10 Fascinating Arabian Myths and Legends

Arab civilization and peoples have some of the most diverse and colorful stories and legends in the world, with many of the stories being passed down orally from generation to generation over thousands of years. While some of these are known to be pure myths and have taken the role of the common fairytales among Arabs, many others still hold a hint that they actually did take place, which makes these myths and legends ever more exciting.

LEGEND OF ALADDIN’S WONDERFUL LAMP

One of the most famous folktales from Arabia, the legend of Aladdin has captured the imagination of children (and adults) from all over the world. Part of the collection of legends in the “Book of One Thousand and One Nights”, this story tells of the young impoverished man Aladdin, who embarks on a series of adventures after being tricked by an evil sorcerer and coming into contact with a magical jinni (or genie), who helps him win the love of a princess. There once lived a poor tailor, who had a son called Aladdin, a careless, idle boy who would do nothing but play ball all day long in the streets with little idle boys like himself. This so grieved the father that he died; yet, in spite of his mother’s tears and prayers, Aladdin did not mend his ways. One day, when he was playing in the streets as usual, a stranger asked him his age, and if he was not the son of Mustapha the tailor. “I am, sir,” replied Aladdin; “but he died a long while ago.” On this the stranger, who was a famous African magician, fell on his neck and kissed him, saying, “I am your uncle, and knew you from your likeness to my brother. Go to your mother and tell her I am coming.” Aladdin ran home and told his mother of his newly found uncle.

MYTHICAL CREATURE OF BAHAMUT

Known as a giant and monstrous fish that lies in the deep ocean, this mythical creature was believed by ancient Arabs to hold up the earth itself. In this myth, the giant fish carries a giant bull and gemstone on its back, which an angel stands upon to balance the earth and sea. Bahamut, Bahamot or Behemoth is a vast fish that supports the earth in Arabian mythology. The Bahamut is an example of a non-humanoid form of Marid. In some sources, Bahamut is described as having a head resembling a hippopotamus or elephant and acts as one of the layers that supports the earth.

MONSTER OF NASNAS

A horrifying monster of Arabian mythology, the Nasnas was believed to be an offspring of a demon and a human, with the powers to kill a person and make them “fleshless” by simply touching them. The Nasnas was believed to have only half a head and half of every body part, which he uses to make giant leaps with only one leg to catch and kill unsuspecting humans. In Arab folklore, the Nasnas (Arabic: النَّسْنَاس‎ ) Also known as Monopod is a monstrous humanoid creature with only half the limbs and face a normal human should have. It was believed to be the offspring of a demon called a Shiqq (الشق) and a human being. A character in “The Story of the Sage and the Scholar”, a tale from the collection, is turned into a nasnas after a magician applies kohl (black cosmetic put around the eyes) to one of his eyes. The nasnas is mentioned in Gustave Flaubert’s The Temptation of Saint Anthony. A nasnas is “half a human being; having half a head, half a body, one arm, one leg, with which it hops with much agility”. It was believed to be the offspring of a demon called a Shiqq and a human being. A character in “The Story of the Sage and the Scholar”, a tale from the collection, is turned into a nasnas after a magician applies kohl to one of his eyes. The nasnas is mentioned in Gustave Flaubert‘s The Temptation of Saint Anthony.

MYTHICAL CREATURE OF THE ROC

The Roc, a popular mythology of ancient Arabs, is an enormous legendary bird of prey and is often written about by sailors, fishermen, and explorers who swore they saw this magical creature while on their adventures. The Roc has often been compared to Western mythical creatures such as the phoenix or the thunderbird. The roc appears in Arab geographies and natural history, popularized in Arabian fairy tales and sailors’ folklore. Ibn Battuta tells of a mountain hovering in the air over the China Seas, which was the roc. The story collection One Thousand and One Nights includes tales of Abd al-Rahman and Sinbad the Sailor, both of which include the roc.

LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS OF THE SANDS

The lost city of Atlantis of the Sands, now shrouded in myth and legend, was supposedly an ancient city in Arabia that was destroyed and buried under sand, by a serious of natural disasters caused by angry gods. Many explorers continue to believe in this tale and search for this lost city, with some believing it to be located somewhere in the southern deserts of modern day Saudi Arabia. Atlantis of the Sands refers to a legendary lost city in the southern deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, thought to have been destroyed by a natural disaster or as a punishment by God. The search for it was popularised by the 1992 book Atlantis of the Sands – The Search for the Lost City of Ubar by Ranulph Fiennes.[1] Apart from the English name, coined by T. E. Lawrence, the city is commonly also called Ubar, Wabar or Iram.

