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Part of
The Reality of Women in the Universe of the Ancient Novel
Edited by María Paz López Martínez, Carlos Sánchez-Moreno Ellart and Ana Belén Zaera García
[IVITRA Research in Linguistics and Literature 40] 2023
► pp. 382–395

Chapter 24
Queens, heroines and slaves

Women in two Persian Alexander romances (12th century)

| University of Muenster

This paper endeavours to portray the role of women in two Persian versions of the Alexander Romance from Medieval period. These women are not simply Alexander’s lovers or opponents, but his educators, an element of independence and empowerment. They present different views of women’s roles as the forces of wisdom, justice, and love.

Keywords: Alexander Romance, Shāhnāma, Firdawsī, Dārābnāma of Ṭarsūsī, Iskandarnāma, Niẓāmī, Persian popular romances, Pseudo-Callisthenes
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Some female characters in the Dārābnāma
  • Some female characters in the Iskandarnāma of Niẓāmī Ganjavī
  • Apollonius and the sorcery of the dragon Zoroastrian girl
  • Alexander at the court of Queen Nūshāba (Candace)
  • Alexander in love: The tale of the Chinese slave girl
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
Published online: 1 December 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ivitra.40.24man
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