Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

THE ORIGIN AND TRAVELS OF THE ALEXANDER
STORY.
The Ethiopic histories of Alexander the Great
consist of a large mass of historical facts, some
of which are, however, much distorted, and of a History and
series of legends and traditions which refer to Alexander.
several heroes, both historical and mythical, and
are the common heritage of the Semitic peoples
of the East. Of the legends and traditions a great
number concern Alexander alone, but some, as
will be noticed later, were current in the Arabian
peninsula from a remote antiquity—now their
survival is a matter to be marvelled at— and
were only grouped round him by his admiring
biographers and friends. That this should be so
is only natural, for if all history be searched no.
character will be found therein whose life and
deeds have appealed so strongly to the admiration
and sympathy of all nations as that of Alexander
the Great. His personal bravery, the hardness
which he endured as a soldier, his indefatigable
energy, his military skill, his judgment, his magna-
nimity, his travels and conquests, and his tragic
death, literally made all the world wonder; and
that the actual deeds and events of his life should,
very soon after his death, become overlaid by a