Mahound and Mahoun are variant forms of the name

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

, often found in medieval and later European literature. The name has been used in the past by Christian writers to vilify Muhammad. It was especially connected to the demonization of Muhammad as inspiring a false religion. Annemarie Schimmel, ''Islam: An Introduction'', 1992.

William Montgomery Watt William Montgomery Watt (14 March 1909 – 24 October 2006) was a Scottish historian and orientalist. An Anglican priest, Watt served as Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Edinburgh from 1964 to 1979 and was also a prom ...

,''Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman'', Oxford University Press, 1961, p. 229

Pejorative connotations

According to

Bernard Lewis Bernard Lewis, (31 May 1916 – 19 May 2018) was a British-American historian specialized in Oriental studies. He was also known as a public intellectual and political commentator. Lewis was the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near ...

, the development of the concept started with a demonization followed by pagans. In the late medieval and early modern period around the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, Muhammad was accused of being a cunning imposter.Bernard Lewis (2002), p. 45. A similar belief was the claim that the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

worshipped an idol called "

Baphomet Baphomet is a figure incorporated across various occult and Western esotericism, Western esoteric traditions. During Trials of the Knights Templar, trials starting in 1307, the Knights Templar were accused of heresy for worshipping Baphomet as ...

", which was attached to the generic transliteration of the Muslim name "Mahomet".

In literature

The name appears in various medieval

mystery play Mystery plays and miracle plays (they are distinguished as two different forms although the terms are often used interchangeably) are among the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. Medieval mystery plays focused on the represe ...

s, in which Mahound is sometimes portrayed as a generic demon worshipped by villains such as Herod and the Pharaoh of the Exodus. One play depicts both

Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...

and his son

Herod Antipas Herod Antipas (, ''Hērṓidēs Antípas''; ) was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea. He bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "Herod the Tetrarch" and "King Herod" in the New Testament. He was a s ...

as worshipping Mahound,N-Town Cycle: The Death of Judas, and the Trials of Christ Before Pilate and Herod
, line 165. while in another play

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

encourages the Egyptians to pursue the Israelites into the Red Sea with the words: ''Heave up your hearts ay to Mahound''. In Scottish popular culture, the variant form "Mahoun" was also used as the name of the devil, who was called Old Mahoun.

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

wrote:

The Deil cam fiddlin thro' the town,
And danc'd awa wi' th'Exciseman;
And ilka wife cries auld Mahoun,
I wish you luck o' the prize, man.

G. K. Chesterton uses "Mahound" rather than "Mohammed" in his poem ''Lepanto''. More recently,

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...

, in his novel '' The Satanic Verses'', chose the name Mahound to refer to Muhammad as he appears in one character's dreams. In reference to the Burns' poem, the novel ''Child of the Moon'' features a character named "Mahoun" who is responsible for seducing others into satanic rituals.Valinora Troy's Review o
Child of the Moon
/ref>

References

{{reflist

External links

Companion to Medieval English Literature
Ethnic and religious slurs Given names Muhammad Fiction about Islam Baphomet

Pejorative connotations

In literature

See also

References

External links