another myth?

[alejandro]

Hi there,

I read this in the internet (in Spanish in the original):

"Alejandro Magno hacia que todos sus soldados bostezaran a la vez frente al enemigo para que, al este bostezar, no se pudieran cubrir de la lluvia de flechas que les lanzaban."

that is,

"Alexander the Great used to order his soldiers -formed facing the enemy- to yawn simultaneously so that the latter, yawning as well, would not be able to cover themselves from the arrows thrown at them."

I am pretty sure it's a myth, but a very funny one, isn't it?

The contagious nature of the yawn! I'm pretty sure you will feel the need to yawn after reading this (I did!), and we don't even need to be face to face for this to occur!

All the best,

Alejandro

[marcus]

"Alexander the Great used to order his soldiers -formed facing the enemy- to yawn simultaneously so that the latter, yawning as well, would not be able to cover themselves from the arrows thrown at them."

I am pretty sure it's a myth, but a very funny one, isn't it?

That's fantastic!

Pure myth, of course, unless it's in some obscure source that I haven't seen (or don't recall seeing). But it should be true!

ATB

[jan]

HI Alejandro, Funny thing about anecdotes. I found one yesterday that said that the Oracle at Siwa had foretold Alexander of his early death if he did not drink from the waters of life. It went on to say that he searched for it but never found it. One can find the strangest stories about Alexander in the strangest places. As I recall another said that the tale of the unicorn stemmed from the horse Bucephalus, and that I found in a book about horses. Amazing at where Alexander Tales can be found.

[marcus]

HI Alejandro, Funny thing about anecdotes. I found one yesterday that said that the Oracle at Siwa had foretold Alexander of his early death if he did not drink from the waters of life. It went on to say that he searched for it but never found it. One can find the strangest stories about Alexander in the strangest places. As I recall another said that the tale of the unicorn stemmed from the horse Bucephalus, and that I found in a book about horses. Amazing at where Alexander Tales can be found.

Hi Jan,

I think that the story about the water of life is in at least one version of the Alexander Romance. If it isn't, then there is something in the Romance that could well have inspired the story you relate.

The Romance definitely describes Bucephalus as some form of devil-horse, which eats human flesh and which has horns - very apocalyptic! I think that's where the unicorn stuff comes from.

ATB

[Madog]

It's definately strange imagining Alexander's army and the enemy yawning at each other, though I always thought that the Macedonian army made little use of archers on the battlefield.

Still a cool anecdote though.

[dean]

Hello,

that'll teach em for yawning on the job!!!!

[marcus]

It's definately strange imagining Alexander's army and the enemy yawning at each other, though I always thought that the Macedonian army made little use of archers on the battlefield.

I think you're right, that they didn't use archers much. There were definitely archers in the army, and they were used, but like the slingers they were a fairly small contingent, and so were not exactly crucial to the tactical play-out of the battle.

The Agrianian spear/javelin men were much more crucial ...

ATB

[alejandro]

Hi all,

Indeed, Alexander's charisma and aura is so big that it can spawn the most sublime and bizarre myths alike!

The one that I like the most is the one that Thomas Aquinas mentions (I call it a myth because, to my puny knowledge, it is not mentioned anywhere else before Aquinas' quotation), where Alexander catches a pirate and asks him "why do you create havoc, attacking and robbing ships?", and the pirate replies "I am called a pirate because I attack one or two commercial ships with my only ship and a few people, but you, because you attack other countries with a large army and fleet, you are called a conqueror." I doubt the pirate kept his head over his shoulders, but what a reply!

But the one that I posted was so outrageously funny that I couldn't help posting it! Glad that you liked it!

All the best,

Alejandro

[amyntoros]

Hi Alejandro,

The story does surface earlier than Thomas Aquinas. Cicero has the earliest version, however only a fragment survives:

Cicero. The Republic III. (XIV) 24.
A passage of considerable length is lost, of which the following fragment may be a part.
. . . for when he was asked what wickedness drove him to harass the sea with his one pirate galley, he replied: GÇ£The same wickedness that drives you to harass the whole world.

Next in line is St. Augustine De Civ. Dei. IV.4 which is very similar to the Aquinas version:

Indeed, that was an apt and true reply which was given to Alexander the Great by a pirate who had been seized. For when that king had asked the man what he meant by keeping hostile possession of the sea, he answered with bold pride, GÇ£What thou meanest by seizing the whole earth; but because I do it with a petty ship, I am called a robber, whilst thou who dost it with a great fleet art styled emperor.

IGÇÖm still inclined to view this as a myth, but it amuses me to imagine what AlexanderGÇÖs final response might have been if the conversation were real.

Best regards,

[alejandro]

Hi Amyntoros,

Thank you for the info!

I have to admit that I confused Thomas Aquinas with St Augustine (well, at least both of them are called Church Fathers!), which I only noticed when you mentioned Civitas Dei ...

But definitely Cicero wrote about the pirate incident waaaaaaaay before any of them!

And yes, I would also like to listen to Alex's reply! He was usually not very fond of insolence, so I would rather fancy the possibility of him punishing the pirate some way or another. Though probably it would depend on when in his reign the alleged chat took place: the later it is, the more likely that the king's "shortened temper" would prevail and an exemplary punishment would be awarded, I guess.

All the best,

Alejandro

[jan]

Thanks, Marcus, for telling me that. I had no idea. Gee, it only gets worse and worse, doesn't it? An interesting book might be a compilation of all those little known stories. The gentleman working at Border's showed me a group of books to read and naturally I thumbed through the index trying to find information on Alexander. I now understand why there is so much confusion about his reputation. All according to those who love or hate him.

I recall that Michael Woods did discuss the "devil" aspect of his reputation to those who were his adversaries. They used to frighten their children with the saying that Alexander will get you. Huh!

How sad!

[Madog]

Oddly enough I read about the same threat being used by parents on Sicily, but this time they threatened their children with the Greek inventor and mathematician, Archimedes rather than Alexander. I think the reason behind this is that he was seen as a sorceror or a magician within his lifetime, due to his inventions.

[dean]

Yes, Woods mentions it- as I recall ,in the documentary- he speaks to a Shi' ite muslim in Iran who tells him that he remembers when his mother would warn him to "be good, do his homework blah blah blah" or Sikandar would "get" you-


I am not 100% sure here but I think that the term "Boney" used by the British referring to the French military but especially Napoleon Bonaparte was also turned into a term for "the boogie man" for British children-
It is interesting to see how the common "enemy" is always demonized-

With Hannibal the same thing I am sure happened in Rome.


Best regards,
Dean