Animal Fables of the Courtly Mediterranean: The Eugenian Recension of Stephanites and Ichnelates

The Animal Fables of the Courtly Mediterranean is a collection of stories and lessons on how to conduct oneself and succeed in life, featuring human and animal protagonists from the Sanskrit Panchatantra and Mahabharata. This work, translated by Symeon Seth from the Arabic, is a more complete version, originating in twelfth-century Sicily and connected with Admiral Eugenius of Palermo. It contains unique prefaces and reinstates the prologues and stories omitted by Seth.

Format: Hardback
Length: 528 pages
Publication date: 27 May 2022
Publisher: Harvard University Press

Animal Fables of the Courtly Mediterranean is a rich tapestry of tales and invaluable lessons, offering guidance on how to navigate life and achieve success, often employing cleverness rather than moral uprightness. These captivating stories feature a diverse cast of characters, including human protagonists and numerous animal figures, with the two jackals Stephanites and Ichnelates serving as the inspiration for the book's name. Among the notable lion kings portrayed are Sarpedon, Tyndaridae, and Ninus.

At the core of this extraordinary work lies a collection of tales drawn from the revered Sanskrit texts, the Panchatantra and the Mahabharata. Over time, additional stories were incorporated into both the original Middle Persian collection and its renowned eighth-century Arabic translation, known as the Kalīla wa-Dimna. In the eleventh century, readers in the vibrant city of Constantinople were introduced to these captivating tales through an abridged Greek version, skillfully translated by Symeon Seth from the Arabic. However, the present offering is a more comprehensive rendition, originating in twelfth-century Sicily and closely associated with Admiral Eugenius of Palermo. It boasts unique prefaces and restores the prologues and stories that Seth omitted. By presenting this revised Byzantine Greek text accompanied by an English translation, we aim to provide a more complete and authentic account of these timeless fables.

Weight: 598g
Dimension: 144 x 214 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674271272