Editing Gog and Magog (section)

===Alexander Romances===
This Gog and Magog legend is not found in earlier versions of the [[Alexander Romance]] of Pseudo-Callisthenes, whose oldest manuscript dates to the 3rd century,{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|The oldest manuscript is recension α. The material is not found in the oldest Greek, Latin, Armenian, and Syriac versions.{{sfn|Van Donzel|Schmidt|2010|pp=17, 21}}}} but an [[Interpolation (manuscripts)|interpolation]] into recensions around the 8th century.{{efn|Recension ε}}{{sfn|Stoneman |1991|pages=28–32}} In the latest and longest Greek version{{efn|Recension γ}} are described the Unclean Nations, which include the Goth and Magoth as their kings, and whose people engage in the habit of eating worms, dogs, human [[cadaver]]s and fetuses.{{sfn|Stoneman|1991|pp=185–187}} They were allied to Belsyrians ([[Bebryces|Bebrykes]],{{sfn|Anderson|1932|p=35}} of [[Bithynia]] in modern-day North [[Turkey]]), and sealed beyond the "Breasts of the North"<!--Μαζοί Βορρά{{sfn|Anderson|1932|p=37}}-->, a pair of mountains fifty days' march away towards the north.{{efn|Alexander's prayer caused the mountains to move nearer, making the pass narrower, facilitating his building his gate. This is the aforementioned element first seen in pseudo-Methodius.}}{{sfn|Stoneman|1991|pp=185–187}}

Gog and Magog appear in somewhat later Old French versions of the romance.{{efn|Gog and Magog being absent in the ''[[Alexandreis]]'' (1080) of [[Walter of Châtillon]].}}{{sfn|Westrem|1998|p=57}} In the verse ''[[Roman d'Alexandre]]'', Branch III, of {{ill|Lambert le Tort|fr|Lambert le Tort}} (c. 1170), Gog and Magog ("Gos et Margos", "Got et Margot") were vassals to [[Porus the Elder|Porus]], king of India, providing an auxiliary force of 400,000 men.{{efn|Note the change in loyalties. According to the Greek version, Gog and Magog served the Belsyrians, whom Alexander fought them ''after'' completing his campaign against Porus.}} Routed by Alexander, they escaped through a [[Defile (geography)|defile]] in the mountains of [[Tus, Iran|Tus]] (or Turs),{{efn|"Tus" in Iran, near the Caspian south shore, known as [[Susia]] to the Greeks, is a city in the itinerary of the historical Alexander. Meyer does not make this identification, and suspects a corruption of ''mons Caspius'' etc.}} and were sealed by the wall erected there, to last until the advent of the Antichrist.{{efn|Branch III, [[laisse]]s 124–128.}}{{sfn|Armstrong|1937|loc=VI, p. 41}}<!--{{sfn|Fritze|1998|p=130}}-->{{sfn|Meyer|1886|loc=summary of §11 (Michel ed., pp. 295–313), pp. 169–170; appendix II on Gog and Magog episode, pp. 386–389; on third branch, pp. 213, 214}} Branch IV of the poetic cycle tells that the task of guarding Gog and Magog, as well as the rule of Syria and Persia was assigned to [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]], one of Alexander's successors.{{sfn|Meyer|1886|p=207}}

[[Image:Thomas-de-Kent-Bnf-fr24364-fol60v_-_gog-et-magog-mangent-gents.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Gog and Magog consuming humans.<br />{{right|—[[Thomas de Kent]]'s ''Roman de toute chevalerie'', Paris manuscript, 14th century}}]]
Gog and Magog also appear in [[Thomas de Kent]]'s ''Roman de toute chevalerie'' (c. 1180), where they are portrayed as cave-dwellers who consume human flesh. A condensed account occurs in a derivative work, the Middle English ''[[King Alisaunder]]'' (vv. 5938–6287).{{sfn|Anderson|1932|p=88}}{{r|harf-lancner}}{{r|akbari}} In the 13th-century French ''[[Roman d'Alexandre en prose]]'', Alexander has an encounter with cannibals who have taken over the role of Gog and Magog.{{r|warren}} This is a case of imperfect transmission, since the ''prose Alexander'''s source, the Latin work by Archpriest [[Leo of Naples]] known as ''Historia de Preliis'', does mention "Gogh et Macgogh", at least in some manuscripts.{{sfn|Michael|1982|p=133}}

The Gog and Magog are not only human flesh-eaters, but illustrated as men "a notably beaked nose" in examples such as the "[[Sawley map]]", an important example of ''[[mappa mundi]]''.{{sfnp|Westrem|1998|p=61}} Gog and Magog caricaturised as figures with hooked noses on a miniature depicting their attack of the Holy City, found in a manuscript of the ''Apocalypse'' in Anglo-Norman.{{efn|Toulouse manuscript 815, folio 49v.<!--Meyer ed., plate-->}}<ref name="meyer-apocalypse"/>