The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman
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Acclaim for The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman
“A gift and a wonder, deftly capturing the nuance and flavor of these tales for a new generation. As someone who’s waited untold years to read these stories: thank you, thank you, thank you.”
—Jason Porath, author of Rejected Princesses
“In her beautiful translation, Melanie Magidow captures the forceful yet melodic language of this epic. It is an epic that reveals the wisdom of women through the centuries while tackling issues of gender, color, race, beauty, courage, and war that are pertinent to our times. Indispensable to any library, it should be taught to generations of readers all over the world. One has to be grateful to Magidow for editing and translating it: not only does it contribute to the knowledge of humanity and promote acceptance and tolerance, but it is also a page-turner and really fun to read.”
—Reem Bassiouney, author of The Pistachio Seller
“This powerful epic with its all-conquering heroine brings the world of Arab chivalry to blazing life, in a wonderful translation with a very informative introduction.”
—Humphrey Davies, award-winning translator of Naguib Mahfouz, Elias Khoury, and Alaa al-Aswany
“By combining delightful, accessible prose with painstaking research and academic rigor, Melanie Magidow has brought medieval Arab history and its narrative traditions to life for a contemporary audience.”
—Nancy Roberts, award-winning translator of Naguib Mahfouz, Salwa Bakr, and Ibrahim Nasrallah
“Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman, Fiend of Bani Tayy, Paragon of Ambition, bursts from the pages of this book in glorious splendor, in this timeless tale of a woman’s unwavering commitment to her ideals and beliefs in a hostile and patriarchal world. Throughout her epic battles against Arab tribesmen and Byzantine armies, this unconquerable warrior proves unwavering in her adherence to her code of conduct. Congratulations to Melanie Magidow, her intrepid translator, for such a deft, pacy, intelligent, and fresh translation.”
—James E. Montgomery, University of Cambridge
“An emotive, dynamic rendering that exquisitely captures the spirit of the original text, the variety of its characters, and the versatility of its messages. The Tale of Princess Fatima has much to tell us about what it has meant—in different times and places—to be a hero.”
—Rachel Schine, University of Colorado Boulder
“Melanie Magidow’s eminently readable translation brings to life the excitement and adventure of this female hero from the early medieval Islamic world. Fatima is a nuanced heroine who composes poetry, fends off potential rapists, wins battles, tricks villains, and governs her kingdom in a turbulent world. [The Tale of Princess Fatima] provides us with a warrior, mother, politician, and strategist for the ages.”
—Mary Dockray-Miller, Lesley University
“This engaging and reader-friendly translation brings to life a very important moment in world history, capturing through epic proportions the timeless social issues of race, gender, and class.”
—Heidi Morrison, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
“Dr. Magidow’s selection and translation of this timeless Arabic epic is a watershed event in the history of Arabic literature in the west. The translation is a work of art unto itself. And going against the grain of stereotypes and orientalism, the translation turns the perennial problem of patriarchy and hypermasculinity on its head and reverberates with themes in Shahrazad’s stories, the poetry of Hujayja of the Banu Shaban, Rabi‘a al-Adawiyya, and Wallada bint al-Mustakfi. Readers are generously rewarded as they witness the intrepid spirit of Fatima.”
—Samer Ali, University of Michigan
penguin classics
THE TALE OF PRINCESS FATIMA, WARRIOR WOMAN
melanie magidow is an independent scholar and professional translator with a PhD in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from the University of Texas at Austin. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Fulbright Commission. She lives in Rhode Island.
PENGUIN BOOKS
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
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Translation, introduction, and notes © 2021 by Melanie Magidow
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.
Originally published, in 1980, in Arabic as Sīrat al-amīra Dhāt al-Himma wa-waladihā ‘Abd‘Abd al-Wahhāb by Al-Maktaba al-Sha‘biyya, Beirut.
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Names: Magidow, Melanie, editor.
Title: The tale of Princess Fatima, warrior woman : the Arabic epic of Dhat
al-Himma / edited, translated, and with an introduction and notes by
Melanie Magidow.
Other titles: Sīrat al-Amīrah Dhāt al-Himmah. English.
Description: New York : Penguin, 2021. | Includes bibliographical
references. | Translated from Arabic.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021006285 (print) | LCCN 2021006286 (ebook) | ISBN 9780143134268 (paperback) | ISBN 9780525506034 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Epic poetry, Arabic—Translations into English. | Women
heroes—Arab countries—Folklore.
