antarah's death, which filled him with battle-lust. Antarah chopped and stabbed bandit after bandit until the few survivors released the women and fled in a panic. Antarah took the women home and brought numerous Cathan horses back as prizes, including a magnificent black stallion he took as his personal mount.
- Antarah killed five thousand men of the Maan tribe after slaying their champion Nakid.
- Our Genies Are Different:
- Marids are considered by some to be the most powerful variety of Jinn. They are characterized as mighty giants who attempt to hear the secrets of Heaven and must be driven off by Angels who throw shooting stars at them. Marids are the proudest of Jinn and are vast in powers, but are also quite gullible. Marids are nearly impossible to compel to do anything they don't want to do and tend to be very surly.
- Ifrits are powerful fiery Jinn associated with the ghosts of the dead, and hell or "Jahannam". They are described as very large humanoid beings with wings. Some say they have claws, horns, multiple heads, and flaming eyes. In Egypt it's said that Ifrits are formed from the blood of murder victims, and the only way to prevent their creation is to drive an unused nail into the blood stain. Unlike Marids, Ifrits are very wily and cunning. Ifrits are known to possess humans at times. Ifrits prefer to live underground or in ruins, their society is structured just like that of traditional Arabs. Though ordinary weapons are useless against them, humans might overcome them with magical spells or with prayer.
- Jann are a variety of Jinn believed to have been the first to walk the earth. They are human in appearance but enjoy shapeshifting into whirlwinds and white camels. Their king was named Jann ibn Jann or Abu Al-Jann. Jann ibn Jann is identified with Iblis by some. It is believed that the pyramids were built by the Jann. The Jann have a soft spot for humans and occasionally might reveal an oasis to them. The Jann are hostile against Ghouls. Though not the strongest of Jinn, Jann have been known to side with human armies if they are righteous.
- Nasnas are a weak variety of Jinn who are visualized as Beast Man of various species. They are sometimes considered the offspring of humans and Shiqqs. Other times they are visualized as half-beings split vertically. Some might have no heads but faces on their torsos.
- Shiqqs are a type of lesser Jinn with strange and malformed appearances. Often they are lacking body parts, or have too many body parts, or have their body parts in the wrong places.
- Hinn are a type of Jinn who prefer to wander the wilderness in the form of wild (especially black) dogs and other creatures. Some say in ancient times they were of immense size.
- Shaitans (Satans) are not a class of Jinn in themselves, but rather the coalition of Jinn who aligned themselves with Iblis and the forces of evil. While most Jinn are morally grey or good like humans, Shaitans revel in immorality and suffering.
- Ghouls are a type of savage Jinn who feed on blood and flesh. The lurk graveyards and eat corpses. Some say they are the children of Iblis himself, hatched from an egg laid by his wife. Ghouls are perfectly at home in the loneliest corners of the deserts where they lie in wait for travelers. Ghouls may transform into beautiful ladies to lure in hapless men. One of the few ways to avoid a Ghoul's predation is to drink milk from its breast. In Arab culture to drink milk from a woman makes her one's "Milk Mother" and any other people who drink from her are their "Milk Siblings". As such, they cannot be harmed. A human can kill a Ghoul with a well-aimed kick, but kicking the dead Ghoul again will revive it. One notable feauture of Ghouls is their inability to hide their donkey legs when shapeshifted.
- Si'lat are a type of feminine Jinn resembling something between a western Succubus and a Wicked Witch. Though their true forms are hideous old hags, they are likely to transform into beautiful women in order to breed with mortal men. Si'las enjoy toying with men for prolonged periods before finally eating them. Si'las are quite afraid of wolves who regard them as especially delicious. Sometimes a Si'la will cry out from the wilderness to be saved from a wolf, only to pay back her benefactor with murder.
- Dalhans are a type of Jinn who live on islands at sea. They look like men riding ostriches, and enjoy devouring shipwrecked sailors.
- Qarinahs are succubi-like Jinn who infiltrate men's dreams to drain their lives away at night during sex. They are a sort of Sleep Paralysis Creature. Their masculine counterparts are Qarins who function as incubi, preying on women at night.
- Hatifs are disembodied Jinn who only interact with the world with their voices. They call out to people as the voice of deceased loved ones. They give advice and warnings to people.
- Palis are a type of vampiric Jinn who lick the feet of humans at night to drink blood. Fortunately, they're very stupid. They can even be thwarted by people simply propping each other's feet up.
- Roc Birds: Rocs are gigantic birds often depicted as nesting on remote islands, either on a large island to the south, usually identified as Madagascar, or in the seas around China.
- Panthera Awesome: While searching for the thousand rare-breed camels Antarah ended up in Persia, where he was captured by local people who brought him to their king. This was interrupted by the attack of a great lion bigger and more vicious than any seen in Arabia, Ethiopia, or Persia before. This lion put entire villages to flight and devoured entire herds. It even withstood a direct hit from Antarah's spear.
- Pretending to Be One's Own Relative: Timadhur convinced her husband Zoheir that she was actually her own sister Khadda'a, and that the real Timadhur was far more beautiful than she.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Abla fell in love with Antarah for more than his physical gifts and courage. She loved how compassionate he was to the weak and downtrodden, as well as his just conduct.
- Super-Strength: Antarah was as strong as one hundred men.
- Taking the Heat: Antarah protected his father's wife Semiah from being punished for the party by remaining silent about where he got all the horses from when the menfolk returned. Shaddad accused him of being a thief and hit him so hard he drew blood. Semiah could not bear to watch anymore and fell to Shaddad's feet, raising her hijab and confessing that Antarah did nothing wrong.
- Tears of Remorse: Shaddad cried these for hitting Antarah and calling him a thief after his wife confessed everything about the lake party and the battle with the Cathan. He told everyone about Antarah's courage and faithfulness, moving the king so much he gifted Antarah new robes and many gifts.
- Tender Tears: Abla cried these when she saw Antarah again and learned he could marry her.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Sultan Zoheir heard much of the precocious Antarah and brought him to his court to decide his future. Impressed by the small boy, he threw him a piece of meat which a passing dog grabbed and ran off with. Antarah was furious and chased the dog down, subjecting the animal to a Jawbreaker down to the shoulders and seizing the meat back for himself, leaving the dog very dead. Zoheir was scared shitless and let Shaddad leave Aksum in peace with his son Antarah.
- Antarah later slew a wolf attacking his flock when he was ten years old.
- In his youth Antarah killed a slave who had beaten an old woman.
- Antarah would tear the tails from camels and practice with his spear on trees.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Shaddad eventually had a change of heart and accepted that Antarah was more than deserving of marrying Abla after the episode with the Persian Lion.
- Where da White Women At?: Antarah was (at first) considered inferior and unfit to marry Abla because he was half-black on top of being a slave.
- The Women Are Safe with Us: Sultan Zoheir and his subjects set out for war against the Temin tribe. They entrusted Antarah to protect their women and girls while they were all gone.
- World's Most Beautiful Woman: Princess Abla was as fair as the moon. Antarah fell in Love at First Sight seeing her in her tent as her mother was grooming her hair.
- You Killed My Father: King Zoheir avenged his grandfather Jazima by killing Queen Rabab.
