ÿAlë () was, according to the Llibre dels fets, "a Saracen ... from La Palomera" who defected during the conquest of Majorca and swam out to the fleet of King James I of Aragon with intelligence about the island. The Llibre is an eyewitness account written by James himself. The story, however, is much more developed in the later account of Bernat Desclot. According to Desclot, ÿAlë was the majordomo of the "king of Majorca" (the governor Abà « YaḥyÃÂ). He chose to defect when his mother, an astronomer, warned him that James would conquer the island. In reality, his choice was probably based on opposition to Abà « YaḥyÃÂ. He and his family would certainly have preserved their property by siding with the conquerors.
The story of ÿAlë and his mother entered the popular tradition in and around Andratx. The family is said to have owned Sant Elm, where his mother observed the stars from the walls. The story was taken up by poets during the Renaixença. The local poet (1823âÂÂ1906) collected the stories and published a poem on them under the title N'Alàde la Palomera in 1871. He gave the name Zulema to ÿAlë's mother for the first time. Another poet, (1838âÂÂ1898), wrote a similar poem on the woman's astrological feats.