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| Louis Girardot - Une fille du Maroc |
Un nouvel article sur l'Arabie, et plus précisément sur un thème sur lequel je voulais dès le début me pencher attentivement pour les Sables Périlleux : les femmes et leur place dans la société. C'est presque littéralement la première chose sur laquelle j'ai écrit en commençant le supplément, car cela faisait partie des éléments très clichés que je voulais détourner pour présenter une Arabie non pas obtus et rétrograde, mais "normale", avec ses biais culturels, ses défauts aussi bien que ses progrès. Bien évidemment, ce n'est pas pour autant que je voulais laisser complètement le cliché de côté, mais il est bien plus intéressant de se servir de ce genre d'éléments pour comparer une vision "occidentale" d'une culture, comme peuvent l'avoir les Bretonniens ou les Impériaux, à la réalité des populations. En parlant de clichés détournés, j'estime par ailleurs que l'inverse est vrai aussi : le cliché du barbare inculte existe dans la société arabienne pour décrire les habitants du Vieux Monde et, comme tout cliché, celui-ci se base sur des éléments "réels" (bien que fictifs, nous restons ici dans le cadre d'un univers de fiction, il n'est jamais inutile de le rappeler) mais largement amplifiés ou déformés par l'ignorance.
Voici donc un point sur la représentation de la femme arabienne dans Warhammer au travers des sources sur lesquelles je me suis basé. On y trouvera des passages sur des personnages précis, mais également des informations plus générales quand elles sont disponibles.
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| Andromède dans une copie du Livre des étoiles fixes de Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, vers le milieu du XIe siècle |
Je précise d'emblée que, même si j'utilise quelques peintures orientalistes comme illustration, je connais bien les problèmes de représentation de ce courant artistique, victime là encore autant des clichés et fantasmes sur le Moyen Orient que d'une mauvaise compréhension des structures sociales locales. Ces soucis portent cependant moins sur les détails vestimentaires ou architecturaux que sur une représentation trop souvent faussée du harem, réduit chez certains à une cage dorée coupée du monde extérieur et où les femmes passent leur temps couchées lascivement. Bien évidemment, c'est faux : j'ai voulu immédiatement rappeler, dans les Sables Périlleux, que le "harem" (qui désigne en premier lieu le groupe de femme et pas le lieu, d'où les guillemets ici) est en premier lieu un espace de culture, où les femmes apprennent musique, littérature et langues, et où les jeux de pouvoir s'exercent souvent entre concubines pour prendre l'ascendant sur leur suzerain et permettre à leurs enfants de devenir des héritiers légitimes. Par ailleurs, je ne fais pas de lien spécifique entre les images et les textes qu'elles accompagnent : ils 'agit simplement de montrer quelques magnifiques représentations de costumes traditionnels algériens, marocains, turcs, tunisiens, berbères, anatoliens, pour illustrer la diversité des couleurs, des styles et donc des traditions locales, diversité et richesse qu'on peut tout à fait appliquer à l'Arabie de Warhammer.
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| Bol à friture représentant cinq femmes et un homme (tout à gauche), à Kashan, Iran |
Autre rappel (déjà fait plus haut, mais ce n'est jamais inutile à mon sens), Warhammer est un univers de fiction qui reprend les clichés de notre monde bien réels pour offrir un contexte cynique ou parodique de nos sociétés terrestres. Si la Bretonnie est un patchwork d'une Angleterre arthurienne et d'une France boueuse (soupir...), l'Empire est une version fictive et fantasy du Saint Empire Romain Germanique des Habsbourg. Il en va de même pour l'Arabie qui, dans ses diverses apparitions, est essentiellement un mélange (mâtiné de fantasy) d'une péninsule arabique pré-islamique, de l'Empire ottoman et d'autres éléments comme les tribus berbères. L'inspiration est évidente et logique, récurrente dans les univers de fantasy présentant une civilisation "arabe" : les Contes des Milles et Une Nuits et l'Empire ottoman, soit les textes proche-orientaux les plus connus en Occident (je ne ferai pas de débat sur l'origine des textes en question, ce n'est pas le sujet) et la période souvent considérée comme l'âge d'or de l'islam. Et c'est sur ce dernier point que j'insiste : si Warhammer s'inspire du monde musulman de notre Terre, les Arabiens de Warhammer ne sont pas musulmans et n'ont pas à être considérés comme tels. J'évite autant que possible de parler d'islam en général mais, étant donné les influences, la comparaison revient invariablement. J'insiste donc sur ce point : j'évoque ici des clichés du monde arabe ou perse, certains étant liés à l'islam, mais je ne parle pas d'islam. En particulier et puisque c'est le sujet, on tend à notre époque à présenter la femme musulmane uniquement sous un prisme d'un islam rigoriste alors qu'historiquement, son rôle, sa place et par exemple son habillement est extrêmement varié et bien moins caricatural que ce qu'on veut bien voir aujourd'hui. Je reviendrai sur ce point en conclusion mais je rappelle donc ici que je parle de clichés de notre monde (y compris, en l'occurrence, sur l'habillement) et leur transposition dans un univers de fiction. Je ne lance pas de débat théologique et ne remet, justement, pas en cause les choix des uns et des autres. Bien au contraire, j'appuie sur le fait que les clichés modernes ne représentent pas une réalité historique et je trouve l'uniformisation bien malheureuse.
Passé ce long rappel que je me sens forcé de faire, revenons au sujet.
Cendenai
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| Remzi Taşkıran |
The Voyage South de Nicola Griffith présente l'expédition houleuse d'un frère et d'une sœur bretonniens, qui les amènera à croiser la route d'une flotte arabienne. Je ne développerai pas plus sur le récit, car il n'est pas important en soi ici. En revanche, un des personnages illustre assez bien la façon dont la place de la femme arabienne peut être envisagée. Cendenai est la fille du Sultan d'Aiir, Hamqa le Divin. Voici la façon dont il la présente aux personnages principaux :
"Ah. Introductions, then. Mademoiselle de Courtivron, allow me to introduce myself and my companions. My beloved daughter, Cendenai, captain of the Aramam." He pointed down the table to his left. "Next to her, Mousaou Salah, captain of my fleet. On my right is Adiffrah el Deheb, second steward."
Cendenai n'est donc pas que la fille du sultan, c'est également le capitaine d'un des navires de sa flotte, et même de son navire amiral :
Ariel thought about that for a while, then it was her turn to blush. "You captain his flagship," she pointed out.
Personnalité importante du royaume, donc, elle n'en reste pas moins soumise à l'autorité de son père :
"Only for as long as he allows it. He can take it away from me any time. He likes to remind me of that."
"Will he?"
"No. I'm one of the best he has" - Ariel could imagine that - "and in his way, he is proud of me."
Un autre passage :
"It has been a custom amongst the male line of the suzerains of Sadiz that the woman from their harem who last had sexual congress with the husband wears an item of the husband's clothing to show her status as favourite. My father's remark is his way of reminding me I'm a woman and should stick to... women's ways."
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| Julius Rolshoven - Bédouines tunisiennes |
Le fait qu'à la fin du récit Ariel de Courtivron porte une des robes de Cendenai et que soit explicitement précisé me laisse penser que la relation entre les deux personnages est ainsi plus qu'amicale. Mais la question n'est pas là. Pour résumer nous avons ici un personnage féminin fort, en position d'autorité dans la hiérarchie militaire d'un royaume arabien. Elle n'en reste pas moins soumise à son père, mais il est difficile de savoir si cela est dû à sa position familiale (c'est son père), ou militaire (c'est son roi). Toujours est-il que le récit ne montre pas spécialement d'hostilité de l'équipage vis-à-vis de Cendenai et il n'y a donc visiblement aucun problème à ce qu'une femme puisse commander un navire ou obtenir un rang élevé dans l'armée. Là encore, il est délicat de dire si cela vient de sa position (fille du sultan) ou de ses compétences, mais dans la mesure où il n'y a pas d'allusion extérieure, il n'y a aucune raison de penser que ses troupes ne la respectent pas en tant officier militaire.
Cette question de l'habillement fait suite à un autre passage :
Hamqa smiled complacently. "She looks well in your robe, daughter."
Cendenai tensed; it was slight but Ariel noticed. She cleared her throat, wondered what the correct form of address was.
Difficile de savoir ici si Hamqa ironise sur les préférences de sa fille ou sur le fait qu'il préférerait la voir porter des vêtements féminins, impliquant par là qu'il désapprouve son engagement militaire, mais Cendenai pense qu'il s'agit de la seconde option. Les différents passages ci-dessous tendent à impliquer que Hamqa consent globalement à céder à un caprice de sa fille, à savoir être le capitaine d'un navire et un officier militaire, mais qu'il serait capable de lui retirer ceci d'un claquement de doigt si elle le contrariait. Une fois encore, difficile de savoir réellement avec ces passages si il s'agit d'une lubie d'un père, d'une situation généralisée parmi les femmes, si cette position particulière vient de son rang sociale.
Autre présence féminine à bord, qui semble ne poser aucun problème à qui que ce soit, Djellah est la petite sœur de Cendenai. C'est elle qui fournit la robe de sa sœur à Ariel par ailleurs, lui proposant également de lui montrer comme elle se met. C'est un détail, mais la robe est bleue, loin d'un cliché de tenue noire maquant le corps, et s'ajuste d'une certaine manière, preuve qu'il existe des modes et des tenues spécifiques à l'Arabie.
