Mythology... if you have the slightest clue please help.?

Question

So I'm trying to find information from "worthy" sources about Arabian Mythology. If you could please give me a few cites or just tell me what you know about Arabic Mythology, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

The book "Arabian Nights" is an excellent source for Arabic Mythology. It was actually written about 1,150 years ago or so (it first appeared around AD 850).
The most famous city in Arabian Nights is of course Bagdad. This is the story of Shaharizad (I have no idea if my spelling is correct), who the king was going to kill because he only weds virgins and then kills them after the first night of marriage due to fear of infidelity (his first wife was unfaithful and so this is why he does this). She was able to avert her death by telling the king a story each night for 1,000 nights, at which time the king fell in love with her and didn't want to kill her anymore. The stories she tells are the Arabian folklore (as well as some Indian and Persian folklore).
Some of the famous stories are about Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and I think Aladin and the lamp. This is a really good book for Arabic mythology, and since it was written so long ago by an Arab composing of retold folklore, I would take it as being one of the best sources for Arabic mythology.
Hope this is what you were looking for. If you want more info. on any of the stories, you can email me.

Answer 2

Arabian mythology comprises the ancient, pre-Islamic beliefs of the Arabs. Prior to the arrival and initial codification of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula in 622 CE, year one of the Islamic calendar, the physical centre of Islam, the Kaaba of Mecca, did not hold only the single symbol of "the God" as it does now. The Kaaba was instead covered in symbols representing the myriad demons, djinn, demigods and other assorted creatures which represented the profoundly polytheistic environment of pre-Islamic Arabia. We can infer from this plurality an exceptionally broad context in which mythology could flourish.


[edit] Relation with Islamic mythology
Stories of genies, magic lamps, flying carpets, and wishes contained in tales from the Arabian Nights and other works have been passed down through the generations. Islamic mythology has probably been influenced to a large degree by Arabian mythology and the two are often difficult to distinguish.

The concept of the Evil Eye is mentioned in the Qur'an, in Surat al-Falaq (in which one is told to seek refuge "from the mischief of the envious one as he envies"). The Hand of Fatima is sometimes used to neutralize the effect of Evil Eye, though its use is forbidden in Islam, as are all talismans and superstitions. Among traditional muslims, various verses from the Qur'an such as an-Nas and al-Falaq are sometimes recited for blessing, or protection from such superstitions.

Check the link above and find out more information by clicking on the names in blue.
Hope it will serve.

Answer 3

The Sumerians and Babylonians were both what would be considered Arabian. (They were settled in modern day Iraq). They both have a very rich history of mythology including gods that even the Egyptians and later Greeks borrowed. I recently read a book about mythology that included this and it was great. (Sorry, forgot the name) The Sumerian story of Gilgamesh even includes a part about a great flood that was written centuries before the story of Noah. Another story about Babylon explains who the Golden calf represents in the famous Moses Bible story.

Answer 4

sorry the only thing I could find was wikipedia.

Answer 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_mythology
This is always a good one