RT Article
T1 ʿAnqāʾ Mughrib: The Poetics of a Mythical Creature
JF Journal of Abbasid Studies
VO 8
IS 1
SP 75
OP 103
A1 Ron-Gilboa, Guy
LA English
PB Brill
YR 2021
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1762937123
AB Abstract In early Arabic literature, ʿAnqāʾ Mughrib is the name of the quintessential mythical bird. The ʿAnqāʾ appears in a myriad of medieval sources of different genres: poetical, narrative, proverbial, scientific, philosophical, and mystical. This paper draws attention to the multiple ways in which this bird was represented and the functions it fulfilled in different literary contexts. It explores the intricate web of quotations, allusions, and literary innovations that facilitated its multifarious uses and re-uses. I explore the various manifestations of the ʿAnqāʾ to demonstrate the different and at times contradictory meanings ascribed to it and its diverse literary functions: as a creature of speculative zoology; as metaphor of scarcity or non-existence; as a metaphor of God; as a marker of fictionality; and more.
K1 Translation
K1 mythical creatures
K1 Intertextuality
K1 Fictionality
K1 Allegory
DO 10.1163/22142371-12340067