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| Jean Baptiste Vanmour - Femme turque |
Des précédents passages, on retiendra également que les membres du harem du sultan de Sadiz sont ses concubines et qu'il a la possibilité d’entreprendre des relations charnelles avec elles, et ces dernières de manifester les faveurs de leur suzerain en portant ses vêtements.
On notera un autre passage intéressant, vers la fin du récit :
Hamqa followed.
"In the name of the gods, Senduiuiel," he cried running across the deck to where the elf stood as if he had not heard, "stop this!"
Ariel stepped in front of him. "Your Magnificence."
"Get out of my way."
"He requested that none approach him until it was all over."
He tried to push past but she barred his way. "Out of my way, woman."
"Your Exalted Magnificence, I cannot."
He pulled his dagger free from its jewelled sheath. "I haven't time to argue."
"Nor I." She slid her own knife free. For a moment she thought he would attack her, then he threw his knife to the deck.
"I'll have you whipped when this is over."
Ariel ignored him and sheathed her knife. She did not know what else to do.
Hamqa ne la fera pas fouetter, même s'il la menace. Il est une fois encore extrêmement difficile si, dans le feu de l'action, Hamqa en oublie la politesse pour en revenir à traiter Ariel comme on traiterait une femme en Arabie, où s'il la traite simplement comme il le ferait avec n'importe quel intrus, femme ou non. Cependant la situation à cet instant du récit est extrêmement grave et, vu le reste du livre, Hamqa réagit selon moi sous le coup de la précipitation et face à un danger imminent et ferait probablement de même façon à un homme.
Les Filles de Tariq
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| Dogs of War - WFB5 |
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| First Citadel Compendium page 23 |
J'ajouterai pour la forme que le First Citadel Compendium présentait, en page 23, l'illustration ci-contre. Il s'agit du dessin représentant une figurine dans la gamme des femmes combattantes, et son matériel laisse aisément penser qu'il s'agit d'une Arabienne : cimeterre et casque souvent utilisé pour représenter des Perses. On peut y voir un Khula Khud pointu, doté d'une cotte de mailles protégeant l'arrière et les côtés du crâne, mais surtout un casque turban, utilisé par l'Empire Ottoman et d'autres nations musulmanes, et dont le "turban" était généralement une décoration métallique. On peut en admirer un magnifique exemplaire au Louvre Abu Dhabi. Ici, le turban pourrait tout aussi bien être en tissu et le casque posé par dessus.
Khar-mel la Djinn
Dans le Town Cryer 21 figurent quelques mercenaires destinés à être utilisés pour Mordheim, dans le cadre d'une campagne en Arabie. L'un d'entre se trouve être Khar-mel, une Djinn qui aime se mêler aux humains et qui est, à l'époque de la campagne, relativement connue des Arabiens eux-mêmes. Il ne s'agit certes pas d'une Arabienne en soi, mais elle se présente généralement comme une belle Arabienne d'une trentaine d'année et se bat sans armure, à l'aide d'un cimeterre. Encore une fois et pour rejoindre les quelques exemples précédents, personne ne semble avoir de problèmes avec une femme combattant l'épée (et la magie) à la main.
La Princesse d'Argent
Il y a peu à dire, mais une princesse arabienne est mentionnée dans le Livre d'armée Comtes Vampires pour WFB7 en 2008. On y apprend que 2293 CI, Layla, Princesse de Copher, a visité la cour du Stirland. Il s'agit en réalité d'un vampire et le texte ne dit pas si elle était réellement princesse ni même arabienne, mais le récit est intéressant car il montre le point de vue d'Impériaux, et la possibilité réelle de mariage entre Impériaux et Arabiens, ici dans le but d'une alliance. On y apprend également que le Chancelier du Compte du Stirland a entendu parler des dots exorbitantes demandées par les seigneurs arabiens pour la main de leurs filles. Qu'importe que "Layla" soit arabienne ou princesse en l'occurrence, ce passage renseigne sur le fait que, comme dans le Vieux Monde, les femmes sont notamment utilisées dans le cadre d'alliance diplomatique, qu'une dot est de mise et que leur statut a un effet considérable sur cette dernière.
La danseuse et la mort
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| Gaston Buissière - La danse des sept voiles |
Dans la nouvelle Totentanz de Brian Craig, une danseuse du passé voit son esprit réincarné dans une statue pour sauver un groupe d'Arabiens prisonniers. En effet, ces derniers ont été capturés par le Roi des Tombes de la cité de Zelebzel et Amaimon, un vizir réputé parcourant l'Arabie d'émirat en émirat à des fins diplomatiques et se trouvant être un adepte de la magie, propose un pari au roi Cimejez pour faire libérer les siens. Le pari implique un concours de danse, qui tourne autour des philosophie respectives des Arabiens et des non-morts de la cité. La Danse des Sept Voiles qui est présentée dans le texte résume à elle seule une bonne part de la vie telle que perçue par les Arabiens. Je la résume dans les Sables Périlleux, inutile de la reprendre ici, mais chaque voile représente une étape de la vie de l'être humain, et la danseuse, à mesure qu'elle les retire, progresse dans cette représentation métaphorique de l'existence. l'expression "Danse des Sept Voiles" provient à l'origine de la pièce française Salomé d'Oscar Wilde, en 1891, et a par la suite été très souvent utilisée dans la culture populaire, les pièces de théâtre, la littérature.
Amaimon insiste ici sur le fait que c'est une femme qui doit jouer le rôle du danseur, car seule une femme semble pouvoir exprimer la réalité de la vie arabienne au travers de ses mouvements. Celome, puisque c'est son nom (on reconnaîtra facilement l'inspiration et il est évident que le texte reprend en partie les thèmes de la pièce de Wilde), était danseuse à la cour du roi Luvah de Chemosh, du temps de la splendeur de Nehekhara. Le texte rappelle ainsi au passage qu'Arabie et Nehekhara formait au départ un seul peuple de nomades qui a évolué différemment au fil des siècles entre les cités néhékharéennes, les cités arabiennes et les tribus du désert.
Celome est présenté comme un personnage cultivé, dynamique et volontaire :
Celome had never been taught to dance; hers was a spontaneous act born of inspiration and nurtured by a natural process of growth. She had danced because dancing was the most natural expression of her vitality, and had danced well enough to win the favour of a king who was known throughout ancient Nehekhara as a true connoisseur of that art.
Amaimon was delighted to hear all this. He explained to Celome that she must take part in a competition against a dancer representing the world of the dead - which some called the world of the undead - but that Celome herself would have the privilege of judging the winner.
'I have heard that serpentine lamias are fine dancers,' she said, dubiously. 'I heard, too, that one of King Luvah's courtiers was visited in his dreams by a dancing succubus which charmed the vital fluids from his body. But the real risk is that I might be matched against a wraith who was a famous dancer while she was alive and is now even lighter on her feet.'
'That is a possibility,' Amaimon conceded, 'but the whole point of the wager is to pit the dance of life against the dance of death. I do not think that Cimejez will pick a champion on the grounds that he or she pleased a human audience while alive. You might be surprised by the nature of your rival - but you will be the judge. You have only to desire to continue to be yourself, to live in Araby as you once lived in Chemosh.'
Je ne reprendrai pas tout le texte de la nouvelle mais je profite de l'occasion pour illustrer le fait que Totentanz prend le contre-pied d'une vision fantasmée des almées, les danseuses du ventre :'I cannot imagine wishing anything different,' Celome told him. 'I am a dancer through and through; it is what I am.'
'Go to it,' said Amaimon to Celome. 'Make the dead ashamed of their condition, and remind them what it was to be alive.'
And that is what Celome did. She threw herself into the arena and performed the legendary Dance of the Seven Veils.
The vulgar, who have only heard rumour of it, mistakenly think of the Dance of the Seven Veils as a mere striptease, but it is far more than that, for each of the seven veils has its own symbolism and each ritual removal is part of a progress from misery to ecstasy. Each garment represents a curse; as each one is discarded, the dancer advances towards a uniquely joyous kind of freedom.
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| Jean-Léon Gérôme - Almées jouant aux échecs |
La Danse des Sept Voiles est explicitement un rituel d'une symbolique extrême, très codifié tout en étant synonyme de liberté. Contrairement aux gens vulgaires qui n'y verront qu'un striptease, comme le dit lui-même le texte. On retrouve ici à la fois un cliché, aussi bien interne à l'univers de Warhammer qu'existant dans notre monde, battu en brèche par l'auteur et le narrateur qui rappellent que c'est l'ignorance qui n'en fait qu'une danse lascive et non l'expression d'une culture et d'une tradition. Ceci rejoint parfaitement l'idée que nombre de gens voient les danseuses du ventre comme des filles de petites vertus qui s'exposent alors qu'en réalité les almées, de l'arabe alim (homme ou femme savante), elles sont des enseignantes, des philosophes, des conteuses, des chanteuses, des musiciennes, chargées d'éduquer et de divertir les harems des seigneurs et les seigneurs eux-mêmes. Versées dans la connaissance des plantes et autres matières, elles sont guérisseuses, sage-femmes, enseignent la cosmétique, tout autant que la broderie et le tissage.
