From the Encircling Ocean
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of northern Spain and the Lombards (al-Nukubarda), of whom he says that ‘their country extends to the West and their location is in the North’ (AlMas’ūdī Murūj, vol.2: 151). He was little clearer in describing the adverse effect of the climate of the North on its peoples: In the extreme North . . . where the influence of the sun is rather alleviated and the regions abound in cold, moisture and snow, the people are characterized by good physique, rude behaviour, slow speech, harsh tongues, white complexion, thick flesh, blue eyes, thin skin, curly and red hair. All these characteristics are found due to the predominance of moisture in their lands, and their cold nature does not encourage firmness of religious belief. Those living further North are characterised by dullness of mind, harsh behaviour and barbarism. (Al-Mas’ūdī Kitāb al-Tanbih: 23–24, trans.: 38)
An anonymous Book of Wonders (Kitāb al-ajā’ib) previously attributed to alMas’ūdī but dating perhaps from the twelfth century, amplified this description: Concerning . . . Majūs who worship the sun. They live by a pleasant sea that runs from the region of the North to the South and also a sea that runs from the West to the East until it meets another sea that runs from the direction of the Bulgars. They have many rivers which are all in the North and they do not have a salt-water sea because their land is far from the sun, and their water is sweet. No one lives in the North because of the cold and frequent earthquakes. Many of their tribes are Majūs whose bodies are burned by fire which they worship. There are many towns and fortresses and they have churches with bells hanging in them . . . Among them is a people between the Saqāliba (Slavs) and the Ifranja (Europeans) of the faith of the Sabians who profess worship of the stars. (Seippel vol.1: 127–128)
Al-Mas’ūdī probably knew that these Majūs were not Zoroastrians, whose beliefs he describes in some detail, having travelled in Iran, talked with Zoroastrian priests, read their religious texts and visited their fire temples. But false etymology and the desire to include all the information at his disposal led him to attribute some of their practices to the men of the North just because they too are labelled Majūs. It was these people who attacked al-Andalus: Before the year 300/912–913 ships returned to al-Andalus by sea bearing a thousand of the Aghart/Faghart people to her shores (the derivation of this