Qatari folklore
Qatari folklore largely revolves around sea-based activities and the accolades of renowned folk heroes. Like elsewhere on the Arabian Peninsula, folktales – known in Qatar as hazzawi – play an important role in Qatar's culture. Some of Qatar's folktales have a distinctive local character while others have been imparted by nomadic tribes wandering between the present-day Arab states of the Persian Gulf. Local folk stories were seldom documented, instead being passed down orally from generation to generation. After Qatar began profiting from oil exploration, the tradition of passing down these stories gradually ceased. Government ministries such as the Ministry of Culture and Sports and local universities have made efforts to preserve and transcribe local legends in publications.
Among Qatar's most noted folk heroes are Qatari ibn al-Fuja'a, a 7th-century war poet, and Rahmah ibn Jabir Al Jalhami, an 18th- and 19th-century pirate and transitory leader of Qatar. Recurring themes in Qatari folklore are djinn, pearl diving, and the sea. Almost every story has a positive moral behind it, such as honesty, strength or piety.
Legends
May and Gilan
The legend of May and Ghilân, once well known in the town of Al Khor, has been described as both a local legend and a foundational myth of Qatari pearling. According to tradition, the tale originated among the Al Muhannadi tribe, natives of Qatar's north-east coast whose members alternated between maritime and pastoral livelihoods. It combines two principal themes: the competition between a man and a woman, and the invention of the boat sail.Set in the port of Khor Al Mahandah, the story recounts that Ghilân, a wealthy and influential owner of pearling vessels, once dominated the local fleet. His supremacy was challenged when May, a woman with stronger and more experienced crews, began to rival him in reaching the pearl beds. On several occasions, her oar-powered boats outpaced his, prompting him to call out, "Tow us, O May!", to which she replied mockingly, "The towing is in the head of the oar".
Determined to regain his advantage, Ghilân is said to have drawn inspiration from the wings of a grasshopper, devising the idea of mounting sails on his boats. With the wind harnessed, his vessels soon outstripped May's. When she called out, "Tow us, O Ghilân!", he answered, "The towing is in the head of the mast". In the logic of the tale, this innovation both secured Ghilân's victory and reaffirmed a male predominance in an occupation historically closed off to women.
The narrative structure consists of five short episodes, punctuated by the repeated phrases about the oar and the mast. While the invention of the sail is the central motif, later retellings often remembered May and Ghilân simply as the initiators of pearl fishing itself. The story's circulation appears to have been largely confined to Al Khor, and by the late twentieth century it was already little known outside the town. Its decline has been attributed to the death of the older generation of pearl fishers and the absence of efforts to revive the tradition.
Bū Daryā - "Lord of the Sea"
The Lord of the Sea tale is famous in Qatar as well as the rest of the Persian Gulf region. The story revolves around a water djinn named Bū Daryā, who terrorizes sailors and pearl divers. It remains a well-known tale among Qatar's older population, particularly those who worked in maritime activities.The legend attains its name from the protagonist, Bū Daryā. In Arabic, bu or abu translates to "father", while darya originates from the Persian term for "sea". Although the second word has Persian origins, the legend has not been documented in any known Persian literature. An alternative name for the protagonist is Shayṭān Al-Bahār, Arabic for "devil of the sea". Bū Daryā was seen as a terrifying and colossal half-human half-amphibian who preyed on those out at sea. Many sailors and pearl divers of the past were convinced of Bū Daryā's existence and took special precautions should they encounter him. In fact, according to one version of the legend, Bū Daryā would sneak onto unsuspecting ships at night before scurrying off with crew members whom he would devour, and in some cases sink the ship. This provoked seaward travelers to take turns on night watch duty in case of an attack. It was said that those who witnessed the sea creature in person would be cursed and afflicted by ailments ranging from nausea to hallucinations.
Wailing-like calls, similar to those of a siren, are reported in the second version of the legend. Unsuspecting sea travelers who would answer these pleas would face their doom at the hands of Bū Daryā. If a whole ship responded to the call, then its resources would be plundered and in most cases, the ship would be sunk. As per this version, the only way to repel the hypnotic calling would be to repeat Quran verses. The second version represents a less fanciful depiction of Bū Daryā and contains more elements pertaining to the unknown dangers awaiting in unexplored and undocumented areas of the open sea. It also attempts to reconcile faith and religion with long-held customs to provide a moral to the story.
Homarat Al-Guyla
Known by multiple names, such as Homarat Al-Guyla and Umm Homar, this legend revolves around a half-woman, half-donkey creature that preys on children. Parents, particularly mothers, caution their children to remain indoors during the height of the day, as this is when the creature prowls. Clad in black, she can be identified by the distinctive sound of her hooves, which incites fear and sends children running.The Donkey Lady's origins are shrouded in mystery, but she is infamous for her deceitful tactics. She appears when parents are napping after a morning of hard work, knocking on doors and calling out to children, asking for food or water. If the children obey their parents' warnings and do not open the door, Umm Homar becomes aggressive, pounding on the door to frighten them. In some versions of the story, she can transform into a lizard to climb walls or is followed by three ominous black dogs.
Folktales
A rich tradition of storytelling is present in Qatar and is considered a vital way to preserve local culture. Aside from being passed on between family members at home, the majlis and desert camps also served as venues for transmission. It was common for women, particularly the grandmothers, to fulfill the role of storytelling within a family. They are usually told to children starting from the age of four, and can either be narrated or sung. Folktales are seen as being vital for the acculturation and development of children.Some tales are based on ancient Nabati poems, which is a type of poetry endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.