Si on ne peut oublier que cette image ne concerne forcément que les plus renommées des almées et qu'il existe alors des milliers de danseurs pauvres ou à minima moins bien perçues, je trouve très intéressant qu'un texte officiel comme celui-ci ne verse par dans le fantasme de l'orientalisme, conséquence d'une mauvaise connaissance de la culture à l'époque, et préfère jouer sur le cliché pour rappeler le rôle essentiel de ces femmes.
La Concubine Douairière
Ce personnage apparaît dans Master of Death de Josh Reynolds, récit de la fuite de W'soran et entre autre de son passage en Arabie. En -1147 CI, la cité portuaire de Lashiek existe déjà et le vampire cherche à la quitter de toute urgence car il est poursuivi par les servants de la Concubine Douairière, mère du calife décédé ayant profité des enseignements de W'soran pour ranimer son corps et continuer à régner à sa place. Il n'y a pas grand de plus à en dire, mais ceci éclaire sur le rôle que peuvent jouer les femmes des harems dans l'exercice du pouvoir, en influençant leurs suzerain et par la suite leurs enfants pour contrôler tout ou partie de la politique d'une famille voire d'un royaume. On imagine les luttes internes qui peuvent agiter les sérails.
Les femmes du Magus
Anecdotique et peu original sur le sujet, le roman Dreadfleet de Phil Kelly montre le Mage Doré arabien entouré, sur son navire, d'un harem de femmes voluptueuses. Elles n'ont aucune incidence sur le récit mais servent à témoigner du luxe et de la volupté de la vie du mage, et on résumera cette mention à ce passage :
The sorcerer steepled a pair of heavily-ringed fingers in front of his lips before shooing his harem girls away. ‘Move, move. The Magus must speak now of matters grim. Leave us, and keep those pretty heads unsullied by talk of violence and revenge.’
The harem girls made a great show of dismay, cooing and moaning, but nonetheless melted away into the dark antechamber behind Roth.
Leur maître ne tient visiblement pas à ce qu'elles se mêlent de ses affaires et ne sont que pour rendre sa vie agréable, il n'y a pas grand chose à en dire.
Les aventures de Gotrek et (surtout) Felix
Dans la nouvelle The Two crowns of Ras Karim de Nathan Long, les deux compères viennent en aide à un prince en devenir et sa promise. C'est cette dernière qui est en réalité l'héritière du Califat de Ras Karim, mais son époux est semble-t-il celui destiné à la couronne. C'est du moins ce que sous-entend ce passage, entre autre :
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| Amedeo Momo Simonetti - Une beauté turque se reposant sur une terrasse |
There had been a wedding, and a coronation. Yuleh, the last of the line of the old caliphs, had crowned Halim with the Lion Crown, then knelt with him before the high priest of Ras Karim to be pronounced man and wife, and caliph and queen, as the multitudes cheered outside the great gold domed temple in the centre of the city.
Pourtant, plutôt dans le récit, il est bien précisé qu'il gouverne comme sa main droite, donc qu'elle reste sensément la seule héritière légitime :
Halim turned to the young woman in black. ‘When the tyrant and his vulture are dead, my beloved betrothed, Yuleh il Toorissi, Princess of the Blood and niece of the old caliph, will ask me, before the spirits of air, land and water, and before the people of the city, to be her husband and rule with her at her right hand.’ He smiled. ‘And with their blessing, I will accept.’
Il semblerait donc que la fonction de calife de Ras Karim soit exclusivement masculine, même si la transmission peut passer par les femmes. Et bien que Yuleh transmette le pouvoir à son mari, il semblerait, d'après cette intervention de sa part, qu'elle en ait tout autant la possibilité ou la volonté farouche de lui retirer si elle le juge nécessaire :
Halim hesitated. He looked toward the door. ‘Ghal may not have been the only conspirator. We may be surrounded by traitors. The palace guard may turn against us. What if I have need of its protection? Of its power?’
Yuleh stared at him, her eyes troubled. ‘Then it will not be Ghal who the snake devoured, but you. And it will be Ghal who walks out of this room, not you.’
Elle a par ailleurs une autorité largement suffisante pour faire plier des gardes obéissant à un calife en place, usurpateur ou non, et ne reste pas en arrière lorsque les rebelles tentent de reconquérir le palais, elle mène les hommes :
‘Ghal, call peace at the front gate, and let in the rest of our brothers. Yuleh, go with them. Your presence will win over any hold-outs.’
Une autre chose à noter est qu'hommes et femmes se tiennent ensemble et siègent les uns à côté des autres sans discrimination particulière :
A handful of men and women sat with them. A proud young beauty sat at Halim’s side, her hand on his. She was dressed entirely in black, from pantaloons to blouse to veil. Her hair was black as well – glossy waves that fell to her waist.
Pas d'image de soumission de la femme donc, même si culturellement, le fait que l'héritage se transmette à l'époux de la fille du Calife la subordonne de fait. Halim, le prince en devenir, ajoute ceci :
‘Wise ruler though he was, the old caliph had a weakness for women of easy virtue, and built a secret passage to that pavilion to smuggle them in.’
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| Hermann Katsch - Fille tunisienne avec une cruche |
Ras Karim ne semble pas spécialement prompt à avilir les femmes et à les priver d'une certaine liberté de choix et de déplacements. Pas plus qu'une certaine liberté de parole, Yuleh se permettant des commentaires plutôt personnels en public :
‘The second crown, the Serpent Crown, was made for Falhedar by Kaadiq, after the first attempt on his life.’ He sneered. ‘I hear he wears it to bed.’
Princess Yuleh flashed a mischievous grin. ‘I hope you don’t do that, beloved. I would find it very uncomfortable.’
Halim chuckled and squeezed her hand.
Dans la même nouvelle, Felix est abordé par une prostituée. Voici le passage complet :
As he turned back to tell Gotrek to keep his voice down, Felix noticed a pair of dark eyes looking at him. He stopped, held by their gaze. They belonged to one of the women of the house. She leaned against a fat pillar, staring boldly at him. Behind her translucent veil her full lips curved into a knowing smile. The rest of her voluptuous charms were revealed beneath an equally transparent sleeveless top and pantaloons. Felix gulped. It had been a long, dry journey to Ras Karim. Very dry.
She stepped toward him, her belt of coins jingling softly with each sway of her hips.
‘Greetings, esteemed foreigner,’ she said in a low, honeyed voice.
‘Greetings,’ said Felix, awkwardly. His tongue seemed suddenly too big for his mouth.
‘Would you like to add a coin to my belt?’ she asked, looking up at him through black lashes. She smelled of vanilla and smoke. ‘I have never had the coin of a northman before. I hear they are large, and of very hard metal.’
Felix coughed, blushing. He turned to Gotrek. ‘Gotrek, as we must wait until tomorrow…’
The Slayer shrugged. ‘Do what you will, manling. I’m going to see how much sorghum beer it takes to get me drunk.’ He pounded on the bar again. ‘Barkeep! Where’s that piss water?’
Unclothed but for her veil and her shimmering belt, the dancer’s golden-brown curves were even more astounding. Felix swallowed convulsively as she took his hand and drew him toward the bed, a low, cushioned dais in the centre of her small, opulent room, piled high with silk pillows and overhung with a sheer canopy.
Felix cleared his throat. ‘Aren’t you going to remove your veil?’
‘My veil?’ She smiled as she knelt before him. ‘That would be immodest.’ She began unbuckling his belt. ‘Now, please, tease me no more. I must see what you have in your coin pouch…’
‘Oh, devil of the north,’ cried the dancer a while later. ‘You shake me to my core!’
She clutched Felix to her in ecstasy.
‘Er,’ said Felix, pausing. ‘I think that was the building shaking, actually.’
‘Indeed,’ purred the dancer. ‘So powerful. So potent.’
The room shook again, and this time Felix heard a crash from below.
‘Ah, I think there might be some trouble.’
The dancer pouted. ‘The men fight. They always fight. Forget them, beloved.’ She ground against him. ‘Come, I hunger for you.’
Felix was hungry too, but just as he returned to her embrace, there came a thunderous crash, then a muffled, ‘By Grimnir’s beard, you’ll pay for that!’
More thuds and smashes followed, along with angry cries and the high-pitched shrieks of frightened women.
‘Sigmar curse him!’ groaned Felix. He disentangled himself from the dancer’s arms and reached for his clothes.
‘You leave me, noble warrior?’ she moaned, dismayed. ‘Where do you go?’
‘To speak with a Slayer about timing,’ growled Felix.
Pas la peine d'épiloguer sur le sujet, le passage est là pour rappeler les appétences de Felix et son pouvoir de séduction. Retenons tout de même le comportement de la prostituée, très loin d'être servile. Ce passage, et la mention de quartiers rouges en Arabie par ailleurs, indique simplement que la prostitution féminine y est pratiquée.
Suleima
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| Josep Tapiró i Baró - Une beauté mandarine |
La trilogie de romans centrés sur Nagash, écrits par Mike Lee, renseigne sur le personnage de Suleima, Fille des Sables et Épouse de Khsar :
“The Daughter of the Sands has that much power over the chiefs?”
Faisr shrugged. “These days, yes. It wasn’t always so. The Daughter of the Sands used to serve as an advisor to the alcazzar, the chief of chiefs, but there hasn’t been one of those since Shahid the Red Fox died during the war against the Usurper.” The chieftain shook his head. “The seers were the reason that the tribes came here from the desert, centuries ago.”