LEGEND OF ZARQA’ AL-YAMAMA

In Arabian mythology, Zarqa’ Al-Yamama was a powerful woman with incredible powers and magic. Legend says that she had brilliant blue eyes which helped her foresee the future and predict events, but she was eventually killed by jealous enemy tribes who tore out her eyes and crucified her. Zarqa Al Yamama is an Arabian woman who had a sharp sight and great intuitions. She lived with her tribe in the Arabian peninsula during the pre- Islamic era, other resources said that the story took place in 250 B.C. Zarqa Al Yamama had blue eyes, and she could see a rider three days before his arrival. During the war, the enemy knew about her power so they cut trees and used it to hide behind them. When they approached her city, Zarqa told her tribe that there are trees moving toward them and the enemy is hiding behind the trees. However, her clan didn’t believe her and accused her of insanity. Eventually the enemy reached the city, murdered everyone and they cut out Al Yamama’s eyes.

MONSTER OF QUTRUB

Made popular though Arabian folklore, the Qutrub is said to be a werewolf-like monster who is a type of demon or jinni. The Qutrub monster is often depicted as similar to the Western concept of a ghoul, as it is written to be the dweller of graveyards and devourer of corpses. In Arabian folklore, the Qutrub is a type of djinn or demon, which has an appearance similar to that of a werewolf. Qutrub is often depicted as similar to the Western concept of a ghoul, as it is written to be the haunt of graveyards and devouring corpses.

LEGEND OF ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES

Another famous tale from the legendary “Book of One Thousand and One Nights”, this legend tells of the poor woodcutter Ali Baba, who is hurled into a wild adventure when he discovers the hidden den of thieves with the magical words of “Open Sesame”. Ali Baba eventually escapes from the evil thieves and discovers their enormous cave of treasures. Each evening Ali Baba went out to gather twigs and branches for his wife so that she had enough firewood to cook the stew for dinner. One day, Ali Baba went further than usual to hunt for fallen branches beneath the trees that grew beside the rocky cliffs near the high hills. Suddenly, he heard a great clatter of hooves on the rocky path. He was afraid. He climbed the nearest tree and hid among the leaves. He was well hidden but was able to peer between the leaves. He was astonished to see a long line of men on horseback, riding one behind the other. Ali Baba counted them as they rode beneath the tree where he hid. ‘One … two … three … four,’ and many, many more, until he had counted forty.

MYTHICAL CREATURE OF SHADHAVAR

A mythical Arabian creature that came out of the medieval ages, the Shadhavar was believed to be a unicorn-like creature that has one giant horn and 42 branches that spread out from this horn. Many legends told of the powerful music that could be played from this magical horn with the wind that blew through its many branches. The Shadhavar is a creature found roaming the remote arid hills of the Mediterranean and Middle East. It is likened to an antelope, baring a singular horn. The horn is thick but hollow, stippled with 42 natural punctures from which emanates a soft melody in the presence of a breeze. Being a rare creature and having unique properties, the horn of a Shadhavar is a commodity; hunted, sold, presented to kings and manufactured into musical instruments.

LEGEND OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR

Another famous legend, commonly thought of as originating from what is now Iraq, this legend tells of Sindbad the famous sailor and explorer. Although there are numerous tales of his adventures, most of them deal with Sindbad’s encounters with magical creatures, foreign lands, and triumphs over powerful monsters. Sindbad the Sailor, also known as Sindbad of the Sea, is one of most beloved characters from “Arabian Nights”. “My destiny makes a strange tale,” he says. Some believe that Sindbad was a composite of historical figures or merchants and sea captain who sailed in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean between the 8th and 11the centuries. Some say he was born in Oman. Sindbad took seven voyages. He endured shipwrecks, cannibalism, near starvation, and attacks by monsters, apes and giant birds and serpents. After each trip he settled down, “used life joyously, eating prime meats, drinking delicately, lying softy and dressing rich,” until he got the urge to take to the sea again. When he finally retired he said he had experienced “an excess of marvel” as was “definitely cured..of any further desire to travel.”

“Mythology is not a lie, mythology is poetry, it is metaphorical. It has been well said that mythology is the penultimate truth–penultimate because the ultimate cannot be put into words. It is beyond words. Beyond images, beyond that bounding rim of the Buddhist Wheel of Becoming. Mythology pitches the mind beyond that rim, to what can be known but not told.”

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