Gog and Magog : the renditions of Alexander the Great from the context of different pre-Islamic to Islamic traditions

Abstract

This article follows the one published in Verbum et Ecclesia (Sukdaven & Ahmed, 2017: 1-10) which is associated with the Timbuktu Project at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. A translated edition of the manuscript ‘Qissat Dhul Qurnain: The story of the “Two Horned King” known as Alexander the Great’ makes reference to Gog and Magog (Sukdaven et al., 2015: 106-108). This article addresses two issues. Firstly, to place into context the current manuscript within a plethora of other renderings of Alexander the Great within other traditions commonly regarded as the ‘Alexander Romance’. Much has been written about the Alexander Romance and this article attempts to summarise the different traditions of the Alexander Romance as a precursor to the article. Secondly, in as much as this manuscript addresses many themes, the article will focus only on the theme surrounding Gog and Magog in the different Alexander Romance stories pre and post Islamic traditions.