Arabic, fictive fool, Middle East, primary source, quotes, stories
One method of admonishing a king is to offer him the title of fool, a verbal equivalent of making him change places with his jester. Here is an Arabic version of this regular formula:A list of fools was drawn up by a man from Damascus with the sultan’s name at...
Arabic, fictive fool, folk fool, Middle East, primary source, quotes, stories
There is an Arabic tale of a jester-like hunchback who helps the king see the stupidity of his superstitions by making him laugh. A hunchback was supposedly a bad omen, to be avoided. One day when the king was out hunting, the first person he met was a hunchback...
Arabic, fictive fool, Middle East, primary source, quotes, stories
Physical deformity was in many times and places a positive asset in a jester, as this example from the 1001 Nights demonstrates. In other contexts, mental disability could also be an asset. We will reference fools and jesters of either type as we go, and also bring to...
10th century, Arabic, Egypt, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories
It was a happy moment to discover this first hand account of a 10th century ‘wise fool’, Sībawayh the Egyptian (897-98 – 968-69 / 284-358). I am grateful to Mathieu Tillier’s paper for bringing him to light and translating a number of episodes...
10th century, Arabic, bibliography, book, Egypt, historical figure, primary source
al‐Ḥasan b.Ibrāhīm b. Zūlāq (Ibn Zūlāq) (919‐998) was a contemporary of the historical ‘wise fool’ known as Sībawayh the Egyptian. About 20 years younger, he was an eyewitness to some of the flying barbs and critiques levelled by Sībawayh at corruption or...
10th century, Arabic, bibliography, Egypt, historical figure, journal paper, research
Mathieu Tillier’s paper brings to light the 10th century ‘wise fool’ (ʿuqalāʾal‐maǧānīn) who rode a donkey or walked through the streets of Fusṭāṭ. Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. Mūsā b. ʿAbd al‐ʿAzīz al‐Kindī al‐ was known as Sībawayh (‘the...
