THE POET AND THE SPAE-WIFE

AN ATTEMPT TO RECONSTRUCT AL-GHAZAL'S EMBASSY TO THE

BY W. E. D. ALLEN Made and Printed in Great Britain by Titus Wilson and Son Ltd., Kendal

© I960. W.E.D. Alien EDITORS' PREFACE

The account of the visit of the Moorish ambassador, al-Ghazal, to the court of the Majus in the ninth century has interested orientalists and Norse scholars for a long time. It is, in the first place, a splendidly vivid story, and it throws unexpected light on the manners and mode of life of the Majus described in it. It is now generally agreed that these Majus were Scandinavian vikings, but, while some have believed that their court was in Denmark, others have held that it was in in the days of the viking ruler Turges.

Mr. W. E. D. Alien, a member of the Society, already known as a student of the history and traditions of the Near East, has now re-examined all the original sources, Arabic, Irish and Norse, and in this thorough and original work he offers his own conclusions. He has taken full advantage of recent studies and interpreta­ tions of the Arabic texts, and it may be expected that his work will provide the basis for any future study of this fascinating record. It is in the belief that members will find it a stimulating contribution that we have devoted the whole of the present part of the Saga-Book to Mr. Alien's work.

Mr. Alien's monograph has also been published as a separate book in a limited edition by Alien Figgis and Co. Ltd. of , in association with the Viking Society for Northern Research. G.T.P. P.G.F.

CONTENTS

ABBREVIATIONS ...... vii

I PROLOGUE THE VIKINGS IN SPAIN AND AQUITAINE, 843-6 ...... I

II THE SOURCES AL-GHAZAL'S EMBASSY TO THE VIKINGS .. 14

III TEXT IBN-DIHYA'S ACCOUNT OF THE EMBASSY .. 19

IV COMMENTARY A THE JOURNEY OUT ...... 26 B THE KERRY COAST AND CLONMACNOISE 29 C IRELAND IN 845 ...... 35 D "THE GREAT ISLAND IN THE OCEAN" .. 37 E THE RECEPTION OF AL-GHAZAL . . 42 F QUEEN NUD ...... 46 G CONVERSATIONS WITH THE QUEEN . . 48

V EPILOGUE THE SACK OF PARIS AND THE END OF TURGEIS ...... 55

VI NOTES ...... 66

ABBREVIATIONS

AU (cf. note 72). CDIL Contributions to a Dictionary of the . CMH Cambridge Medieval History. Cogadh The text of the War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill; see Todd, War. El Encyclopaedia of Islam. FM Four Masters: Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters (cf. note 14). IHS Irish Historical Studies. IQ Islamic Quarterly. JRAS Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. JRSAI Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (see TKAS below). PRIA Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. SPAW Sitzungsberichte d. K. Preussischen Akademie d. Wissenschaften. Todd, War War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill (Rolls Series; 1867). TKAS Transactions of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society, 1849-55; subsequently, to 1867, Journal of Kilkenny and South-east of Ireland Archae­ ological Society; subsequently, 1868-89, Journal of the (Royal) Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland; and from 1890 Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (cf. JRSAI above). VA Viking Antiquities in Great Britain and Ireland, ed. H. Shetelig ( 1940-54). War of the Gaedhil See Todd, War.

Chapter One

PROLOGUE: THE VIKINGS IN AQUITAINE AND SPAIN, 843-6

TN a recent paper on 'The Muslim Discovery of Europe',1 Professor Bernard Lewis recalls that "The earliest reports we have purporting to describe a Muslim diplomatic mission to the north is the well-known and oft-cited story of the embassy of al-Ghazal from Cordova to the land of the Vikings in about 845. The late M. Levi-Provencal cast doubt on the authenticity of this charming story, suggesting that it is a later fab