Friar Jordanus (fl. 1321-1330)

by Robert K. Harding (See Chinese translation)

Jordanus of Severac or of Catalonia (late 1200s to mid-14th century, alternative names), was either a Catalan or a Frenchman from one of the five Severacs in France. A Dominican, his significance lies in the fact that he was the first Roman Catholic of Quilon, in modern Kerala (India); and that he wrote the Mirabilia Descripta, the Book of Marvels.

It is known that Jordanus was in Northwest India 1321-1323 and returned in about 1330; it is unclear whether his manuscript was written before or after the second stay.

Two letters addressed to fellow Dominicans and Franciscans, dated 1321 and 1324 respectively, indicate his interest in eastern missions. He refers to three of these missions maintained by the Franciscans: those at Supera (probably ancient Surat, in Gujarat), Paroco (Bharuch, also in Gujarat) and Columbum (usually identified as Quilon, i.e. ancient Kollam). (It should be noted that Kodungallur [colonial Cranganore] was the most important centre in the Kerala region until 1341.)

The second letter recounts a disaster. Trying to get from Tabriz to China, he was forced to land with four companions in Tana (Salsette, India), where they were welcomed by local Christians who belonged to the Church of the East ("Nestorians"). He had left his companions when he discovered that they had all been martyred. Another work, housed in the Vatican Library, indicates that they were beheaded by local officials, including the qadi, who were unwilling to chance the possibility of Christianity spreading (Yule 1863, p. ix-xii). For more information on the chronicle and its real author see R. Daniel, “Paulinus of Venice”, in Graeme Dunphy ed., Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle (Leiden: Brill, 2010).

In 1329 John XXII issued a Bull, Venerabili Fratri Jordano, indicating Jordanus was bishop of “Columbum” and inviting the St. Thomas Christians (Nazrani) to become Catholics. The Kollam diocese covered the whole of modern South Asia and Afghanistan, and came under John de Cora, the Archbishop of Sultaniyah in Iran. No further biographical information for Jordanus is available.

The book was written some time between 1329 and 1338. The author describes Indian culture and geography in great detail, more than any other medieval writer. He retains the classical idea that "India" stretches much further west than the modern use of the term, although he excludes eastern Africa (often referred to as India by classical authors).

Friar Jordanus made an important contribution to the myth of Prester John, which had circulated since the 12th century, but which drew on older material. His location had originally been seen as the East, and especially India; but Jordanus located him in Ethiopia, and this was to have an important influence on Portuguese exploration and the identification of Prester John with the Ethiopian monarchy.

As well as his descriptions of South Asia he also provides evidence of previous journeys to other parts of the East, including Armenia and Lake Van.

In style, the work is very much a list of wonders belonging to a particular region, often with little connection among them. An example of his style is the opening paragraph:

Between Sicily and Calabria there is a marvel in the sea. This is it: on one side the sea runneth with an upward current, and on the other side cometh down towards the island with a swifter stream than any river; and so in the middle is caused a wondrous eddy, sucking down ships that hap to fall in with it, whatever be their bigness. And 'tis said that in the bottom of the sea there is a horrid kind of a whirlpool, from which the water cometh forth so wondrous dark that even the fishes nowhere dare to come near it. (Yule, p. 1)

He shows a great interest in natural features, with short descriptions of local rulers and government, and connections, if any, with biblical history. At times his prejudice gets the better of him:

Persia extendeth about V [five] days' journey in length, and as much in breadth. The people of this realm live all too uncleanly, for they sit upon the ground, and eat upon the same, putting mess and meats in a trencher for three, four, or five persons together. They eat not on a table-cloth,' but on a round sheet of leather, or on a low table of wood or brass, with three legs. And so six, seven, or eight persons eat out of one dish, and that with their hands and fingers; big and little, male and female, all eat after this fashion. And after they have eaten, or even whilst in the middle of their eating, they lick their fingers with tongue and lips, and wipe them on their sleeves, and afterwards, if any grease still remains upon their hands, they wipe them on their shoes. And thus do the folk over all those countries, including Western and Eastern Tartary, except the Hindus, who eat decently enough. (pp. 9-10)

In India he reports on the monsoon, the prevalence of rice in the diet, jackfruit and mango, and the coconut. He records the presence of Parsis (Zoroastrians) as a distinctive religion, and on problematic features of Indian society such as suttee and Untouchables.