Ce personnage n'a pas grand chose à voir avec l'Arabie moderne puisqu'il s'agit de l'époque où Nehekhara est encore un royaume humain, mais on peut tout de même voir que les tribus nomades ont ou ont eu des figures féminines de premier plan. Sa successeur, Ophiria, est également partie prenante du récit, et son autorité fait d'elle celle qui désigne le chef des tribus nomades :
A gathering was called, up in the mountains along the northern edge of the plain, and the chieftains met in Ophiria’s tent to press their claim. The competition was fierce, but the outcome was never really in doubt. Seven days later, the Daughter of the Sands appeared and declared to the tribes that Faisr al-Hashim had been acclaimed Prince Faisal, first among the chieftains of the bani-al-Khsar.
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| Édouard Verschaffelt - Femmes berbères et enfant |
Il est à noter qu'Ophiria y est dite tante de la reine Khalida, et que celle-ci est décrite comme une lectrice avide, mais également comme une femme loin d'être docile, tandis qu'Alcadizzar croyait les femmes nomades discrètes et malléables :
Alcadizzar was surprised to feel Khalida’s arms slide about his waist and draw him close. It made him think of the first time she’d embraced him, on the road to Khemri with the tribes. He’d thought desert women were quiet and pliable back then, Ophiria notwithstanding. Khalida had shown him how utterly wrong his impressions were.
Inutile de revenir ici sur le personnage de Khalida, qui est une reine combattante de Nehekhara, mais je vous souligner ici la mention du fait qu'elle est issue des tribus nomades et ce passage qui montre un cliché interne à l'univers de Warhammer, cliché qui se révèle être bousculé immédiatement.
Dans la continuité de cette série de roman, il est possible de mentionner le rôle de Neferata en Arabie et notamment à Bel Aliad, et le fait que parmi ses acolytes figure une nomade arabienne, mais nous serions un peu hors-sujet.
Shah'Razad
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| Hugues Merle - Une beauté turque |
Bien évidemment le personnage est ici une version très concise de la conteuse des Mille et Une nuits.
Jasmina el Al et Laniph, les femmes et la magie
Laniph est une magicienne arabienne mentionnée à deux reprises dans les descriptions de sorts pour WFRP1 et WFB8. Le livre de règle de WFB8 dit d'elle qu'elle était capricieuse et habitée d'une passion ardente. La Caresse de Laniph, un sort du Domaine de la Mort, semble ramener son esprit du trépas pour s'en prendre à un nouvel amant, à savoir la victime du sort. Les Royaumes de Sorcellerie pour WFRP1 contiennent deux sorts pour la magie d'Améthyste, associée à la mort, appelée Caresse inférieure de Laniph et Caresse de Laniph, sans plus de détails sur le personnage.
Jasmina el Al est pour sa part un personnage important du roman Blade of Chaos. Il semblerait qu'elle soit Princesse de Copher et qu'en 1700 CI, onze ans avant les événements du livre, elle ait subi un rituel nommé she'al akra consistant à emprisonner l'essence d'un démon ou d'un djinn, la différence ici n'est pas exprimée. Considérée comme trop jeune et trop inexpérimentée pour le mener à bien, elle maintient cependant le contrôle durant onze années, prouvant ainsi sa puissance. Elle fait plusieurs fois la démonstration au cours du récit de la capacité de lancer des sorts et d'invoquer des djinns.
Nous avons ici deux exemples de femmes adeptes de la magie, l'une suffisamment influente pour être reconnue de nombreuses années après sa mort y compris au sein des Collèges de Magie impériaux, et l'autre suffisamment puissante pour finaliser un rituel hautement dangereux. Ces exemples montrent que les Arabiennes ont parfaitement accès à la magie, à son étude et à l'apprentissage savant en général, pour peu qu'elles en aient les moyens.
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| Fabio Fabbi - Beautés du harem au marché |
La femme du marchand de Swamp Town
Totalement anecdotique, mais il s'agit de la femme d'un Arabien donc mentionnons-la ! Dans le roman The Burning Shore de Robert Earl, Ali est un marchand arabien basé à Swamp Town, ville côtière de Lustrie. Voici un échange avec un client :
“Very well, Ali. Seeing as we’re friends I’ll give you thirty crowns each for the barrels.”
“Would that I could,” the merchant wrung his hands, pleased that his customer was at least attempting to be polite. “But if my wife found out she would sleep with her legs closed for a month.”
“Yes, women are never reasonable.”
“Even if I sold them to you for thirty-eight a barrel she would call me a fool and a squanderer of our daughters’ dowries.”
“And if I paid more than thirty-two, my men would kill me for a thief as soon as we entered the jungle.”
For a moment the two men stood and frowned, perhaps saddened by the thought that the world was cruel enough to drive them, two old friends, to such an impasse.
Un classique passage de marchandage par un commerçant arabien, mais celui-ci laisse entendre qu'il a peu de contrôle sur sa femme. Un autre passage, plus loin, fait très rapidement intervenir la femme d'Ali :
They were going to the southern jungle.
Oblivion.
“What a waste,” Ali muttered later that night, his thoughts haunted by images of the expedition’s coins and armour mouldering away between cleanly picked bones.
“Yes,” his wife surprised him by agreeing. Her own thoughts full of the bronzed young men that were carrying that wealth into the doom of a Lustrian jungle. “What a waste.”
Ces deux passages n'ont que peu d'intérêt, mais je les retiens ici pour soucis d'exhaustivité et parce que cette épouse, Arabienne ou non mais femme d'Arabien, semble ne pas être être prompte à une soumission aveugle à son époux. La présence de dots pour les filles est ici rappelée, bien qu'il ne s'agisse visiblement pas d'une famille noble.
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| Blood on the Reik |
Le livre Blood on the Reik, de Matt Ralph's, contient quelques pages sur l'Arabie et présente plusieurs illustration représentant, pour l'auteur intradiégétique de l'ouvrage, les Arabiens rencontrés en route. Il y a deux croquis de femmes, l'une Arabienne et l'autre des Terres du Sud. Les illustrations sont très typées, et on ne sait pas trop quels sont les milieux sociaux ou culturels des personnages rencontrés, mais il est intéressant de noter que la deuxième esquisse a été reprise comme base, presque au détail près, pour l’illustration de la carrière de Marchand présente dans WFRP4. De toute évidence une négociante en provenance d'une des cités arabienne du nord-ouest des Terres du Sud donc, si l'on croise les deux sources. Etant donné le trajet vers l'Empire, les épées ne sont probablement pas de trop pour parer aux attaques de pirates, monstres et autres vaisseaux fantômes ou embarcations de Peaux-Vertes qui hantent l'océan.
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| WFRP4 |
Conclusion
Ce petit recensement des différentes représentations dans les sources officielles est certes court, mais me semble permettre d'emblée de balayer d'un revers de main bon nombre de clichés sur les femmes dont on voudrait affubler les Arabiennes de Warhammer en les rapprochant, à tort ou à raison, de l'un ou l'autre peuple de notre bonne vieille Terre. Clichés qui ne seraient pas applicables non plus à notre monde, tant historiquement ce qu'on présente trop souvent de nos jours comme typiquement arabe ou turc ne l'est en fait pas du tout. Comme je l'indiquais en introduction, et encore une fois sans vouloir lancer aucun débat théologique, la représentation moderne de la femme musulmane, uniformisée et malheureusement politisée, ne représente en aucun cas la diversité culturelle historique du monde musulman. Et j'insiste ici sur la différence entre culture et religion : tout chrétiens qu'ils sont, Français, Allemands, Italiens, Espagnols, Brésiliens, Espagnols adaptent coutumes, traditions, habillements à leur culture locale, qu'importe la volonté de centralisation et d'uniformisation. Il suffit de se documenter par exemple sur les représentations asiatiques, chinoises ou japonaises pour constater que si les thèmes sont toujours les mêmes, ils sont systématiquement adaptés à la culture, au style et aux traditions locales. Il en va de même pour l'islam, et si le sujet vous intéresse, je vous renvoie par exemple à l'ouvre Islamic Art de Barbara Brend, que j'ai personnellement acheté au terme de la visite de l'Alhambra à Grenade. De part et d'autres de cet article, vous trouverez trois photos d’œuvres recensées dans cette ouvrage et montrant des femmes, représentées dans un contexte musulman et on constate aisément les différences stylistiques mais aussi les différences vestimentaires, témoignant d'une diversité tout au long de l'histoire de l'islam. Ainsi, qu'on parle de notre bonne vieille Terre ou du monde fictif de Warhammer qui s'inspire des clichés de notre histoire et de ses représentations, il n'y a aucune raison d'associer les femmes à de simples vêtements couvrants ou même à un simple voile ou de les cantonner à un rôle subalterne.
