Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Si la montagne ne va pas à Mahomet, Mahomet ira à la montagne : jalons pour l’histoire d’un proverbe et de la légende qui en est à l’origine

Translated title of the contribution: [Machine translation] If the mountain does not go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the mountain: milestones for the history of a proverb and the legend that originated it

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

[Machine translation] The proverb “If the mountain does not go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the mountain” has been attested for several centuries in most European languages. Contrary to what one might think, its origin does not seem to go back to Muslim tradition but rather to anti-Muslim legends circulating in Eastern Christian communities in the Middle Ages. This study aims first to identify the context of origin and the dynamics of the propagation of the legend of Mohammed and the mountain, to then consider the emergence of various European proverbs from this legend as well as the first phases of irradiation of the paremiological model that is now dominant.
Translated title of the contribution[Machine translation] If the mountain does not go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the mountain: milestones for the history of a proverb and the legend that originated it
Original languageFrench
Title of host publicationAu Moyen Âge et par-delà : passeurs, transferts et échanges en Méditerranée. Hommage à John Tolan
PublisherPresses Universitaires de Rennes
Pages153-166
Number of pages14
ISBN (Print)979-10-413-0454-7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025

Keywords

  • Mahomet
  • montagne
  • proverbe
  • miracle

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of '[Machine translation] If the mountain does not go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the mountain: milestones for the history of a proverb and the legend that originated it'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this