SWAN KNIGHT TEXTS OF OLD FRENCH CRU

The Swan Knight texts provide an imaginary tale of Godfrey of Bouillon's ancestry, leading up to the fictionalized account of the crusade in the Chanson d'Antioche, Chanson des Chétifs, and Chanson de Jérusalem. They comprise six stories and are translated into English for modern readers interested in the history and literature of the crusades and folklore.

Format: Hardback
Publication date: 01 February 2023
Publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS

The Swan Knight texts offer a fictional narrative of the ancestry of Godfrey of Bouillon, the first ruler of Jerusalem in the kingdom of Outremer. They serve as the initial chapter of the Old French Crusade Cycle, leading up to the fictionalized account of the crusade in the Chanson d'Antioche, Chanson des Chétifs, and Chanson de Jérusalem. Comprising six stories, the texts include two versions of the childhood of Godfrey's fictional grandfather, the Swan Knight, in the Elioxe and the Béatrix; his battles with the Saxons and marriage to Béatris in the Chevalier au Cygne; his death in the Fin d'Elias; the childhood of Godfrey in the Enfances Godefroi; and the Retour de Cornumarant, connecting the story of the Swan Knight to the central trilogy of the Cycle. This is the first translation of all six texts into English, providing an introduction that covers the sources, manuscripts, context, and later developments of the text, culminating in Wagner's Lohengrin. The translations aim to make the beginning of the Cycle accessible to modern readers with an interest in the history and literature of the crusades and/or folklore. They introduce a vast medieval panorama filled with fairy brides and evil grandmothers, children transformed into swans and back into humans, knights defending maidens and lecherous squires doing the opposite, scheming abbots and Saracen princes, spanning from London to Mecca via Boulogne and Bouillon.

ISBN-13: 9780367136451