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| Barbara Brend - Islamic Art |
Dociles, réservées, obéissantes, cachées, les Arabiennes ne le sont pas. Les sources montrent des femmes entreprenantes, libres de leurs choix, puissantes et influentes ou au contraire modestes mais loin d'être contraintes intellectuellement ou physiquement. Et c'est une bonne chose ! Historiquement, les femmes des mondes perses ou arabes, si elles subissent toujours le poids de la culture, n'en sont pas moins importantes ou capables de faire de choix et, quand elles ne l'ont pas, de réussir parfois à s'imposer tout de même. Des personnages historiques ou légendaires certes, mais également des gens du commun. Je citerai ici un passage du Livre des Charlatans de Jamāl al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥīm al-Jawbarī, qui au fond me fait penser au passage sur la femme d'Ali plus haut comme exemple que dans le couple, l'homme ne commande pas toujours, loin de là :
Elle s'est assise sur un banc et a commencé à enlever ses chaussures. Elle en avait enlevé une lorsqu'elle a aperçu son mari assis à côté de nous ! Quand elle l'a vu, elle n'a pas eu peur, ne s'est pas cachée et n'a pas reculé devant lui. Au contraire, elle a pris une de ses bottes et l'a attaqué avec, alors que l'autre était encore sur son pied. Elle ne s'est pas retenue et n'a pas montré de peur, mais elle l'a attrapé par sa coiffe et a continué à le frapper avec la botte jusqu'à ce que l'homme s'évanouisse presque. Elle l'a ensuite saisi par la barbe et l'a traîné hors de la salle de séjour en disant : "Maquereau ! Tu es toujours en train de te fourrer dans un endroit ou un autre. Cela fait treize points d'eau dans lesquels tu as mis ton nez aujourd'hui ! Combien de fois vas-tu encore l'y fourrer ?"
Jamāl al-Dīn ʿAbd
al-Raḥīm al-Jawbarī -
Le Livre des CharlatansPuis elle le traîna dans la ruelle et dit à un homme : "Prends cette pièce d'argent et va me chercher le serviteur du juge !" Nous sommes descendus vers elle, lui avons demandé de remonter et lui avons baisé les mains, tandis qu'elle s'exclamait : "C'est vous qui corrompez mon mari, et la catin que vous avez avec vous est la sienne !" Nous lui avons juré que ce n'était pas vrai et lui avons demandé de rentrer avec nous, mais elle a dit : "Je ne le quitterai pas tant qu'il n'aura pas juré, sous la menace du divorce, qu'il ne remettra plus jamais les pieds dans cette rue !", alors l'homme a juré cela et lui a dit : "Rentre chez toi !", mais elle a dit : "Je jure devant Dieu que je n'entrerai plus jamais chez toi, ni de jour ni de nuit ! Je pars au Caire, chez ma sœur. Prends tes clés et va-t'en ! Je jure que si tu me suis ou si tu essaies de m'atteindre de quelque manière que ce soit, la prochaine chose que tu sentiras sera une gifle comme tu n'en as jamais ressentie de ta vie et je te poursuivrai en justice pour cent pièces d'or égyptiennes !"
Comme dans Warhammer, tout est question d'individus, aussi bien la principale concernée que son entourage, et il me semblerait absurde de généraliser l'indépendance d'action ou de pensée de ces quelques exemples à toutes les femmes arabiennes. Mais il me semblerait tout aussi absurde de craindre qu'au contraire l'univers de Warhammer en fasse de facto des êtres dociles et obéissants : ces mentions officielles prouvent le contraire.
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| Illustration d'une copie du Varqah u Gulshah vers 1225, Konya en Turquie |
En terme d'habillement, les sources évoquent tant des robes que des pantalons, des gilets, des hauts sans manche, des voiles couvrant ou non le visage, etc. Il est donc aisé d'aller chercher de l'inspiration du côté des tenues traditionnelles et vêtements usuels d'Afrique du Nord, du Proche et du Moyen Orient comme le seroual, le kaftan, le haïk, le burnous ou encore le karakou. De quoi marquer des différences régionales voire simplement communautaires.
Je conclurai sur une nouvelle citation du Livre des Charlatans, que vous pouvez utiliser aussi bien comme illustration de la vision caricaturale de la femme dans le monde de Warhammer que dans le monde musulman médiéval, caricature représentant elle-même la façon dont certains intellectuels se plaignent de la liberté de pensée et d'action de leurs filles, épouses, mères :
Les femmes sont plus rusées, plus sournoises, plus traîtresses, plus audacieuses, plus impudiques que les hommes. Leur cœur ne connaît pas la peur. C'est parce qu'elles sont mentalement et moralement défectueuses, et qu'elles ne possèdent pas l'honneur et la fiabilité de l'homme.
Je vous épargne la suite, continuation misogyne du passage ci-dessus, pour en venir directement au fin mot de l'histoire : vous voulez représenter une Arabienne badass qui part à l'aventure, qui se mêle de ce qui ne la regarde pas et que les hommes craignent essentiellement parce qu'ils n'ont pas de contrôle sur elle ? Aucun problème : il n'y a absolument rien, ni dans Warhammer ni dans ses inspirations du monde bien réel qui vous en empêche. Au contraire, c'est documenté !
--------------------------------------------------------
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| Louis Girardot - A girl in Morocco |
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| Andromeda in a copy of the Book of Fixed Stars by Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, circa the middle of the 11th century |
I'd like to make it clear from the outset that, although I use a few Orientalist paintings as illustrations, I'm well aware of the problems of representing this artistic movement, which is as much a victim of clichés and fantasies about the Middle East as of a misunderstanding of local social structures. However, these concerns have less to do with clothing or architectural details than with an all too often distorted representation of the harem, reduced by some to a gilded cage cut off from the outside world, where women spend their time lying lasciviously. Of course, this is not true: in Perilous Sands, I immediately wanted to point out that the 'harem' (which primarily refers to the group of women and not the place, hence the quotation marks here) is first and foremost a space of culture, where women learn music, literature and languages, and where power games are often played between concubines to gain ascendancy over their liege and enable their children to become legitimate heirs. Furthermore, I'm not making any specific link between the images and the texts they accompany: I'm simply showing some wonderful representations of traditional Algerian, Moroccan, Turkish, Tunisian, Berber and Anatolian costumes, to illustrate the diversity of colours, styles and therefore local traditions, a diversity and richness that can be applied to the Araby of Warhammer.
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| Fritware bowl depicting five women and a man (far left), Kashan, Iran |
As another reminder (already done above, but I don't think that's unnecessary), Warhammer is a fictional universe that takes clichés from our very real world to provide a cynical or parodic context for our earthly societies. If Bretonnia is a patchwork of Arthurian England and muddy France (sigh...), the Empire is a fictional fantasy version of the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire. The same goes for Araby, which in its various appearances is essentially a (fantasy-tinged) mix of a pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula, the Ottoman Empire and other elements such as Berber tribes. The inspiration is obvious and logical, recurring in fantasy universes featuring an 'Arab' civilisation: the Tales of the Arabian Nights and the Ottoman Empire, i.e. the Near Eastern texts best known in the West (I won't debate the origin of the texts in question, that's not the point) and the period often considered to be the golden age of Islam. And it's on this last point that I insist: while Warhammer is inspired by the Muslim world of our Earth, the Arabyans of Warhammer are not Muslims and should not be considered as such. As far as possible, I avoid talking about Islam in general but, given the influences, the comparison invariably comes up. So let me stress this point: I'm talking here about clichés from the Arab or Persian world, some of which are linked to Islam, but I'm not talking about Islam. In particular, and since this is the subject, there is a tendency these days to present the Muslim woman solely through the prism of a rigorous Islam, whereas historically her role, her place and, for example, her clothing have been extremely varied and far less caricatured than what people currently tend to see. I'll come back to this point in my conclusion, but let me remind you that I'm talking about clichés from our world (including, in this case, clothing) and their transposition into a fictional universe. I'm not starting a theological debate and I'm not questioning anyone's choices. On the contrary, I'm just pointing out that modern clichés don't represent a historical reality and I find standardisation very unfortunate.
With that long reminder out of the way, let's get back to the subject.
Cendenai
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| Remzi Taşkıran |
The Voyage South by Nicola Griffith presents the stormy expedition of two Bretonnian brother and sister, which leads them to cross the path of an Arabyan fleet. I won't go into more detail about the story, as it isn't important in itself here. However, one of the characters is a good illustration of how the place of Arabyan women can be envisaged. Cendenai is the daughter of the Sultan of Aiir, Hamqa the Divine. This is how he introduces her to the main characters:
"Ah. Introductions, then. Mademoiselle de Courtivron, allow me to introduce myself and my companions. My beloved daughter, Cendenai, captain of the Aramam." He pointed down the table to his left. "Next to her, Mousaou Salah, captain of my fleet. On my right is Adiffrah el Deheb, second steward."
Cendenai is not only the sultan's daughter, she is also the captain of one of the ships in his fleet, and even his flagship:
Ariel thought about that for a while, then it was her turn to blush. "You captain his flagship," she pointed out.
Another excerpt:An important figure in the kingdom, she was nonetheless subject to her father's authority:"Only for as long as he allows it. He can take it away from me any time. He likes to remind me of that."
"Will he?"
"No. I'm one of the best he has" - Ariel could imagine that - "and in his way, he is proud of me."
"It has been a custom amongst the male line of the suzerains of Sadiz that the woman from their harem who last had sexual congress with the husband wears an item of the husband's clothing to show her status as favourite. My father's remark is his way of reminding me I'm a woman and should stick to... women's ways."
