Berminedab

Berminedab is the Soldan of Babylon and Alatiel’s father in the story of her shipwreck, repeated transfers, and eventual return. His attempt to secure a royal marriage for her begins a chain of events that separates them for years; when she is brought back, he welcomes her with joy but is not told the full truth of what happened.

Identity and Royal Position

The narrative presents Berminedab as a powerful ruler who has many children and has generally seen his wishes fulfilled. His daughter Alatiel is renowned as exceptionally beautiful, a reputation that makes her desirable in dynastic marriage but also exposes her to the dangers of being treated as a prize. Berminedab’s authority reaches beyond his own household: he can make a marriage alliance, dispatch his daughter with a substantial retinue, and later answer services rendered to her with gifts, letters, and ambassadors.

The Marriage Alliance and Departure

After the King of Algarve had given him valuable assistance in a great defeat of the Arabs, Berminedab granted Alatiel to that king as a mark of special favor. He sent her from Alexandria aboard a well-armed, well-equipped ship, accompanied by men and women of rank and supplied with rich furnishings and goods. The expedition makes the marriage a public undertaking as well as a family arrangement: Alatiel travels under protection, with the expectation that she will reach her intended husband and bind two royal households.

That security proves inadequate. After the ship passes Sardinia, contrary winds drive it into a violent storm near Majorca. The crew and other passengers crowd into a shallop, which founders; the damaged ship eventually runs aground with Alatiel and her women aboard. Berminedab is absent from these events and has no knowledge of his daughter’s fate. Much later, Antigonus describes her as having long been thought drowned, indicating the years of uncertainty that separate her departure from her return.

Alatiel’s Return and Berminedab’s Response

When Antigonus recognizes Alatiel and arranges her return, Berminedab receives her at court with the queen. They welcome her with great rejoicing and lavish hospitality, then ask what happened and where she has been. Alatiel answers according to Antigonus’s instructions, giving her father an account designed to conceal the experiences that would endanger her standing and the proposed marriage. The narrative makes the gap between what Berminedab believes and what the reader knows central to the reunion: his welcome is sincere, but it rests on an incomplete account.

Berminedab responds with gratitude rather than suspicion. He repeatedly thanks God for his daughter’s return and wishes for the means to repay those who helped her, especially the King of Cyprus. He prepares substantial gifts for Antigonus, releases him to return to Cyprus, and sends the king thanks by letter and special ambassadors. His conduct restores the diplomatic chain that began with the original marriage arrangement: he informs the King of Algarve that Alatiel is alive and invites him to send for her.

Narrative Role and Consequences

Berminedab’s decisions frame Alatiel’s story at both ends. First, he assigns her marriage in recognition of political service; later, he treats her return as the recovery of a daughter and the completion of that same alliance. He does not learn the truth the story has disclosed to its audience: Alatiel has been with many men, yet she is received by the King of Algarve as a virgin and lives happily with him for a time. The contrast turns Berminedab’s restoration of the planned marriage into an episode of dramatic irony. His generosity and family joy are real, while the reputation on which the alliance depends has been preserved through concealment.