In
MedievalThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
Europe,
Termagant was the name given to a god that the Europeans believed
MuslimsIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
worshipped.
European literature from the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
often referred to Muslims as
pagansPaganism is a word with several different meanings.In its broadest definition, pagan denotes all non-Abrahamic religions, that is to say it denotes all religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.Other usages are:*Paganism may mean Polytheism: The group so defined includes most of the...
, or by
sobriquetA sobriquet is a nickname or a fancy name, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
s such as
the paynim foe. These depictions represent Muslims worshipping
MuhammadMuhammad ibn ‘Abdullāh , is the founder of the religion of Islam [ إِسْلامْ ] and is regarded by Muslims as a messenger and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of Islamic prophets as taught by the...
as a god (a misunderstanding, as Muslims worship according to a monotheistic concept of God (known as Allah in the Islamic religion)) and depict them worshipping various deities in the form of
idolsIdolatry is usually defined as worship of any cult image, idea, or object, as opposed to the worship of a monotheistic God. It is considered a major sin in the Abrahamic religions whereas in religions where such activity is not considered a sin, the term "idolatry" itself is absent...
(
cult imageIn the practice of religion, a cult image is a man-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents. Cultus, the outward religious formulas of "cult", often centers upon the treatment of cult images, which may be dressed, fed or paraded, etc...
s), ranging from
ApolloIn Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian deities...
to
LuciferLucifer is a Latin word, literally meaning "light-bearer", that was used as a name for the "day star" or "Morning Star" that precedes the rising of the sun. The name is frequently given to the Devil in Christian convention...
, but their chief deity was typically named Termagant.
The origin of the name Termagant is unknown, and does not seem to derive from any actual aspect of Muslim belief or practice, however wildly distorted.
In
MedievalThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
Europe,
Termagant was the name given to a god that the Europeans believed
MuslimsIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
worshipped.
Origin of the concept
European literature from the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
often referred to Muslims as
pagansPaganism is a word with several different meanings.In its broadest definition, pagan denotes all non-Abrahamic religions, that is to say it denotes all religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.Other usages are:*Paganism may mean Polytheism: The group so defined includes most of the...
, or by
sobriquetA sobriquet is a nickname or a fancy name, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
s such as
the paynim foe. These depictions represent Muslims worshipping
MuhammadMuhammad ibn ‘Abdullāh , is the founder of the religion of Islam [ إِسْلامْ ] and is regarded by Muslims as a messenger and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of Islamic prophets as taught by the...
as a god (a misunderstanding, as Muslims worship according to a monotheistic concept of God (known as Allah in the Islamic religion)) and depict them worshipping various deities in the form of
idolsIdolatry is usually defined as worship of any cult image, idea, or object, as opposed to the worship of a monotheistic God. It is considered a major sin in the Abrahamic religions whereas in religions where such activity is not considered a sin, the term "idolatry" itself is absent...
(
cult imageIn the practice of religion, a cult image is a man-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents. Cultus, the outward religious formulas of "cult", often centers upon the treatment of cult images, which may be dressed, fed or paraded, etc...
s), ranging from
ApolloIn Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian deities...
to
LuciferLucifer is a Latin word, literally meaning "light-bearer", that was used as a name for the "day star" or "Morning Star" that precedes the rising of the sun. The name is frequently given to the Devil in Christian convention...
, but their chief deity was typically named Termagant.
The origin of the name Termagant is unknown, and does not seem to derive from any actual aspect of Muslim belief or practice, however wildly distorted. W. W. Skeat in the 19th century, speculated that the name was originally "Trivagante", meaning 'thrice wandering', a reference to the moon, because of the Islamic use of crescent moon imagery. An Old English origin has also been suggested, from
tiw mihtig r ("very mighty"), referring to the
Germanic godGermanic paganism, or Germanic mythology includes the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples preceding their Christianization. The best documented version of the Germanic pagan religions is 10th and 11th century Odinism, though other information can be found from Anglo-Saxon and...
TiwTyr is the god of single combat, victory and heroic glory in Norse mythology, portrayed as a one-handed man.Corresponding names in other Germanic languages are Gothic Teiws , Old English Tīw and Old High German Ziu, all from Proto-Germanic *Tîwaz.In the late Icelandic Eddas, Tyr is portrayed,...
. Another possibility is that it derives from a confusion between Muslims and the
ZoroastrianA Zoroastrian is an adherent to Zoroastrianism, the first monotheistic religion that is based on the teachings and philosophies of Zoroaster....