In general, he approves of Indian society, including the caste system:

The people of this India are very clean in their feeding; true in speech, and eminent in justice, maintaining carefully the privileges of every man according to his degree, as they have come down from old times. (p. 22)

However, his most decided opinion is reserved for the weather:

The heat there is perfectly horrible, and more intolerable to strangers than it is possible to say. (p. 22)

Jordanus divides northern South Asia from South India, including the latter, along with Sri Lanka and island Southeast Asia, into an entity called Greater India. Interestingly, he states that the north (Lesser India) lacks many things one would have expected there, such as elephants and spices (even pepper). Of course, he was travelling before the Portuguese had arrived in India and revolutionised its diet with crops such as chillies.

In the south, where he would have spent most of his time, he describes the natural world in great detail:

elephants...are marvellous; for they exceed in size and bulk and strength, and also in understanding, all the animals of the world. This animal hath a big head; small eyes, smaller than a horse's; ears like the wings of owls or bats; a nose reaching quite to the ground, extending right down from the top of his head; and two tusks standing out of remarkable magnitude...which are teeth rooted in the upper jaw. This animal doth everything by word of command...they bind to his tusks blades or maces of iron wherewith he smiteth. Most horrible are the powers of this beast, and specially in war. (p. 26)

The author clearly knows of the wealth of the areas he describes, including the precious stones; but unlike other writers he seems far less interested in them than in plants and animals, devoting, for instance, just a paragraph to the jewels of Sri Lanka. Physical geography also captures relatively little of his attention.

In the islands of Southeast Asia the presence of hearsay becomes stronger – Java, for instance, is supposed to harbour a race of pygmies, and also beautiful white mice; and in another part they enjoy eating white, fat men. (pp. 30-31) But provided that "Java" covers more than the modern island, the pygmies could well be orang-utans and cannibalism becomes more credible. (Yule, n. 1, p. 31) In general he proves himself an astute observer of customs, providing for instance the first Western report of matrilineal society in Kerala, where a man's sister's son was his heir. (p. 32) Interestingly, his knowledge of political geography, whether of the south or the north, appears vague; he never mentions the kings of the Delhi Sultanate and it is hard to match many of his kingdoms of the south with actual contemporary states.

Despite its intention as a book of marvels, and often with the character of a set of notes, the book is given coherence by its organisation according to geography; and the geographical emphasis is confirmed by its concluding section in which Jordanus defines the regions he has used and the distances between them. Almost as an afterthought he describes here some of the vessels used in sea transportation. He repeats an observation that goes back in European literature to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea of AD 40-70; that Indian Ocean ships are not constructed using nails:

But the vessels of the Indies be of a marvellous kind. For although they be very great, they be not put together with iron, but stitched with a needle, and a thread made of a kind of grass. Nor are the vessels ever decked over, but open, and they take in water to such an extent that the men always, or almost always, must stand in a pool to bale out the water. (pp. 53-54)

Following this come declarations that presage the age of European imperialism. He makes three key statements:

a) that in nature, food, clothes and all else in Europe is superior; and above all, that it holds to the true religion

b) that huge opportunities exist for the mass conversion of pagans and "Nestorian" schismatics in the East

c) that the French king could conquer the entire world and bring it to Christianity without help from any other king, thus he conflates both political opportunity and religious piety. (pp. 55-56)

Despite one's gratitude for the sheer wealth of information in such a short work, this is a sinister note on which to end the book.