The popular [[Early Medieval literature|early medieval literature]] does not reflect the knowledge of Muhammad's life as known in Latin theological texts. The first mentions of Muhammad are found in a [[12th century]] work which describes Muhammad as "an idol, whose image the [[Saracen ]] warriors take with them into battle; after a defeat they throw it among the dogs and pigs or into the river or also trample on it. Like Christ or [[God the Father]] with the Christians, he is implored for help by the [[Saracens]], but is shown as being ineffective."<ref name="EoI-Muhammad"/> A verbal expression of Christian contempt for Islam was expressed in turning his name from Muhammad to [[Mahound]], the "devil incarnate".<ref>Reeves (2003), p.3</ref> [[Bernard Lewis]] states that "The development of the concept of [[Mahound]] started with considering Muhammad as a kind of demon or false god worshipped with [[Apollyon]] and [[Termangant]] in an unholy trinity."<ref>Lewis (2002) p.45</ref> Representation of Muhammad as an idol or one of the heathen gods remains during the first and [[second Crusade]] where it was used to discredit Islam in the eyes of Christians. <ref name="EoI-Muhammad"> Encycopedia of Islam, Muhammad </ref> Although, Muslims likewise reproached Christians of being polytheists because of the dogma of the [[Trinity]], but it is unlikely that Christian's representing Muhammad as an idol was a conscious retort to such criticisms.<ref name="EoI-Muhammad"/>
; Romantic representations of Muhammad
At the middle of the 13th century, the romantic representations of Muhammad appear. A poem dating back to that time represents Muhammad as "someone in bondage. Through his cleverly contrived marriage to the widow of his former master, he not only attains his freedom and wealth but also knows how to cover up his epileptic attacks as phenomena accompanying visitations of angels and to pose as a new messenger of God's will through deceitful machinations." Around that time, one can find ''Scala Mahomete'', a translation from an Arabic source and free from Christian evaluations (apart from one sentence in the foreword). More committed to Christian polemics, ''Livre dou Tresor'' represents Muhammad as a former monk and cardinal. [[Dante]]'s Divine Commedia, puts Muhammad, together with [[Ali]], "among the sowers of discord and the schismatics, being lacerated by devils again and again." <ref name="EoI-Muhammad"/>