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| Julius Rolshoven - Tunisian Bedouins |
The fact that, at the end of the story, Ariel de Courtivron wears one of Cendenai's dresses, and that this is explicitly stated, leads me to believe that the relationship between the two characters is more than just friendly. But that's not the point. To sum up, we have here a strong female character, in a position of authority in the military hierarchy of an Arabyan kingdom. She is nonetheless submissive to her father, but it's hard to know whether this is due to her family position (he's her father) or her military position (he's her king). In any case, the story does not show any particular hostility towards Cendenai on the part of the crew, so there is obviously no problem with a woman commanding a ship or achieving a high rank in the army. Again, it's hard to say whether this is because of her position (daughter of the sultan) or her skills, but as long as there's no outward hint, there's no reason to think that her troops don't respect her as a military officer.
This question of clothing follows on from another quote:
Hamqa smiled complacently. "She looks well in your robe, daughter."
Cendenai tensed; it was slight but Ariel noticed. She cleared her throat, wondered what the correct form of address was.
It is not clear whether Hamqa is being ironic about his daughter's preferences or about the fact that he would prefer her to wear women's clothes, implying that he disapproves of her military commitment, but Cendenai thinks it is the latter. The various lines below tend to imply that Hamqa is broadly willing to indulge his daughter's whim, namely to be the captain of a ship and a military officer, but that he would be able to take this away from her at the snap of a finger if she upset him. Once again, it's hard to tell from these passages whether this is a father's whim, a widespread situation among women, or whether this particular position comes from her social standing.
Another female presence on board, who doesn't seem to be causing anyone any problems, is Djellah, Cendenai's little sister. She provides Ariel with her sister's dress and offers to show her how it fits. It's a small detail, but the dress is blue, far from the cliché of a black outfit covering the body, and fits in a certain way, proving that there are fashions and outfits specific to Araby.
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| Jean Baptiste Vanmour - Turkish woman |
From the preceding passages, we can also see that the members of the Sultan of Sadiz's harem are his concubines, and that he can have carnal relations with them, while the concubines can show their liege's favour by wearing his clothes.
There is another interesting bit towards the end of the story:
Hamqa followed.
"In the name of the gods, Senduiuiel," he cried running across the deck to where the elf stood as if he had not heard, "stop this!"
Ariel stepped in front of him. "Your Magnificence."
"Get out of my way."
"He requested that none approach him until it was all over."
He tried to push past but she barred his way. "Out of my way, woman."
"Your Exalted Magnificence, I cannot."
He pulled his dagger free from its jewelled sheath. "I haven't time to argue."
"Nor I." She slid her own knife free. For a moment she thought he would attack her, then he threw his knife to the deck.
"I'll have you whipped when this is over."
Ariel ignored him and sheathed her knife. She did not know what else to do.
Hamqa will not have her whipped, even if he threatens her. Once again, it is extremely difficult if, in the heat of the moment, Hamqa forgets politeness and reverts to treating Ariel as one would treat a woman in Araby, or if he simply treats her as he would any intruder, woman or not. However, the situation at this point in the story is extremely serious and, given the rest of the book, in my opinion Hamqa is reacting in haste and in the face of imminent danger, and would probably do the same to a man.
The Daughters of Tariq
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| Dogs of War - WFB5 |
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| First Citadel Compendium page 23 |
For the record, the First Citadel Compendium featured the illustration opposite on page 23. This is a drawing of a figurine in the female combatant range, and its equipment easily suggests that it is an Arabian woman: scimitar and helmet often used to represent Persians. We can see a pointed Khula Khud, with chain mail protecting the back and sides of the skull, but above all a turban helmet, used by the Ottoman Empire and other Muslim nations, and whose 'turban' was generally a metal decoration. A magnificent example can be admired at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Here, the turban could just as easily be made of fabric and the helmet placed on top.
Khar-mel the Djinn
In Town Cryer 21 are a few mercenaries destined to be used for Mordheim, as part of a campaign in Araby. One of them happens to be Khar-mel, a Djinn who likes to mix with humans and is, at the time of the campaign, relatively well known to the Arabyans themselves. She's certainly not an Arabyan per se, but she generally presents herself as a beautiful Arabyan woman in her thirties and fights unarmored, using a scimitar. Once again, and to join the few previous examples, nobody seems to have any problems with a woman fighting with sword (and magic) in hand.
The Silver Princess
There's not much to say, but an Arabyan princess is mentioned in the Vampire Counts Army Book for WFB7 in 2008. It states that in 2293 IC, Layla, Princess of Copher, visited the court of Stirland. She is in fact a vampire and the text doesn't say whether she was actually a princess or even an Arabyan, but the story is interesting because it shows the Imperial point of view, and the real possibility of marriage between Imperials and Arabyans, here with the aim of an alliance. We also learn that the Chancellor of the Count of Stirland has heard of the exorbitant dowries demanded by the Arabyan lords for the hand of their daughters. Regardless of whether 'Layla' is Arabyan or a princess, this passage shows that, as in the Old World, women are used for diplomatic alliances, that a dowry is required and that their status has a considerable effect on the amount of it.
The Dancer and Death
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| Gaston Buissière - The Dance of Seven Veils |
In Brian Craig's novel Totentanz, a dancer from the past has her spirit reincarnated in a statue to rescue a group of imprisoned Arabians. They have been captured by the Tomb King of the city of Zelebzel and Amaimon, a renowned vizier who travels Araby from emirate to emirate for diplomatic purposes and happens to be an adept of magic, proposes a challenge to King Cimejez to free his people. The challenge involves a dance competition, revolving around the respective philosophies of the Arabyans and the undead of the city. The Dance of the Seven Veils, which is presented in the text, sums up much of life as seen by the Arabyans. I summarised it in Perilous Sands, so there's no need to repeat it here, but each veil represents a stage in the life of a human being, and the dancer, as she removes them, progresses in this metaphorical representation of existence. The expression "Dance of the Seven Veils" originally came from the French play Salomé by Oscar Wilde, in 1891, and has subsequently been used very often in popular culture, plays and literature.
Amaimon insists that the dancer must be a woman, because only a woman can express the reality of Arabyan life through her movements. Celome, as she is called (it's easy to recognise the inspiration, and it's obvious that the text takes up some of the themes of Wilde's play), was a dancer at the court of King Luvah of Chemosh, during the splendour of Nehekhara. Incidentally, the text reminds us that Araby and Nehekhara originally formed a single nomadic people who evolved differently over the centuries between the Nehekharean cities, the Arabyan cities and the desert tribes.
Celome is presented as a learned, dynamic and strong-willed character:Celome had never been taught to dance; hers was a spontaneous act born of inspiration and nurtured by a natural process of growth. She had danced because dancing was the most natural expression of her vitality, and had danced well enough to win the favour of a king who was known throughout ancient Nehekhara as a true connoisseur of that art.
Amaimon was delighted to hear all this. He explained to Celome that she must take part in a competition against a dancer representing the world of the dead - which some called the world of the undead - but that Celome herself would have the privilege of judging the winner.
'I have heard that serpentine lamias are fine dancers,' she said, dubiously. 'I heard, too, that one of King Luvah's courtiers was visited in his dreams by a dancing succubus which charmed the vital fluids from his body. But the real risk is that I might be matched against a wraith who was a famous dancer while she was alive and is now even lighter on her feet.'
'That is a possibility,' Amaimon conceded, 'but the whole point of the wager is to pit the dance of life against the dance of death. I do not think that Cimejez will pick a champion on the grounds that he or she pleased a human audience while alive. You might be surprised by the nature of your rival - but you will be the judge. You have only to desire to continue to be yourself, to live in Araby as you once lived in Chemosh.'
I won't repeat the entire text of the novel, but I'll take this opportunity to illustrate the fact that Totentanz goes against the grain of a fantasised vision of the almeh, the belly dancers:'I cannot imagine wishing anything different,' Celome told him. 'I am a dancer through and through; it is what I am.'
'Go to it,' said Amaimon to Celome. 'Make the dead ashamed of their condition, and remind them what it was to be alive.'
And that is what Celome did. She threw herself into the arena and performed the legendary Dance of the Seven Veils.
The vulgar, who have only heard rumour of it, mistakenly think of the Dance of the Seven Veils as a mere striptease, but it is far more than that, for each of the seven veils has its own symbolism and each ritual removal is part of a progress from misery to ecstasy. Each garment represents a curse; as each one is discarded, the dancer advances towards a uniquely joyous kind of freedom.
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| Jean-Léon Gérôme -Almehs playing chess |
The Dance of the Seven Veils is explicitly a ritual of extreme symbolism, highly codified yet synonymous with freedom. Unlike vulgar people who will see it as nothing more than a striptease, as the text itself says. It's a cliché, both within the Warhammer universe and in our own world, but one that the author and narrator challenge by pointing out that it's ignorance that makes it just a lascivious dance and not the expression of a culture and tradition. This ties in perfectly with the idea that many people see belly dancers as girls of little virtue who expose themselves, whereas in reality almeh, from the Arabic alim (learned man or woman), are teachers, philosophers, storytellers, singers and musicians, responsible for educating and entertaining the harems of the lords and the lords themselves. Well versed in the knowledge of plants and other materials, they were healers, birth attendants and taught cosmetics, as well as embroidery and weaving.
While we cannot forget that this image necessarily only concerns the most renowned of the almeh, and that there are thousands of dancers who are poor or at least less well perceived, I find it very interesting that an official text such as this one does not fall into the fantasy of orientalism, which is the result of a poor knowledge of the culture at the time, and prefers to capitalise on the cliché to remind us of the essential role played by these women.
