Inspiration for Arkat

One of the more curious representations of Alexander the Great is this medieval illustration that has him with boar tusks. Apparently, the source for this strange feature may ultimately lie in the Greek Alexander Romance, which tells us that ‘his teeth were as sharp as nails’ (Stoneman, Book I, Chapter 13). In Hartlieb’s German, this has become ‘Sein zen waren garscharpff als eines ebers schwein’ (‘his teeth were as sharp as those of a wild boar’).

Of course this is also a good source of ideas for Arkat, who is also often depicted with troll tusks.

---