Khairete,
I just found an online article, which is rather thought provoking.
This makes comparison of Alexander to Skanda, the son of Shiva and the Lord of war. (I found a similar link when researching his death and possible last resting place)
[url:2g5ts11o]http://murugan.org/research/gopalapillai.htm[/url]
Is Alexander still worshipped in the form of a God...?
regards
Arthes
I met Susan, who has put the Skanda article online, once in the British Museum. An intelligent and kind lady.
I do not know enough of ancient Indian history to be able to judge the theory, but I know that she traveled to Sri Lanka to meet a scholar and discuss it. She has not offered her theory without giving it very serious thought. This does not mean, as she will immediately admit, that she is right, but I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
I have seen lots of articles and heard oral tradition.
Alex made a great impact to these people and the amount of anecdotes or even superhuman legends about him is trully astonishing.
In my opinion though the kings of the Greko-Bactrian and Greko-Indian kingdoms, heirs to alexanders legasy (Menandros -Milinda for example) have more to do with this.
Kind regards
Khaire,
something that resulted from the 'Jesus in Japan' thread...
Another name for Alexander was Sikander
I checked out the meaning of Sikh.....all Sikh men have the religious name of Singh...which means 'lion'
The Sikh faith had it's origins fairly recently compared with most, but takes it's beliefs from much earlier..
Scroll down to the fresco on this page (second picture down).....and look at the guy on the left
http://www.sarbloh.info/htmls/faith_sanatan.html
I read somewhere that 'chandra' was another name of Alexander....
Chand/ra means something like 'shining as the moon', but Chandra can mean 'golden' or 'golden hued'.
If Alexander was fair skinned he would have appeared 'golden' to the more dusky Asians. Or maybe it was his shining panolpy...?
Another one of those coincidences or something more?
regards
Arthes
Quote:If Alexander was fair skinned he would have appeared 'golden' to the more dusky Asians. Or maybe it was his shining panolpy...?
Or his hair?
Quote:Or his hair?
Like all Greeks and other people from the southern Balkans, Alexander probably had dark hair. There is no evidence for blond hair, although Hollywood likes to portray him like, ahem, an Aryan.
Quote:Quote:Or his hair?
Like all Greeks and other people from the southern Balkans, Alexander probably had dark hair. There is no evidence for blond hair, although Hollywood likes to portray him like, ahem, an Aryan.
I thought he dyed it with saffron, hence the colour?
Colin Farrell did. :wink: But there's simply no evidence for Alexander's hair; at least not that I know of.
The length of time Alexander had been on campaign in hot countries, I would have though his hair fairly sun bleached..unless it was covered most of the time..
If he was a chesnut colour, that would have given it red gold - fiery red glints....I know that from my own hair..and he may well have washed it in something that lightened the colour.
The Gods and Goddesses of ancient Greece often had 'fair' hair and Alexander may have emulated this, as did others.
Fair skin doesn't always tan very well, any red generally means at least a few freckles....although 'fair' skin in Alexander's case could have been that honey gold sort of colour...
Incidentially my daughter takes after her father, both being dark haired and brown eyed.....like him she finds it hard to tan and emerges in freckles...
I have the possible colouring of Alexander....dark chesnuty hair, now sadly including an amount of silver and greeny grey eyes (those who look closely will also see yellow/amber).....I go red, even with suncream, as those who saw me at Watford will know :lol: which changes to a somewhat ruddy hued golden honey colour ..
Alexander could well have been tanned to a golden red colour with hair that had fiery red/gold glints in the sun......golden hued indeed... :wink:
(PS...The silver hair I will eventually have.. along with my eye colouring....indicates that I have Teleri Elven blood at least... :wink: :wink: )
regards
Arthes
Quote:(PS...The silver hair I will eventually have.. along with my eye colouring....indicates that I have Teleri Elven blood at least... Wink Wink)
I just turn more Orc every day. Uruk-Hai though :wink:
I just looked at some references on Alexnader dyeing his hair with saffron, and indeed it's not mentioned by Plutarch, although there is a clue he may have been blonde:
"Alexandron de ton Filippou apragmonos oraion legousi genesthai' tin men gar komin anasesyrthai afto, xanthin de einai'"
"Alexander the son of Philip is reported to have possessed a natural beauty: his hair was wavy and fair."...
Aelian (Varia Historae, 12.14)
[url:1jwfbvv8]http://www.grecoreport.com/The_Alexander_Movie.htm[/url]
But the 3rd C BCE depiction below that quote tells a different story.
That is the first time I have noticed that Alexander is wearing what looks like malachite eyeshadow in the mosaic..... 8)
His hair colouring ranges from reddish dark gold to reddish brown to sunbleached, streaked brown hair....
The first painting is obviously from the same time as the mosaic, as he has the sideburns...so that is 'sunbleached' I would think...the darker shade in the painting with Olympias is probably his natural colour.
My mother and aunt were both fair haired and blue eyed as youngsters, but their hair darkened later....that could have been the case with Alexander too...
Going with the 'lion's mane' shade on the lion hunt painting, would make him a tawny brown...but that could be to connect him with the lion...???
His eyes look dark, the right hand one is definitely brown in the mosaic, although that could be artistic licence in this case...for some reason I see him with greenish to greenish brown eyes..
In the mosaic, Alexander's skin looks a ruddy golden colour compared with the Persians..
Must closely study these Alexander pictures - :wink: :wink:
regards
Arthes
Bear in mind that the colour of ancient gold was much more vivid than the anaemic straw gold we have today.
Quote:Bear in mind that the colour of ancient gold was much more vivid than the anaemic straw gold we have today.
Thanks - I always had the impression that museum gold is brighter than the objects in my sister's beauty case. Now I am certain.
Quote:"Alexandron de ton Filippou apragmonos oraion legousi genesthai' tin men gar komin anasesyrthai afto, xanthin de einai'"
"Alexander the son of Philip is reported to have possessed a natural beauty: his hair was wavy and fair."...
Couldn't "fair" also mean that his hair was wavy and "attractive"?
Regards,
Khaire,
I suppose it depends on the general meaning of 'xanthin' in the Greek speaking world. It derives from xanthos, which means yellowish. it now describes a white microcrystalline compound.
I also wonder about the 'natural beauty'....which obviously means that artifical beauty must have been known amongst the men....dyed hair being one of the known 'artifaces'.
John Dryden translates.....
[url:1sfj6vf7]http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/alexandr.1b.txt[/url]
But Apelles, who drew him with thunderbolts in his hand, made his complexion browner and darker than it was naturally; for he was fair and of a light colour, passing into ruddiness in his face and upon his breast.
As mentioned previously, Alexander could have been fair haired as a child, his hair darkening later on. Or the description could have meant his skin was fairer than normal...which if Olympias was auburn haired...he may have inherited...
The other option is that 'oriental' blood in the genes had given Alexander's skin the paler 'yellowish' hue .... ?
It also depends on from where Plutarch took this description.....
was it from a young Alexander....or a sunburnt Alexander?
Why do most threads on Alexander always lead to discussion about his looks.... :lol: :lol:
regards
Arthes