Abbreviations and Conventions vii Transliteration vii Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1(6) Stunted Nobility 7(29) Ancient Ignorance? 7(4) Arab Awareness: The Root DWY 11(3) A Paradox 14(5) Seeking a Sperm-Donor in Pre-Islamic Arabia 19(3) Seeking Explanations 22(6) Verses on Horses, Camels, and People 28(6) The Silence of the Doctors 34(2) Magian Marriages 36(42) Zoroastrian Close-Kin Marriages 36(3) Arabs v. Persians: A Key Text by Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi 39(5) Some Comments on al-Tawhidi's Text 44(8) Pre-Islamic Arabs with Magian Leanings 52(3) Arabic Historiography on the Majus 55(5) Zoroastrian Marriage as an Arabic Invective Motif 60(2) A Digression: Muslim Anti-Jewish Polemics 62(4) Magian Marriage in Lampoons, Love Poetry, and Literary Riddles 66(6) Muslim Heresiography on the Zoroastrians 72(3) Incest in Sects 75(3) Islamic Incest Regulations 78(44) Pre-Islamic Ignorance 78(3) Forbidden Degrees in the Qur'an 81(3) Stepmothers 84(5) Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Aunts, Nieces et aliae 89(4) Milk-Relationship 93(3) Mothers-in-Law 96(1) Stepdaughters and Daughters-in-Law 96(2) Two Sisters 98(4) Foundlings 102(1) Punishments 103(6) Islamic Law and Zoroastrian Marriage 109(3) Justifications 112(6) Mother's Back 118(1) Revealing One's Adornment 119(1) An Early Case of Necessary Incest 120(2) Incest in Legend and Literature 122(59) An Early Case of Necessary Incest (Continued) 122(3) Canaan/Kan'an and Nimrod/Namrud 125(1) Stories of Prophets 126(2) Sisterly Love 128(1) Lampoons and Insults 129(7) Metaphorical Incest 136(2) Genealogical Puzzles 138(5) More Stories and Legends 143(29) Ta'abbata Sharran 143(1) Luqman 144(2) A Bed-Trick with Compounded Incest in Baghdad 146(8) The Lovers of Fath Alley, Baghdad 154(5) `Arus al-'Ara'is 159(1) The Cohabiting Bedouin Siblings 160(2) Burning Love Between Siblings 162(2) Blood that Yearns for Blood 164(2) Father's Wives Again 166(2) Popular Epics 168(4) Dreams 172(9) Dreams Denoting Incest 173(3) Dreams About Incest 176(5) Epilogue 181(6) Notes 187(50) Bibliography 237(32) Index 269