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Article published In: Advances in Gothic Philology and Linguistics
Edited by Alexandra Holsting and Hans Frede Nielsen †
[NOWELE 71:2] 2018
► pp. 142–160

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Treasures and wondrous objects in Gothic Toledo and Muslim Medieval culture

 | Universidad de Alcalá
Published online: 21 June 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1075/nowele.00009.gom
Abstract
The aim of the present contribution is twofold. On the one hand we shall discuss the background of some Islamic legends about places and wondrous objects – holy relics of the past – that had once been in the possession of the Gothic monarchy by inheritance, but were subsequently lost or looted out of al-Andalus by the Muslim leaders. On the other hand our study is concerned with the relationship between the content of the legends in question and the “loss of Spain” in a more general sense, i.e. not only the loss of these objects by the Christian Goths subsequent to their loss of power in Spain, but also their disappearance from Muslim ownership. Besides, the legends possess a moral core, which is interesting in its own right: the way in which they are viewed in the Muslim sources, the locations and objects they describe, and their relationship to the Gothic monarchy may provide the modern reader with an insight into the striking vision of the past held by the invading Muslim culture.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The special significance of Toledo in the Arab-Islamic cultural world
  • 3.King Solomon’s table
    • 3.1The table
    • 3.2The arrival of King Solomon’s table in Toledo
    • 3.3The discovery and loss of the fabulous Table
    • 3.4Solomon’s table in Toledo, Rome, Constantinople and Bagdad
  • 4.The Locked Mansion and the Locked Chest
  • 5.The Mansion of the kings
  • 6.The pitcher of pearls and the Phosphorescent Stone
  • 7.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • Primary sources and their editions
  • References
References (41)
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