Thursday, December 29, 2005

Arthur of Arabia

I'm not a scholar of history or chivalry, so maybe that's why this was my first time to hear such an explanation.

One of the most fruitful encounters of Christianity with Arabism took place in northwestern Arabia, in Hijaz, the sphere of indirect Byzantine influence. The federate tribe of 'Udra lived in this region and adopted Christianity quite early in the Byzantine period. Among its many achievements was a special type of poetry, known as 'Udrl or 'Udrite, which was inspired by a special type of love, also called 'Udrn. It is practically certain that this type of love and poetry appeared under the influence of Christianity in pre-Islamic times, although it may later have had an Islamic component. It represents the fruitful encounter of the chivalrous attitude toward women in pre-Islamic Arabia and the spiritualization of this attitude through the refining influence of Christianity. Through the Arab Conquests it appeared as amour courtouis in western Christendom, whose religion had inspired it in the first place.

You can read this here under VII, number 6. It's interesting. Is it possible? Maybe you can tell me.

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