Classification: LCC GR268.A73 S5513 2021 (print) | LCC GR268.A73 (ebook) | DDC 398.20953—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006285
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006286
Adapted for ebook by Estelle Malmed
Cover illustration: Em Niwa
pid_prh_5.7.1_c0_r0
Contents
Introduction by MELANIE MAGIDOW
A Note on the Translation
Acknowledgments
Suggestions for Further Reading
A Note on Pronunciation
Principal Characters
THE TALE OF PRINCESS FATIMA, WARRIOR WOMAN
Ancestors: The Opening Episode of the Epic
Jundaba’s Childhood and First Adventure
The Romance of Layla and Sahsah
Fatima Uprooted
The Sorry Affair of Fatima’s Marriage
Arab-Byzantine Encounters
Trials of Motherhood
Switching Sides
Like Mother, Like Son
The Story of Nura
A Final Adventure
Notes
Introduction
This book presents selected episodes from the life of the Arab heroine Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman, drawn from the longest Arabic sira,* or epic—the only one named for a woman—and introduces readers to the epic’s memorable characters and their fascinating world. In Arabic, the epic is titled Sirat al-amira Dhat al-Himma, meaning Epic of the Commander Dhat al-Himma. The term amira can be translated as “Princess,” “Warrior Woman,” or “Commander,” among other possibilities. It is a noun of feminine gender and signifies a title of respect and a position of authority.1 As for the name Dhat al-Himma, it can be translated literally as “She of Noble Ambition.” It is a nicknam
e the main character earns through success in her adventures. At birth, she was named Fatima, but as a heroine, she became Dhat al-Himma. This is her story, her sira.
The events of Sirat al-amira take place from the late seventh century through the ninth century CE, with allusions to events that would happen in the tenth century, during the Arab-Byzantine wars.2 The action begins in the Arabian Peninsula and then moves north to the Arab-Byzantine border (today’s Syria-Turkey border). It follows the adventures of Princess Fatima, her son, and their posse of friends as they move back and forth primarily in the borderlands, with visits to Constantinople and to the caliph’s court in Baghdad. For the Byzantines, the translator has opted to retain the Arabic term, the Rum, to convey the fundamental sense in which these are simply people (whether soldiers or civilians) from the other side of the border.3
This sira resembles many other heroic tales in world literature. Like in Marvel comics, many of its characters display superhuman abilities that they use to save and to destroy. Like the Chinese heroine Mulan, Princess Fatima proves herself a warrior as a young woman, in a culture in which men dominate the martial arts. Of all the Arabic epics that have come down to us, this one most closely resembles the British tale of Arthur, particularly in the constellation of male and female heroes that surround Princess Fatima, similar to Arthur’s round table of knights (although his knights were all men). We also find similarities to the Robin Hood legend, in that it includes several famous characters: Robin Hood, Little John, King Richard the Lionheart, and Maid Marian for example. The characters engage a strong sense of right and wrong, but sometimes the villain is the one you root for, like when Robin Hood breaks the law to feed the poor. And the setting of the epic, the Arab-Byzantine borderlands, is a liminal space like Sherwood Forest, a mysterious place outside of regulated, urban society, where it seems that anything can happen.
GENRE
This epic developed as a cycle of stories celebrating the tribe of Bani Kilab through its heroes and their adventures.4 The term sira has been variously rendered into English as “epic” (a narrative of heroic journeys that cohere into the formation of a nation or community, originating from studies of ancient Greek narrative poetry), “saga” (emphasizing its focus on a heroic family, originating from the study of Old Norse/Icelandic narrative poetry), and “romance” (a narrative of adventures, misadventures, and aimless wanderings, originating from medieval European narrative poetry). Derived from the verb “to go,” as in going through life or walking down a path, it refers to a life story, connoting an exemplary life.5 In the context of popular epics that were created and passed down in oral performance, the sira combines historical persons and events with imaginary characters and situations.
The relationship between sira and history is a close one. The printed version on which this translation is based opens with a religious paragraph that includes quotations from the Quran. Then it names the famous heroes of the Bani Kilab tribe who feature in this epic and provides an isnad, or chain of transmission, in accord with oral traditions that lay claim to authenticity by tracing a genealogy of narration and factuality:
The one[s] who narrated this amazing epic, and the strange, outlandish events it contains, [are] ʿAli ibn Musa al-Maqanibi, Al-Mahzab ibn Bakr al-Mazini, Salih al-Jaʿfari, Yazid ibn ʿAmmar al-Muzani, ʿAbdullah ibn Wahb al-Yamani, ʿAwf ibn Fahd al-Fazari, Saʿd ibn Malik al-Tamimi, Ahmad al-Shimshati, Sabir al-Maraʿashi, and Najd ibn Hisham al-ʿAmiri. . . . All said that there was no one among the Arabs in the time of the Umayyads, not even the elite people of Maʿadd ibn ʿAdnan, more brave, strong, capable, persevering, dangerous, knowledgeable, proud, wise, of a nobler genealogy, or stronger in battle than Bani Kilab.6
Having located the opening setting in Yemen during the reign of ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwan (685–705 CE), in a context of tribal competition, the narrator focuses on a series of heroes, beginning with the great-great-grandfather of Princess Fatima.7 The sira includes a distinctly anti-Umayyad flavor, focusing on the establishment and the wonders of Baghdad, the capital of the succeeding Abbasid caliphate, a city long celebrated in Arabic literature. In doing so, it echoes the tone of many histories about that period from the scholarly tradition in Arabic.
