In literature and art, Saracens (often, but not always, representing Arabs) were portrayed as demons, black-skinned monsters, Satan, or souls condemned to the underworld. In these lines from Richard Coeur de Lion, Saracens are described as souls trapped in hell: “Allas Mahoun! What has he ment, This Ynglyssche dogge that hygthe Fouke? He is no man, he is a pouke, That out off helle is jstole!” In many cases, the language is almost identical to that found in descriptions of devils in Harrowing of Hell dramas, thus equating Muslims to demons once again.

XREF: Connects to broader patterns of medieval othering and racialization of non-Christians, and to the 'Saracen' figure in crusade literature.

Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imag…, loc. 92