Alexander the Great in legend

This article is part of a series about Alexander the Great
Early life Education Personal relationships Early rule Consolidation of power Balkan campaign Pelium Thebes Conquest of the Persian Empire Asia Minor Granicus Halicarnassus Syria Issus Tyre Egypt Gaza Mesopotamia Gaugamela Persia Persian Gate Persepolis Bactria Cyropolis Sogdian Rock Expedition into India Indian campaigns Cophen Aornos Hydaspes Mallian Death and legacy Death Tomb Hellenistic period Cities Cult Cultural impact Legends Alexander Romance Historiography Anabasis Chronology Cultural depictions Islamic theories
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The vast conquests of the Macedonian king Alexander the Great quickly inspired the formation and diffusion of legendary material about his deity, journeys, and tales. These appeared shortly after his death, and some may have already begun forming during his lifetime. Common themes and symbols, among legends about Alexander include the Gates of Alexander, the Horns of Alexander, and the Gordian Knot.

In the third century AD, an anonymous author writing in the name of Alexander's court historian Callisthenes (commonly referred to as Pseudo-Callisthenes) authored the Greek Alexander Romance. This text would spawn a genre of literature about the legends and exploits of Alexander across centuries, going through over one hundred versions in premodern times and appearing in almost every language in both European and Islamic worlds.