MagiMagi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BCE, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which was – in the main – the ability to read the stars, and manipulate...
of ancient
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
: thus
tyr-magian, or "Magian god".
Termagant in literature
Whatever its origins, "Termagant" became established in the West as the name of the principal Muslim god, being regularly mentioned in metrical romances and
chansons de gesteThe chansons de geste, Old French for "songs of heroic deeds [or lineages]", are the epic poems that appear at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known examples date from the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries, nearly a hundred years before the emergence of the lyric poetry of the...
. In the 15th-century Middle English romance
Syr Guy of WarwickGuy of Warwick is a legendary English hero of Romance popular in England and France from the 13th to the 17th century.-Plot:The core of the legend is that Guy falls in love with the lady Felice, who is of much higher social standing...
, a
SultanSultan is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power"...
swears an oath:
- So help me, Mahoune, of might,
- And Termagant, my god so bright.
In the
Chanson de Roland, the Muslims, having lost the battle of
RoncesvallesRoncesvalles is a small village and municipality of northern Spain , in the province of Navarre. It is situated on the small river Urrobi at an altitude of 900 meters among the Pyrenees, and within five miles of the French frontier...
, desecrate their "pagan
idolsIdolatry is usually defined as worship of any cult image, idea, or object, as opposed to the worship of a monotheistic God. It is considered a major sin in the Abrahamic religions whereas in religions where such activity is not considered a sin, the term "idolatry" itself is absent...
" (lines 2589–90):
- E Tervagan tolent sun escarbuncle, / E Mahumet enz en un fosset butent,
- They strip the fire-red gem off Termagant / And throw Mohammed down into a ditch...
Tervagant is also a god/statue of the "king of Africa" in the
Jean BodelJean Bodel, who lived in the late twelfth century, was an Old French poet who wrote a number of chansons de geste as well as many fabliaux. He lived in Arras....
play in
Old FrenchOld French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 900 to 1300...
(c.1200)
Le jeu de saint Nicolas.
In the
Sowdone of Babylone, the
sultanSultan is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power"...
makes a vow to Termagaunte rather than
MahoundMahound or Mahoun is a contemptuous name for Mohammad the prophet of Islam , found in Medieval and later European literature. This version of the name, or variants of it, came to be strongly associated with anti-Muslim attitudes in Western Christendom...
(Muhammad) (lines 135–40):
- Of Babiloyne the riche Sowdon,
- Moost myghty man he was of moolde;
- He made a vowe to Termagaunte:
- Whan Rome were distroied and hade myschaunce,
- He woolde turne ayen erraunte
- And distroye Charles, the Kinge of Fraunce.
In
Geoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer was an English author, poet, philosopher, bureaucrat, courtier and diplomat. Although he wrote many works, he is best remembered for his unfinished frame narrative The Canterbury Tales...
's
Canterbury Tales, the
Tale of Sir ThopasSir Thopas is a story in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales published in 1387.In Canterbury Tales, there is a character named Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer's portrait of himself is unflattering and humble...
(supposed to be told by Chaucer himself on the pilgrimage) is a parody of these
chivalric romancesAs a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about the marvelous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight errant,...
. In the tale, a
giantThe mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
knightA knight was a "gentleman soldier" or member of the warrior class of the Middle Ages in Europe. In other Indo-European languages, cognates of cavalier or rider are more prevalent suggesting a connection to the knight's mode of transport...
named "Sir Oliphaunt" is made to swear an oath by Termagant.
In Occitan literature the name Muhammed was corrupted as "Bafomet", forming the basis for the legendary
BaphometBaphomet is an imagined pagan deity, revived in the 19th century as a figure of Satanism. It first appeared in a late twelfth century Provençal poem as a corruption of "Muhammad", but later it appeared as a term for a pagan idol in trial transcripts of the Inquisition of the Knights Templar in the...
, at different times an idol, a "sabbatic goat", and key link in conspiracy theories. The troubadour
Austorc d'AorlhacAustorc d'Aorlhac or Aurilhac was an Auvergnat troubadour from whom only one sirventes survives. He was from Aurillac.Austorc's only piece, "Ai! Dieus! Per qu'as facha tan gran maleza", was composed after the defeat in 1250 of the Seventh Crusade under Louis IX of France...
refers to Bafomet and Termaganat (
Tervagan) side-by-side in one
sirventesThe sirventes or serventes is a genre of Occitan lyric poetry used by the troubadours. In early Catalan it became a sirventesch and was imported into that language in the fourteenth century, where it developed into a unique didactic/moralistic type...
