ATG Trivia

[chris]

Is it true ATG was left handed? And that he dyed his hair? I heard reference to this the other day, and a few other "minor" facts(?), and it occurred to me that it was, albeit perhaps trivial, interesting. Well, fairly interesting.It may be fun to have a Trivia page. Chris

[marcus]

Hi Chris,I've never heard either of those - I'd like to know where that information came from.But hey, there was an article in The Times a few months ago which stated that he was epileptic...All the bestMarcus

[chris]

Hi MarcusEpilepsy was another reference - all made by Stephen Fry on the quiz show QI recently - I think BBC. I think his researchers read The Times!Chris

[Polyxena]

Hi Chris, Marcus,I've never heard either of anything you mentioned. And who wrote that article in The Times which stated that ATG was epileptic? Do you believe to be true? Or.... are there any ancient references about his "sudden" falls or sth. similar. Because, as far as I know, the indigenous epilepcy at the age of 28-29 turns into some sort of psychopathy or some other sort of mental illness ... I'm not sure now which. But, anyhow.... maybe this is the explanation of the sudden appearance of the negative and furious side of his character. ... but, who will ever know?Regards, Poliksena

[marcus]

I can't remember who wrote it. It was an article on epilepsy, rather than on Alexander, but as always they had a little box with "famous epileptics" in it - of course Julius Caesar was there, but I was very surprised to see Alexander there, as there's absolutely nothing, that I'm aware of, to suggest he suffered from the condition.So yes, Chris, I think the researchers for the programme must read The Times, but I suspect they read an awful lot of trash, too. One thing for sure: they're obviously not very good researchers! :-)All the bestMArcus

[amyntoros]

There were two sisters here in the US who have written advice columns for decades - Ann Landers and Dear Abby. (Ann Landers died last year.) Whenever there are any letters written regarding epilepsy or being left-handed, Alexander is included in the lists of famous people in the response. The columnists use information from related organizations on the two subjects - but as to where *they* got the info, well that's another matter. But these two women have probably been read by more people than anyone else in the world - I kid you not - and unless challenged, their information is considered "gospel."

[susan]

I think it came from a Roman author, but I don't know which one. If anyone was epileptic, it may have been Philip Arrhidaeus. As for the left-handedness, I wouldn't necessarily rule it out - it may be one those traditions that everyone knew, but nobody bothered writing down. I've certainly heard it but I can't identify any source.Susan

[H]

Hello Susan
Just a thought, but if that were the case (that everyone knew he was left-handed), then why would he always be depicted with his sword or spear in his right hand?

[Tre]

OK everybody, I've posted on this issue more times than I can count. Various organzations have added him to their lists - so you will find all over the internet that he hated cats (why because he had a dog?) he was epileptic (I've gone through the reasons why someone might think he was and why it is wrong, but this is certainly because of Arrhidaeus), that he was left-handed (again, no evidence) that he was diabetic (again no evidence,and I've seen scholars write this. This is an area where I have a great deal of expertise)and I've seen this as well in various books.So basically, Alexander gets added to a lot of lists he doesn't belong to, because he was unique and people look for oddities that my explain why he was what he was.

[beausefaless]

All I Know is you had better watch your tongue if you were drinking with him! Here's one (trivia). What does a five hundred pound gorilla say if he looks at you twice? Anything he wants!

[S]

Greetings All,
I discovered that is you do a search on ATG on the Internet, you will find hundreds of "facts" that are made up- but following the adage that "If you repeat a falsehood or urban legend often enough, it becomes fact", the ALexander myth continues to grow.The epilepsy myth came about because ATG was supposedly known for going into moments of inward contemplation after which he seemed to be energized and have become inspired. In the past, it was seen as "communing with the gods" or "talking to his father" (and I mean Zeus, not the medieval or modern attempt to make ATG Christian)- eventually, it was said to be epilepy.There is no evidence for left-handedness, though there *is* a folktale of left-handedness being from "the Devil", so I can see how in medieval times that may have spread.There is another site that has invented a "Melissa", who was ATG's "one, true love"- the word melissa, if I am recalling correctly, used to refer to the high priestess at the Mount Eryx (sp?) shrine, so I can see where even this has some essential basis in the past, but the tale of the woman is, I believe, a new myth... yet one that many choose to follow because it creates an emotional resonance in them.

If you read the ancient sources, then compare them to modern myths and Internet sites, you will find all sorts of invented, fantastical things. It all depends on what the writers *want* to believe or on what they are promoting. Some have a basis in possibility (all the spices, etc that ATG was supposedly responsible for introducing to the west, but since trade routes were established even before ATG, I would question the veracity of every story).Unfortunately, it takes a mere generation or two for a myth or folk tale to become fact. For example, Peter Green stating H was "fundamentally stupid", with *NO* basis in fact or ancient sources- but if you read about ATG now, you see that comment creep into the tales. All it takes to create a historical "fact" is for someone to write something down- and it can be purely invented- and have enough people repeat it or add it to *their* story- this is why I say history is a best-guess fiction. It might be interesting to collect as many of these stories as possible, add them to the Legends page, and then try to trace the initial birth of the myth.Regards,
Sikander

[susan]

I read a Central Asian version of the Alexander Romance which describes how Roxane tricked Alexander into impotence until he agreed to her father's political demands. Once he agreed, she removed the iron knife that she had hidden under his pillow and the spell was reversed.I think many of these stories came from the Romance, which obviously grew to include any number of local folklore stories.Susan

[nick]

Hi Sikander -You are thinking the same way as I do: the Internet is just like the Romance once was. But: why not create a page on the site and add some NEW myths? Maybe we can do the trick too! Let's see...- Alexander was allergic to oranges- Alexander's favorite holiday destination was Spain- Alexander was extremely frigthened of reindeers (reindeerphobia)- Alexander had a manic drive to change his underwear at least three times a day- Alexander invented the world's first condom for homosexual intercourse- Alexander enjoyed watching cooking contests between his companions- Alexander could not pronounce the letter 'P' and actually said 'Wersia' in stead of 'Persia'Oh no, if I go on I could make a list of hundred NEW myths! But serious: do you have new or better ideas? Let's select the best five, create a page, and see how many people we can trigger into accepting them!Regards - Nick

[H]

Wow, I never knew Alexander was allergic to oranges.
(wink) You got me convinced! Now all we need to do is write to an agony column, bemoan the fact that we are allergic to oranges and see if we get told we are in good company - how long to you think it will take?
Halil

[amyntoros]

How about 'information' on Alexander that is already written down, albeit in modern fiction? You could take "Alexander slept with snakes" from Renault, and "Alexander had a panic disorder" from Doherty. (That last one makes me groan just writing it down.)Here's one of my own: Alexander really died during the battle with the Mallians and an imposter took his place for the rest of his reign. You see, we know that because in all the paintings and sculpture of Alexander made after this battle, Alexander isn't wearing any shoes!Okay, I sincerely apologise for that one, especially to everyone here who is too young to know anything about the "Paul is dead" Beatle madness. :-)Linda Ann