Termagant

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In Medieval Europe, Termagant was the name given to a supposed deity worshiped by Muslims.

1 Origin of the concept
2 Termagant in literature
3 "Termagant" as a shrewish woman
4 Other Termagants
5 Reference
6 External links

[edit] Origin of the concept

European literature from the Middle Ages often referred to Muslims as pagans, or by sobriquets such as the paynim foe. These depictions represent Muslims worshiping Muhammad as a god, and depict them worshiping various deities in the form of idols (cult images), ranging from Apollo to Lucifer, but their chief deity was typically named Termagant, rather than Allah. In fact, the Qur'an, Muhammad and Muslim scholars have always emphasised that there is only one God. They were strictly opposed to polytheism.

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, because of the Islamic use of crescent moon imagery. An Anglo-Saxon origin has also been suggested, from tyr magan ("very mighty"), referring to the Germanic 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".

[edit] 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 help me, Mahoune, of might,

And Termagant, 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 worshipers.

[edit] "Termagant" as a shrewish woman

Because of the theatrical tradition, by Shakespeare's day the term had come to refer to a bullying person. Henry IV contains a reference to "that hot termagant Scot". In Hamlet the hero says of ham actors that "I would have such a fellow whipped for o'er-doing Termagant, it out-Herod's Herod". Herod, like Termagent, was also a character from medieval drama who was famous for ranting.

Mainly because of Termagant'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 applied to a woman with a quarrelsome, scolding quality, and thus the name applies today to a quarrelsome, scolding woman.

Virago and shrew are also pejorative names for other types of unpleasant, aggressive woman.

[edit] Other Termagants

HMS Termagant is a longstanding ship's name in the British Royal Navy.
In the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe, Termagants are a type of tyranid, creatures that resemble dinosaurs or insects.
In Jack Vance's book, The Dragon Masters, a sub-species of "dragon" is man-sized termagant