Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

beauty causing involuntary self-wounding

beauty_causing_involuntary_self_wounding

A motif of the Beauty Paired with Pain and Paradox family, within the sub-family Overwhelming Beauty Causing Bodily and Self-Wounding. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

2 occurrences

1 traditions


islamic

  • The Koran (Al-Qur'an) CHAPTER XI. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. / CHAPTER XII. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.; lines 20308-20401 confidence: high

    The mistress invites the women, prepares a banquet, gives each a knife, and has Joseph appear; they cut their hands and call him not mortal but an angel; she threatens him with prison if he refuses.

    At the banquet, women who see Joseph praise him greatly, cut their own hands, and describe him as more than mortal.

    read in the book
  • The Koran (Al-Qur'an) CHAPTER XI. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD. / CHAPTER XII. / IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.; lines 20403-20499 confidence: medium

    Notes state that forty women were invited; Zoleikha put knives in their hands, foreseeing that surprise at Joseph's beauty would cause them to cut themselves.

    A note states that the women cut themselves because of extreme surprise at Joseph's beauty, after Zoleikha put knives in their hands.

    read in the book