Blemmyae Analysis

The painting is taken from the Talbot Shrewsbury books, which features knights led by Alexander the Great, who have come face to face with medieval monsters known as “Blemmyae” (Headless men). The Blemmyae were based on a nomadic tribe called the Beja (ethnic group in Sudan) who were claimed to have first originated around 600 BC and lasted till the third century AD in Nubia (The Blemmyaes occupied a region in what is now modern-day Sudan. There were several cities such as Kalabsha, Ballana, Faras, and Aniba, all were fortified with walls, towers and mixtures of Egyptian, Hellenic, Roman and Nubian elements (Andrew Paul, A History of the Beja Tribes, 1954) Their culture was also under the influence of the Meroitic culture. Their religion was
Although they were said occur in two types: with their eyes, nose and mouth on their chest or purely with no head at all, and no facial features on their chest. Tales of the real Blemmyae hoisting their shoulders unusually high may have been the inspiration for these tales. having eyes and mouths on their chests (Maria L Gilbert, Medieval Monsters, 2015) Clearly a written monster, the Blemmyae had aspects which makes it a terrifying creature, for example just the idea of them being headless. The tales of these creatures also having human facial features on their bodies is what really gives it that animalistic touch, confirming it to be monstrous. Critic Laura Lunger Knoppers argued that “the Blemmyae represented stereotyped perception from other cultures.” (Page 46) I could see why Knoppers would argue this, as the Bejas were known to have been an extremist group who were feared by other ethnic groups in Sudan. People had therefore created a mythical depiction of them, which most ethnic groups assumed were
They filled in these gaps with fictitious stories of monsters, beasts and demons. The Native Americans themselves were thought to be demons at first, as anything new was considered a threat because the unknown was unfathomable. Therefore, a lack of geographic knowledge, especially of Africa, spawned things like the Blemmyae. The Blemmyae were often written about in tales with Knights fighting them, as they were portrayed as the savages who the Knights were getting rid of, in order to save the people of their villages. An example of this, is the painting above, regarding Alexander the Great – who seems to be confronting the Blemmyae with many other knights, in order to get rid of them. Later tales mixed with the Blemmyae in with the Anthropophagi, which means ‘man eater’. The Anthropophagi were cannibals said to roam in locations such as Africa and Asia. Thus, the Blemmyae became known as cannibalistic monsters. William Shakespeare had even referenced it his famous play Othello – “And importance in my travels’ history, Wherein of antres vast and deserts idle, Rough quarries, rocks and hills whose heads touch