The Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm’s Latin translation under Alfonso X

Record summary

The translation of Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm into Latin, often connected with the intellectual environment of Alfonso X, helped move Arabic astral magic into European learned culture. The episode is a concrete lead for examining translators, court patronage, Arabic-Latin knowledge transfer, and changing attitudes toward talismanic practice. The Latin text is not simply a transparent rendering: it reorganizes terminology and participates in a broader translation history. The exact translator, date, and court context should be verified rather than assumed from the broad association with Alfonso’s scholarly projects.