At the same time, epic hero cycles, like other orally performed genres, include imaginary elements. Whereas The Arabian Nights is constructed with a framing device, hero cycles have a linking construction, in which the episodes of a hero’s life or a hero’s clan are linked.8 The numerous episodes of this epic read like a train of thought, frequently moving from one setting to another. The flexibility of section lengths and endings enables storytellers to resolve a conflict in the story or to leave the audience in suspense, according to their own discretion, and to tailor a storytelling session to the audience, often building on a standard episode several times. Sirat al-amira Dhat al-Himma stands out for being particularly suspenseful. The storytellers use narrative techniques to build tension and return to characters and storylines numerous times, sometimes over long stretches, somehow finding new ways every time to increase interest through drama such as raised stakes, revealing new information, or concluding an earlier plot point.9
As a genre, the epic may be considered the story of a hero’s life cycle. The first stage in the hero’s life generally consists of exceptional birth, childhood, and development. Fatima looks like a ten-year-old when she is only five.10 Soon thereafter, she is captured during a raid and grows up as a prisoner of war in a foreign camp, where she is assigned the task of herding camels and horses. In the fields, she rides horses and teaches herself the arts of combat. This sojourn allows her to become an exceptional young woman without violating social norms. She makes weapons out of sticks and reeds and learns methods of attack and defense. The exploits of young heroes lead naturally to accomplishment as warriors, defending their people. Fatima departs from typical women’s roles in order to conduct raids and lead warriors into battle. Her combat skills ensure that she can defend herself and her virtue, without which she could not defend her tribe. As the warrior in traditional epics matures, his or her exploits lead increasingly to positions of leadership and rulership. In her later years, Fatima’s power expands and she becomes a respected authority. From an early age, she upholds communal values such as hospitality, and she comes to support the ruling order of society by uniting the Bedouin tribes of her region in the service of the caliph.11
The sira genre developed in oral tradition, but the trail of handwritten manuscripts is also long. In the twentieth century, printed texts provided a reference for storytellers who continued to entertain audiences with live performances. The creators of Arabic epics sought to entertain and to make a livelihood. The latter meant that they could, and often did, respond to local audience preferences with tones of moralizing, social commentary, recording history, or documenting famous legends.
Arabic epics were performed in nonelite social settings, allowing for common language and humor. Nevertheless, the freedom of creating imaginary fiction precipitated some differences of opinion in medieval Islamic culture regarding its legality and prudence.12 Perhaps this is partly why at every level, the popular narrative seeks religious legitimation to affirm its place in cultural heritage (in addition to the performance functions of references to God to stimulate vocal participation).13 The characters’ speeches, performers, and books all open with praise of God, thus establishing the sira as an art form beyond reproach in societies guided publicly by religious discourse.
Narrative genres in the Arabic tradition normally comprise both poetry and prose; they differ not in content but in function. Arabic and Islamic histories, from their earliest examples, contained poetry; thus the presence of poetry is an integral part of establishing narrative credibility. The passages of poetry in this epic also express emotions and perform eloquence. Characters may express themselves in poetry to gain the sympathy of the audience, similar to actors bursting into song in musicals or operas
. Many of the poems in this epic also contribute to the action of the sira. Poems can emphasize and enhance an event, and lend it authenticity, and the narrative may also build up to particularly expressive poetry. Through poetry, the audience glimpses characters’ inner selves, as speakers express the story as their own.14
The oral nature of Sirat al-amira draws in form and content from one of the oldest living literary traditions in the world. One of its distinguishing features is its underlying themes of identity, bravery, and the resilience of the fabric of society (despite its perceived fragility). It explores the tension between individual and community, the power of shared purpose, and the dangers of the murky borderlands between communities where anything is possible.
BORDERLANDS
Sirat Dhat al-Himma has been called “the quintessential frontier epic.”15 Two sets of border dynamics work in it: 1) the symbolic borderland of the hero as one who lies just outside of society, and 2) the political borderland between Arab and Byzantine territories. In the first sense, the events that occur in Sirat Dhat al-Himma could take place anywhere, with the hero crossing boundaries of age, gender, class, or social norms, whether by disguise or by transgressing social custom. In the second sense, the events of Sirat Dhat al-Himma reflect a rich variety of characters from the culturally diverse populations on both sides of the Arab-Byzantine border, trespassing boundaries of language, religion, and communal identity. Even the events that occur far from this border take place in both senses.
The setting of Sirat Dhat al-Himma shifts from Arabia and Iraq to Syria, Egypt, Byzantium, Morocco, and Spain, as well as vaguely remote and imaginary locations. However, most of the action occurs in the border region between the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic caliphate. The Arab and Byzantine powers were the two most prominent in the region during the time portrayed in this narrative. According to the historian Michael Bonner: