A TALE OF “THE LORD OF THE SEA” IN QATARI FOLKLORE AND TRADITION
A TALE OF “THE LORD OF THE SEA” IN QATARI FOLKLORE AND TRADITION

Summary/Abstract: The following paper is dedicated to a mysterious creature found in the tales of the Persian Gulf, so called Bū Daryā – ‘The Lord of the Sea’. This legendary character was believed to be an evil and maleficent jinnee, appearing in the middle of the darkest of nights to kill and devour pearl divers of the Gulf. Various versions of the folktale appear in Qatar, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates, however it is always the story about a bravery of divers struggling against the tremendous and mighty malicious water jinnee. The research is based on available literature and my own fieldwork in Doha, Qatar. It contains a brief introduction presenting the importance of pearl diving in Qatari culture. The main part of the article provides a detailed description of the tale with reference to its numerous links in Qatari folklore and traditions. The characteristics of the legendary creature as well as all citations used in the article are based on an original folktale of Bū Daryā registered during my fieldwork in Qatar. All cultural references are supported by sources in Qatari traditional and modern literature.

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