'This awful and distressing circumstance': translating Ibn Fa lns Vikings for Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine

The first English-language translation of Ibn Fa lns Arabic account of a Rks funeral appeared as part of a Danish essay translated for Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine in 1818. This was not the only translation of Ibn Fa ln published in Scotland in the 19th century; in 1871, Joseph Anderson (1832-1916) published another translation, again translated from Danish, in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, in which he expressed doubt as to the existence of the 1818 trans�lation. Neither translation has seen significant attention, since both treatments of Ibn Fa ln were better suited for antiquarian rather than orientalist engagement, and so do not feature prominently in the historiography of Ibn Fa ln as an Arabic geographical source. Looking at the Scottish anti�quarian reception of this source, this article traces Ibn Fa lns journey from Danish into English, and identifies Alexander Nicoll (1793-1828) as the first English translator of the source. I explore the tragic personal circumstances leading Nicoll to visit Denmark and establish scholarly networks with the Danish literati and, evaluating the impact of Nicolls work, contextualise the publication of both the 1818 and 1871 translations against the development of Scottish antiquarian efforts to explore the Viking Age in order to present a trajectory for the increased study, interest and comparative merit of Ibn Fa ln as an Arabic source for antiquarians, setting the source against the scholarly networks in which it circulated.