The Dowager Concubine
This character appears in Master of Death by Josh Reynolds, the story of W'soran's escape and his passage in Araby. In -1147 IC, the port city of Lashiek already exists and the vampire is seeking to leave it as a matter of urgency because he is being pursued by the servants of the Dowager Concubine, the mother of the dead caliph who has taken advantage of W'soran's teachings to revive his body and continue to rule in his place. There's not much more to say about this, but it does shed light on the role that harem women can play in the exercise of power, influencing their overlords and subsequently their children to control all or part of the politics of a family or even a kingdom. It's easy to imagine the internal struggles that can shake up the seraglio.
The Magus' women
Anecdotal and hardly original on the subject, Phil Kelly's novel Dreadfleet shows the Arabyan Golden Magus surrounded on his ship by a harem of voluptuous women. They have no bearing on the story, but serve to illustrate the luxury and voluptuousness of the magician's life, and can be summed up in this passage:
The sorcerer steepled a pair of heavily-ringed fingers in front of his lips before shooing his harem girls away. ‘Move, move. The Magus must speak now of matters grim. Leave us, and keep those pretty heads unsullied by talk of violence and revenge.’
The harem girls made a great show of dismay, cooing and moaning, but nonetheless melted away into the dark antechamber behind Roth.
The adventures of Gotrek and (especially) Felix
In Nathan Long's novel The Two crowns of Ras Karim, the two partners come to the aid of a prince-to-be and his bride. The latter is actually the heiress to the Caliphate of Ras Karim, but her husband is apparently the one destined for the crown. At least that's what the passage implies, among other things:
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| Amedeo Momo Simonetti - A Turkish beauty resting on a terrace |
However, earlier in the story, it is made clear that he governs as his right hand, meaning that she remains the only legitimate heir:There had been a wedding, and a coronation. Yuleh, the last of the line of the old caliphs, had crowned Halim with the Lion Crown, then knelt with him before the high priest of Ras Karim to be pronounced man and wife, and caliph and queen, as the multitudes cheered outside the great gold domed temple in the centre of the city.
It would therefore seem that the position of Caliph of Ras Karim is exclusively male, even if it can be passed on by women. And although Yuleh is passing on power to her husband, it would seem from this statement that she has just as much the possibility or the fierce desire to take it away from him if she deems it necessary:Halim turned to the young woman in black. ‘When the tyrant and his vulture are dead, my beloved betrothed, Yuleh il Toorissi, Princess of the Blood and niece of the old caliph, will ask me, before the spirits of air, land and water, and before the people of the city, to be her husband and rule with her at her right hand.’ He smiled. ‘And with their blessing, I will accept.’
She also has more than enough authority to bring to heel the guards who obey the Caliph, usurper or not, and she doesn't stand back when the rebels try to take back the palace; she leads the men:Halim hesitated. He looked toward the door. ‘Ghal may not have been the only conspirator. We may be surrounded by traitors. The palace guard may turn against us. What if I have need of its protection? Of its power?’
Yuleh stared at him, her eyes troubled. ‘Then it will not be Ghal who the snake devoured, but you. And it will be Ghal who walks out of this room, not you.’
‘Ghal, call peace at the front gate, and let in the rest of our brothers. Yuleh, go with them. Your presence will win over any hold-outs.’
Another thing to note is that men and women stand together and sit next to each other without any particular discrimination:
So there's no image of women as submissive, even if culturally, the fact that the inheritance is passed on to the husband of the Caliph's daughter does subordinate her. Halim, the prince-to-be, adds:A handful of men and women sat with them. A proud young beauty sat at Halim’s side, her hand on his. She was dressed entirely in black, from pantaloons to blouse to veil. Her hair was black as well – glossy waves that fell to her waist.
‘Wise ruler though he was, the old caliph had a weakness for women of easy virtue, and built a secret passage to that pavilion to smuggle them in.’
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| Hermann Katsch - Tunisian girl with a jug |
Ras Karim does not seem particularly keen on degrading women and depriving them of a certain freedom of choice and movement. Nor a certain freedom of speech, with Yuleh indulging in some rather personal comments in public:
‘The second crown, the Serpent Crown, was made for Falhedar by Kaadiq, after the first attempt on his life.’ He sneered. ‘I hear he wears it to bed.’
Princess Yuleh flashed a mischievous grin. ‘I hope you don’t do that, beloved. I would find it very uncomfortable.’
Halim chuckled and squeezed her hand.
In the same story, Felix is approached by a prostitute. Here is the full passage:
As he turned back to tell Gotrek to keep his voice down, Felix noticed a pair of dark eyes looking at him. He stopped, held by their gaze. They belonged to one of the women of the house. She leaned against a fat pillar, staring boldly at him. Behind her translucent veil her full lips curved into a knowing smile. The rest of her voluptuous charms were revealed beneath an equally transparent sleeveless top and pantaloons. Felix gulped. It had been a long, dry journey to Ras Karim. Very dry.
She stepped toward him, her belt of coins jingling softly with each sway of her hips.
‘Greetings, esteemed foreigner,’ she said in a low, honeyed voice.
‘Greetings,’ said Felix, awkwardly. His tongue seemed suddenly too big for his mouth.
‘Would you like to add a coin to my belt?’ she asked, looking up at him through black lashes. She smelled of vanilla and smoke. ‘I have never had the coin of a northman before. I hear they are large, and of very hard metal.’
Felix coughed, blushing. He turned to Gotrek. ‘Gotrek, as we must wait until tomorrow…’
The Slayer shrugged. ‘Do what you will, manling. I’m going to see how much sorghum beer it takes to get me drunk.’ He pounded on the bar again. ‘Barkeep! Where’s that piss water?’
Unclothed but for her veil and her shimmering belt, the dancer’s golden-brown curves were even more astounding. Felix swallowed convulsively as she took his hand and drew him toward the bed, a low, cushioned dais in the centre of her small, opulent room, piled high with silk pillows and overhung with a sheer canopy.
Felix cleared his throat. ‘Aren’t you going to remove your veil?’
‘My veil?’ She smiled as she knelt before him. ‘That would be immodest.’ She began unbuckling his belt. ‘Now, please, tease me no more. I must see what you have in your coin pouch…’
‘Oh, devil of the north,’ cried the dancer a while later. ‘You shake me to my core!’
She clutched Felix to her in ecstasy.
‘Er,’ said Felix, pausing. ‘I think that was the building shaking, actually.’
‘Indeed,’ purred the dancer. ‘So powerful. So potent.’
The room shook again, and this time Felix heard a crash from below.
‘Ah, I think there might be some trouble.’
The dancer pouted. ‘The men fight. They always fight. Forget them, beloved.’ She ground against him. ‘Come, I hunger for you.’
Felix was hungry too, but just as he returned to her embrace, there came a thunderous crash, then a muffled, ‘By Grimnir’s beard, you’ll pay for that!’
More thuds and smashes followed, along with angry cries and the high-pitched shrieks of frightened women.
‘Sigmar curse him!’ groaned Felix. He disentangled himself from the dancer’s arms and reached for his clothes.
‘You leave me, noble warrior?’ she moaned, dismayed. ‘Where do you go?’
‘To speak with a Slayer about timing,’ growled Felix.
There's no need to dwell on the subject, the passage is there to remind us of Felix's desires and his power of seduction. Let's not forget the behaviour of the prostitute, who is far from subservient. This passage, and the mention of red light districts in Araby elsewhere, simply indicates that female prostitution is practised there.
Suleima
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| Josep Tapiró i Baró - Mandarin beauty |
The trilogy of novels centred on Nagash, written by Mike Lee, provides information on the character of Suleima, Daughter of the Sands and Bride of Khsar:
This character has little to do with modern Araby, since this was the time when Nehekhara was still a human kingdom, but we can still see that the nomadic tribes have or have had leading female figures. Her successor, Ophiria, is also part of the story, and her authority makes her the one who appoints the leader of the nomadic tribes:“The Daughter of the Sands has that much power over the chiefs?”
Faisr shrugged. “These days, yes. It wasn’t always so. The Daughter of the Sands used to serve as an advisor to the alcazzar, the chief of chiefs, but there hasn’t been one of those since Shahid the Red Fox died during the war against the Usurper.” The chieftain shook his head. “The seers were the reason that the tribes came here from the desert, centuries ago.”
A gathering was called, up in the mountains along the northern edge of the plain, and the chieftains met in Ophiria’s tent to press their claim. The competition was fierce, but the outcome was never really in doubt. Seven days later, the Daughter of the Sands appeared and declared to the tribes that Faisr al-Hashim had been acclaimed Prince Faisal, first among the chieftains of the bani-al-Khsar.
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| Édouard Verschaffelt - Berber women and child |
It should be noted that Ophiria is said to be Queen Khalida's aunt, and that she is described as an avid reader, but also as a woman who was far from docile, while Alcadizzar believed nomadic women to be discreet and malleable:
Alcadizzar was surprised to feel Khalida’s arms slide about his waist and draw him close. It made him think of the first time she’d embraced him, on the road to Khemri with the tribes. He’d thought desert women were quiet and pliable back then, Ophiria notwithstanding. Khalida had shown him how utterly wrong his impressions were.
There's no need to go back over the character of Khalida, who is a fighting queen of Nehekhara, but I'd like to highlight here the mention of the fact that she comes from nomadic tribes and this passage which shows a cliché internal to the Warhammer universe, a cliché which turns out to be immediately shaken up.