, referring also to the latter's "companions".
Termagant also became a
stock characterA stock character is a stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes, but they are often more narrowly defined...
in a number of
medievalMedieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe beyond and during the Middle Ages . The literature of this time was composed of religious writings as well as secular works...
mystery playMystery plays and Miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. Medieval mystery plays focused on the representation of Bible stories in churches as tableaux with accompanying antiphonal song...
s. On the
stageTheatre is a branch of the performing arts. While any performance may be considered theatre, as a performing art, it focuses almost exclusively on live performers creating a self contained drama. A performance qualifies as dramatic by creating a representational illusion...
, Termagant was usually depicted as a
turbanThe turban is a headdress consisting of a long scarf-like single piece of cloth wound around the head. The word "turban" is a common umbrella term, loosely used in English to refer to several sorts of headwear....
ned creature who wore a long, Eastern style
gownA gown is a loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the seventeenth century ; later, gown was applied to any woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt.A long, loosely-fitted gown called a Banyan was worn by men in...
. As a stage-
villainA villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
, he would rant at and threaten the lesser villains who were his servants and worshippers.
"Termagant" as a shrewish woman
Because of the theatrical tradition, by
Shakespeare'sWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
day the term had come to refer to a bullying person.
Henry IVHenry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
contains a reference to "that hot termagant Scot". In
HamletThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then...
the hero says of ham actors that "I would have such a fellow whipped for o'er-doing Termagant, it out-Herod's Herod".
HerodHerod is a name used of several kings belonging to the Herodian Dynasty of Roman Iudaea Province:...
, like Termagant, was also a character from medieval drama who was famous for ranting.
Mainly because of Termagant's depiction in long gowns, given that female roles were routinely played by male actors in Shakespearean times, English audiences got the mistaken notion that the character was female, or at least that he resembled a mannish woman. As a result, the name
termagant came increasingly applied to a woman with a quarrelsome, scolding quality, and thus the name applies today to a quarrelsome, scolding woman.
ViragoVirago is a term that refers to a strong, brave, or warlike woman. The term comes from the same root as the word virile, the Latin vir "a man", hence, a masculine woman....
and
shrewA shrew or shrew mouse or true shrew is a small mammal classified in the order Soricomorpha.Although its external appearance is generally that of a long-nosed mouse, a shrew is not a rodent and not closely related to rodents. Shrew feet have five toes; rodent feet have four...
are also
pejorativePejoratives are terms which have a negative connotation. Sometimes a term may begin as a pejorative word and eventually be adopted in a non-pejorative sense...
names for other types of unpleasant, aggressive woman. Nevertheless, the term is still sometimes used of men. The Australian politician
Kim BeazleyKim Christian Beazley, AC , son of Kim Edward Beazley, is an Australian politician and academic, who was Leader of the Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1996 to 2001 and from 2005 to 2006. As of 2007 he is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the...
labelled a male opponent a termagant.
Other Termagants
is a longstanding ship's name in the British
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
.
- In the fictional Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
universe, Termagaunts are a type of tyranid, creatures that resemble dinosaurs or insects.
- In the microgame
A microgame is a board game or wargame packaged in a small set. Microgames enjoyed popularity during the 1980s...
Chitin:1 The Harvest Wars, published by MetagamingMetagaming Concepts was a publisher of board games from 1975 to 1983 owned by Howard Thompson. Metagaming created and popularized the microgame format. It specialized in science fiction wargames; titles included Ogre, G.E.V., Godsfire, Stellar Conquest and WarpWar...
, Termagant was a type of ground unit
- In Jack Vance
John Holbrook Vance is an American fantasy and science fiction author. Most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance. Vance has published 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and 3 as Ellery Queen...
's book The Dragon Masters"The Dragon Masters" is a science fiction novella by American author Jack Vance. It was first published in Galaxy magazine, August 1962, and in 1963 in book form, as half of Ace Double F-185...
, a sub-species of "dragon" is the man-sized termagant
- In Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle
"Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving published in 1819, as well as the name of the story's fictional protagonist. Written while Irving was living in Birmingham, England, it was part of a collection entitled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon...
", Dame Van Winkle is described by the narrator as being a "termagant wife".
External links