The so-called Alexander Romance (also known as Pseudo-Kallisthenes, from the name of its putative author) is a heavily fictionalized composition concerning the life, exploits and death of Alexander the Great. The Alexander Romance is transmitted in a series of successive versions, which preserve the same essential storyline, but widely vary in terms of particular episodes, expression and style. The earliest recension α, represented in Greek by a single manuscript, was clearly composed in Roman times, around the 3rd century A.D. According to many scholars, the original form of the Alexander Romance was created in the same period, and recension α must be quite close to that authentic work — although dissidents such as Richard Stoneman have repeatedly made a case for a Hellenistic prototype. This pseudo-historical novel aἴὁut χlἷxaὀἶἷὄ’ὅ aἶvἷὀtuὄἷὅ iὅ laὄgἷly a ἴook made up of other books. Detailed researches into its sources have demonstrated that its author has amply drawn from earlier, originally independent works, many of them attested in Hellenistic or early Roman papyri.
- Notwithstanding such literary sources, several episodes of Pseudo Kallisthenes find striking analogues in the international folktale tradition, as well as in narrative lore of the ancient Near East. They fall in two broad categories: (1) “tales of wit”, ἵὁncerning clever heroes who display their wisdom in various ἵiὄἵumὅtaὀἵἷὅ. (β) “ἦalἷὅ ὁἸ wὁὀἶἷὄ”, aἴὁut ἷxtὄaὁὄἶiὀaὄy aἶvἷὀtuὄἷὅ ὁὄ maὄvἷlὅ encountered at distant places of the earth. I have selected two such narratives for discussion today. The first one exἷmpliἸiἷὅ thἷ Ἰaἴulὁuὅ “talἷὅ ὁἸ wὁὀἶἷὄ” iὀ their purest form. The second one is also based on a fantastic motif (a monstrous portent presaging the future), although in other respects it is akin to the first category: it centres upon a wise character who demonstrates his acumen by solving a puzzling problem.
- The first tale: The island that was a fish
- The earliest Greek text of Pseudo-Kallisthenes (codex A) contains a long letter addressed by Alexander to his teacher Aristotle and relating the extraordinary adventures of the Macedonian troops in India. The first reported incident takes place as the Greek army arrives at the city called Prasiakē, a great metropolis of the region. Nearby a promontory was jutting out into the sea. Alexander and a few of his companions moored their ship there and explored the place; it was inhabited by a tribe of effeminate people, subsisting on a diet of fish. Although they were speaking a foreign language, the Macedonian conqueror managed to communicate with them. They pointed out to him an island in the middle of the sea. There, they claimed, was the tomb of an ancient king, in which a lot of gold had been deposited. After that, the natives disappeared, leaving behind their twelve small boats. Contrary to Alexaὀἶἷὄ’ὅ ὁwὀ wish, his companions were unwilling to let him cross over to the island. One of them, Pheidon, proposed to sail himself there first and make sure that no danger was lurking. After some persuading, Alexander gave his permission, and Pheidon crossed over, taking a ὀumἴἷὄ ὁἸ mἷὀ with him. Hὁwἷvἷὄ, aὅ χlἷxaὀἶἷὄ’ὅ ὀaὄὄativἷ ἵὁὀἵluἶἷὅμ “χ littlἷ while after they had disembarked on the supposed island, the monster suddenly plunged down to the bottom of the sea. We cried out, but the beast disappeared; and all those men perished, along with my most faithful friend. I was exceedingly wroth; but I could not find the natives, however haὄἶ I ὅἷaὄἵhἷἶ”.
