Medieval European authors widely portrayed Saracens as idolaters of a pagan pantheon

Evidence

While Daniel is certainly right to point out the element of playful exaggeration in some of these texts, he is wrong in asserting that the writers and readers of these epics knew better. Some writers, indeed, did know better; many, however, did not. Many writers, in Latin as well as the vernacular, in chronicles, legal treatises, plays, and other texts, continued to portray Saracens as pagan devotees of Apollo, Jupiter, Mahomet, and other “demons.” — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 693 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Some modern scholars (notably Norman Daniel) have dismissed this portrayal of Saracen idolatry as mere literary convention: no one believed this of the Muslims; they were only creating a caricatural “bad guy” as a foil for the epics’ forthright Christian knights. … While Daniel is certainly right to point out the element of playful exaggeration in some of these texts, he is wrong in asserting that the writers and readers of these epics knew better. Some writers, indeed, did know better; many, however, did not. Many writers, in Latin as well as the vernacular, in chronicles, legal treatises, plays, and other texts, continued to portray Saracens as pagan devotees of Apollo, Jupiter, Mahomet, and other “demons.” — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 692 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

The Chronicle of Fredegar (c. 658), earliest Latin chronicle to mention the Arab victory over Heraclius, describes the invasions in semiapocalyptic terms: Heraclius is warned by astrologers of his impending defeat at the hands of a circumcised race; he opens the mythical gates of the north (built by Alexander the Great), unleashing a hoard of northern barbarians on the Saracens, but to no avail. … Yet in their descriptions of the fresh waves of Muslim raids into Europe during the ninth century, Christian chroniclers continue to portray Muslims as scourges of God for their sins, as formidable military opponents, but not as religious adversaries. … Yet, whether chronicling the sack of Benevento or Charles Martel’s victory at Poitiers, they have nothing to say about the religious beliefs and practices of these “Saracens.” — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 455 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Bede read Saracen defeats as divine punishment for their wickedness; An eleventh-century nun reframed Saracens as classical Roman idolaters rather than actual Muslims; Medieval poems mirrored crusader indulgences as Saracen parody. (+8 more)

Broader Connections

• Many medieval writers genuinely believed Saracens were idolaters #corroborates (0.95) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 693
• Medieval authors largely believed their own caricatures of Muslims as pagan idolaters #corroborates (0.93) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 692
• Early Latin chroniclers framed Saracens as divine scourges and foes, not religious rivals #complicates (0.72) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 455