The magical transformation contest in the ancient storytelling tradition

Abstract

The magical transformation contest, a story-pattern widespread in folk tradition, occurs in two main variations: the competing sorcerers may metamorphose themselves into various beings or create these beings by magical means. In either case, the winning contestant brings forth stronger creatures which surpass those of his opponent. The second variant was favoured in the ancient Near East (Sumer, Egypt, Israel); the first one is traceable in Greek myths of shape-shifters (e.g. Zeus and Nemesis). The story-pattern may have influenced an episode of the Alexander Romance (1.36-38), in which Darius sends symbolic gifts to Alexander and the two enemy monarchs offer contrasting explanations of them. This Greek story rationalizes the fairytale contest, transferring the fantastic feats of miraculous creations to a secondary but realistic level of linguistic metaphor.