Termagant
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Termagant, in Medieval European fantasy, was the fictional name given to a supposed deity worshipped by Muslims.
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Origin of the concept
Through ignorance or wilful disregard of Muslim monotheism for the sake of propaganda, European literature from the Middle Ages often referred to Muslims as "pagans", or by sobriquets such as the paynim foe. These false and deliberately offensive depictions represent Muslims worshipping Muhammad as a god, and depict them worshipping various deities in the form of "idols" (cult images), ranging from Apollo to Lucifer, but their chief deity was thought to be "Termagent".
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, which is used in Islamic imagery. An Anglo-Saxon origin has also been suggested, from tyr magan ("very mighty"), referring to the pagan god Tyr. Another possibility is that it derives from a confusion between Muslims and the Zoroastrian Magi of ancient Iran: 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 geste. In the English romance Syr Guy, a Sultan swears an oath:
- So helpe me, Mahoune, of might,
- And Termagaunt, my God so bright.
In the Chanson de Roland, the Muslims, having lost the battle of Roncesvalles, desecrate their "pagan idols":
- They strip the fire-red gem off Termagant
- And throw Mohammed down into a ditch. . . .
In Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the Tale of Sir Thopas (supposed to be told by Chaucer himself on the pilgrimage) is a parody of these chivalric romances. In the tale, a giant knight named "Sir Oliphaunt" is made to swear an oath by Termagant.
Termagant also became a stock character in a number of medieval mystery plays. On the stage, Termagant was usually depicted as a turbanned creature who wore a long, Eastern style gown. As a stage-villain, he would rant at and threaten the lesser villains who were his servants and worshippers.
"Termagant" as a shrewish woman
By Shakespeare's day the term had come to refer to a bullying person. Henry IV contains a reference to "that hot termagant Scot". "Herod" was also a character from mediaeval drama that was famous for ranting, hence the disparaging referral to him and to Termagant in Hamlet's dramatic directions to the Player-King.
Mainly because of Termagent's depiction in long gowns, 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 to be applied to a shrewish woman who was a common scold, and thus the name usually applies today to a noisily aggressive woman.
Virago and shrew are also pejorative names for noisily angry and verbally abusive women.
External links
- Termagant: The Mavens' Word of the Day