Following on from this series of novels, it would be possible to mention Neferata's role in Araby, particularly in Bel Aliad, and the fact that one of her acolytes is an Arabyan female nomad, but that would be a bit off-topic.
Shah'Razad
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| Hugues Merle - A Turkish beauty |
Not much to say on the subject, but Shah'Razad is a notable figure because, as the description of her bow in Relics of the Crusade indicates, the elves of the peninsula made her a gift because she regaled them with her tales. I've already mentioned this in another article on the elves of Araby, so I won't go into it any further, but once again we're talking about an Arabyan female figure who has stood the test of time. We can imagine that the elves probably didn't give her this bow for her to put away somewhere, because there are more useful or decorative gifts to give a princess. I therefore personally imagine her knowing how to handle a bow, whether for hunting or war.
Of course, the character here is a very concise version of the storyteller from the Arabian Nights.
Jasmina el Al andLaniph, women and magic
Laniph is an Arabyan magician mentioned twice in spell descriptions for WFRP1 and WFB8. The WFB8 rulebook describes her as capricious and driven by a burning passion. The Caress of Laniph, a spell from the Domain of Death, seems to bring her spirit back from the dead to prey on a new lover, namely the victim of the spell. The Realms of Sorcery for WFRP1 contain two spells for Amethyst magic, associated with death, called Lower Caress of Laniph and Caress of Laniph, with no further details on the character.
For her part, Jasmina el Al is an important character in the novel Blade of Chaos. It seems that she is the Princess of Copher and that in 1700 IC, eleven years before the events of the book, she underwent a ritual called she'al akra, which consists of imprisoning the essence of a demon or a djinn ( though the difference is not made clear here). Considered too young and inexperienced to carry out the ritual, she nevertheless maintains control for eleven years, proving her power. She demonstrates her ability to cast spells and summon jinn several times in the course of the story.
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| Fabio Fabbi - Harem beauties at the market |
The Swamp Town merchant's wife
Totally anecdotal, but she's an Arabyan's wife, so let's mention her! In Robert Earl's novel The Burning Shore, Ali is an Arabyan merchant based in Swamp Town, a coastal town in Lustria. Here's an exchange with a customer:
“Very well, Ali. Seeing as we’re friends I’ll give you thirty crowns each for the barrels.”
“Would that I could,” the merchant wrung his hands, pleased that his customer was at least attempting to be polite. “But if my wife found out she would sleep with her legs closed for a month.”
“Yes, women are never reasonable.”
A classic passage of haggling by an Arabyan merchant, but he implies that he has little control over his wife. Another passage, further on, quickly brings Ali's wife into the picture:“Even if I sold them to you for thirty-eight a barrel she would call me a fool and a squanderer of our daughters’ dowries.”
“And if I paid more than thirty-two, my men would kill me for a thief as soon as we entered the jungle.”
For a moment the two men stood and frowned, perhaps saddened by the thought that the world was cruel enough to drive them, two old friends, to such an impasse.
They were going to the southern jungle.
Oblivion.
“What a waste,” Ali muttered later that night, his thoughts haunted by images of the expedition’s coins and armour mouldering away between cleanly picked bones.
“Yes,” his wife surprised him by agreeing. Her own thoughts full of the bronzed young men that were carrying that wealth into the doom of a Lustrian jungle. “What a waste.”
These two passages are of little interest, but I have included them here for the sake of completeness and because this wife, Arabyan or not but the wife of an Arabyan, does not seem to be quick to submit blindly to her husband. The presence of dowries for daughters is mentioned here, although this is clearly not a noble family.
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| Blood on the Reik |
Matt Ralph's book Blood on the Reik contains a few pages on Araby and features several illustrations representing, for the book's intradiegetic author, the Arabyans he met along the way. There are two sketches of women, one Arabyan and the other from the Southlands. The illustrations are highly typified, and it is not clear what the social or cultural backgrounds of the characters encountered are, but it is interesting to note that the second sketch was used as the basis, almost to the letter, for the illustration of Merchant's career in WFRP4. Clearly a merchant from one of the Arabyan cities in the north-west of the Southlands, then, if we cross-reference the two sources. Given the journey to the Empire, swords will probably be handy to ward off attacks from pirates, monsters and other ghost ships or Greenskin vessels that haunt the ocean.
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| WFRP4 |
Conclusion
This brief survey of the various representations in official sources is admittedly short, but it seems to me that it allows us to immediately sweep aside a good number of clichés about women that people would like to associate the Arabyan women of Warhammer with by likening them, rightly or wrongly, to one or other of the peoples of our good old Earth. Clichés that wouldn't apply to our world either, given that historically what is too often presented today as typically Arab or Turkish is in fact not at all so. As I said in my introduction, and again without wishing to launch any theological debate, the modern representation of the Muslim woman, standardised and unfortunately politicised, in no way represents the historical cultural diversity of the Muslim world. And I would stress here the difference between culture and religion: however Christian they may be, the French, Germans, Italians, Spanish and Brazilians adapt their customs, traditions and dress to their local culture, regardless of the desire for centralisation and standardisation. You only have to look at Asian, Chinese or Japanese representations, for example, to see that while the themes are always the same, they are systematically adapted to local culture, style and traditions. The same applies to Islam, and if you're interested in the subject, I'd refer you to Barbara Brend's Islamic Art, which I personally bought after visiting the Alhambra in Granada. On the sidebar of this article, you will find three photos of works featured in the book, showing women depicted in a Muslim context, and it's easy to see the stylistic differences, as well as the differences in attire, testifying to the diversity that has existed throughout the history of Islam. So, whether we're talking about good old Earth or the fictional world of Warhammer, which draws on clichés from our history and its representations, there is no reason to associate women with plain covering garments or even a simple veil, or to confine them to a subordinate role.
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| Barbara Brend - Islamic Art |
Docile, reserved, obedient and concealed, Arabyan women are not. The sources show women who are enterprising, free to make their own choices, powerful and influential or, on the contrary, modest, but far from being constrained intellectually or physically. And that's a good thing! Historically, women in the Persian and Arab worlds, while still subject to the weight of culture, were no less important or capable of making choices and, when they didn't, sometimes succeeding in asserting themselves all the same. Historical or legendary figures, of course, but also ordinary people. I will quote here a passage from the Book of Charlatans by Jamāl al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥīm al-Jawbarī, which basically reminds me of the passage about Ali's wife above as an example that in a couple, the man is not always in charge, far from it:
She sat down on a bench and began taking off her shoes. She'd taken off one when she caught sight of her husband sitting right there with us ! When she saw him, she showed no fear, didn't hid her face, and didn't back away from him. On the contrary, she took one of herboots and attacked him with it, while the other was still on her foot. She didn't hold back, and showed no fear, but grabbed him by his cap and kept beating onhim with the boottill the man almost passed out. Then she took hold of his beard and dragged him out of the sitting area, saying, "Pimp! You're always stuffing yourself into some place or other. This makes thirteen watering holes you've stuck your nose into today ! How many more are you going to stick it into ?"
Jamāl al-Dīn ʿAbd
al-Raḥīm al-Jawbarī -
Book of CharlatansThen she dragged him down into the alley and said to a man, "Take this silver piece and fetch me the judge's servant!" We went down to her, asked her to come back up, and kissed her hands, while she exclaimed, "You're the ones who are corrupting my husband, and that whore you have with you is his!" We swore to her it wasn't true, and asked her to go back with us but she said, "I won't leave him till his sworn, on threat of divorce, that he'll never set foot on this street again!", So the man swore this and told her, "Go home!", but she said, "I swear to God, I'll never enter your house gain, by day or by night! I'm off to Cairo, to my sister's. Take your keys and go! I swear, if you follow me or try to get at me in any way, the next thing you'll feel will be a slap the like whose sting you've never in your life felt before and I'll sue you for a hundred Egyptian gold pieces!"
As in Warhammer, it's all a question of individuals, both the principal concerned and those around her, and it would seem absurd to me to generalise the independence of action or thought of these few examples to all Arabyan women. But it would seem just as absurd to fear that, on the contrary, the Warhammer universe would make them de facto docile and obedient beings: these official mentions prove the contrary.
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| Illustration of a copy of the Varqah u Gulshah circa 1225, Konya, Turkey |
In terms of clothing, the sources mention dresses as well as trousers, waistcoats, sleeveless tops, veils covering the face or not, and so on. So it's easy to find inspiration in the traditional dress and everyday garments of North Africa and the Near and Middle East, such as the seroual, kaftan, haïk, burnous and karakou. These are all ways of marking regional and even community differences.
I'll conclude with another quotation from the Book of Charlatans, which you can use to illustrate the caricatured view of women in the world of Warhammer and in the medieval Muslim world, a caricature which itself represents the way in which some intellectuals complain about the freedom of thought and action of their daughters, wives and mothers:
Women are more cunning, devious, treacherous, audacious, immodest than men. Their hearts know no fear. This is because they are both mentally and morally defective, and lack manly honor and trustworthiness.
I'll spare you the rest, a misogynistic continuation of the passage above, to come directly to the end of the story: you want to represent a badass Arabyan woman who goes on an adventure, who gets involved in what doesn't concern her and that men basically fear because they have no control over her? No problem: there's absolutely nothing in Warhammer or its real-world inspirations to stop you. On the contrary, it is documented!
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