Genres of folktales
Qatari folktales can be divided into four main categories: witticisms, anecdotes, wisecracks and jokes. The first genre, referred to as witticism in English, provides a combination of social criticism and sarcasm delivered in a witty manner. Humor is not necessary for witticisms; in fact, many witticisms do not highlight elements of humor, but of misfortune and misery. Nonetheless, this misery may be still be communicated in a lighthearted and exaggerated way for entertainment purposes.An example of the witticism, or torfah genre, is the story of Far Boufarah Khayes Al-Merara, narrated by Qatari folklorist Ahmed Al Sayegh. In it, a delusional man kills a mouse with a sword and pridefully places it in front of his doorstep in an attempt to showcase his masculinity. When his wife notices the dead mouse, she does not share his enthusiasm and instead views it as the unnecessary slaughter of a defenseless creature. Incensed, the husband expresses his strong dissatisfaction with his wife's attitude and threatens to divorce her. After his mother-in-law was informed of the incident by his wife, she visits him and on entering the household, questions who it was that has slain the mighty lion at their doorstep. The husband arrogantly claimed responsibility and, encouraged by his mother-in-law's enabling of his delusional state, moved to forgive his wife for her perceived transgressions. Thus, witticisms can be seen as playing important social roles, with their morals often providing relevant and sensible advice to its listeners. In this context, the lesson taught is, that spouses may have to make compromises and entertain one another's egos, at least to a small extent, for a marriage to be successful. Other common morals taught by witticisms include knowing when to remain silent and being vigilant against thieves and fraudsters.
Themes of folktales
Folktales vary widely in theme, ranging from mythical settings featuring jinn, ghouls and black magic, to themes that better reflect reality such as the natural environment, pearl diving or the rapid pace of urbanization. Jinn and the sea feature prominently in several stories. In Islamic tradition, jinn are intelligent entities formed by Allah from smokeless fire. Similar to humans, they possess free will and the ability to choose their actions. Jinn occasionally decide to interact with the human realm, either to help or to cause harm, and are sometimes capable of wish granting. Stories that involve jinn include Al-Sofra wal Qadah wal Mushaab, Al Fisaikra, and Hamad and Hamda.Cannibalism is a prevalent theme in Qatari folklore, captivating audiences by inducing fear. It incorporates several associated elements such as the unsuspecting victim, the predatory consumer, societal stigma, and accompanying shame. In some tales, cannibalism is central, while in others, it plays a lesser role. It often appears as a mid-narrative event rather than at the beginning or end of the story. Cannibalism appears in both realistic and fantastical narratives, involving humans and jinn. Some of the stories in which it appears are Hadid Hadiduh, Sorour, Laibah al-Sabr, Tuwaisa al-Sabr, and Nassif. In the distant past, certain tribes and individuals in the Arabian Peninsula have been accused of consuming human meat, primarily in times of famine, serving as a foundation for some of these folktales. Witches are often the main perpetrators of intentional cannibalism, and children, often provided with little to no identifying information, are the primary victims in these stories.
The story of Sorour focuses on a child named Sorour, who, after his mother's death, endures the mistreatment and animosity of his stepmother while living with his father. This narrative follows a familiar pattern in Qatari folklore, where an orphaned child experiences hardship within a stepfamily, often emphasizing the plight of orphanhood. In the tale, three groups unknowingly consume human flesh: Sorour's father, the stepmother's family, and the father's guests. The father and the stepmother’s family are directly related to Sorour, while the guests have no familial connection. The guests remain unaware of the nature of the meat they have eaten, while the father and the stepmother’s family eventually realize that they have consumed the flesh of their kin. This revelation is intended as an act of revenge orchestrated by the stepmother.
The story features no deliberate intention of cannibalism, but was a calculated act by the preparer of the meal. The guests' awareness of the gruesome truth remains ambiguous, whereas the stepmother’s family comes to this realization upon discovering human remains in their food. Supernatural elements, such as voices from Sorour's deceased mother in the cemetery and a talking cat, provided the revelation about the consumed flesh. The story also highlights themes of revenge and kinship, with the stepmother's act of cooking and serving the boy's flesh to his father and guests representing a severe breach of familial and social norms while also emphasizing the extreme lengths taken in the pursuit of vengeance.
In the folk tale Hadid Hadiduh, a witch is tricked into unknowingly consuming her child's flesh after mistaking her for Hadid Hadiduh, the story's eponymous protagonist. This revelation occurs only after a sequence of confrontations and clever maneuvers between the witch and Hadid Hadiduh. Despite her professed abilities, the witch's powers are continually undermined throughout the tale, ultimately proving ineffectual when she fails to identify the meat of her own offspring. This failure extends beyond her inability to distinguish the flesh; she is also deceived by Hadid Hadiduh, who disguises herself in the daughter's clothing. The witch is convinced by this visual deception and fails to discern the difference between the two girls' voices and appearances.
The tale of Nassif involves a woman who maliciously eats the fetus of her unborn child. In Laibah al-Sabr, a young girl, while hidden, witnesses a deranged Quran teacher roasting the flesh of her classmate in his house. Overcome with a sense of dread, the young girl believes that the man would be cleared of any wrongdoing if she were to report him due to the man's esteemed social status. The story ends with the girl helplessly bearing witness as the man consumes the boy's flesh.