Part 5

PAGE 18.--_Taking her robes set them high in the fork of a great oak._ This apparently unknightly proceeding on the part of the hero was doubtless originally connected with the supernatural character of the lady, and seems to have taken its rise in a confusion between a fay and a swan-maiden. As we know from Northern tradition (Brynhild's _Hell-reid_ and the _Wieland-saga_) to steal the "swan-shift" of such a maiden was the recognised means of effecting her capture. This has been well discussed by Dr. Schofield in the study quoted above.

PAGE 22.--_I charge thee--that thou neither eat nor drink._

This is evidently a somewhat confused introduction of the well-known feature that partaking of food in any land brings the eater under the operation of the laws of that land, but we generally find the incident of reverse application, as in the case of Persephone, who having tasted of the pomegranate seeds must needs continue an inhabitant of the other world. Guingamor having already eaten of the food of faëry, would, one would think, be incapable of returning to the other world. Such a fate as befalls him is, however, often brought about by coming in contact with the _earth_; thus in the _Voyage of Bran_, when the hero and his companions return from the Magic Isles, they are warned not to set foot on the shore of Ireland; one of the company disobeys the injunction and immediately falls to ashes, as one many years dead. Mr. Hartland, in his work on _The Science of Fairy-tales_, gives other instances of this belief. From the references made to the story by later writers, however, it is quite clear that Guingamor was supposed to have regained his youth on his return to Fairyland, and to enjoy practical immortality as the lord of its queen.

SIR LAUNFAL.

This is a translation of the _Lai de Lanval_, by Marie de France, the _original_ source being, as in the case of all the other stories, a Breton _lai_ which the Anglo-Norman poetess translated into French.

The English poem of the same name, by Thomas of Chester, is not, strictly speaking, a _translation_ of Marie's _lai_, but an adaptation, into which features borrowed from other sources have been worked. Thus the author evidently knew the lay of _Graalent_, which, as I have stated in the note to Guingamor, recites precisely the same story as _Lanval_, only with certain variations in the incidents. Dr. Schofield, in the study to which I have previously referred, decides that the original hero is _Lanval_.

The _Graalent_ version contains a weirdly pathetic feature which was either unknown to Marie or disregarded by her. The hero rides off, not on the lady's steed, but on his own; crossing the river he is swept from the saddle, and only saved from drowning by his mistress, who takes him up behind her on her palfrey. The knight's charger, reaching the shore, vainly seeks for his master, and the Bretons tell how yearly, on the anniversary of Graalent's disappearance, the horse may be heard neighing loudly for the vanished knight. Thomas of Chester refers to this story evidently, but appears to think that the steed had rejoined its master, as after telling how "_every yer, upon a certayn day, Men may here Launfale's stede nay_," he goes on to tell how any who desires a joust to keep his arms from rusting "_may fynde justes anow wyth Syr Launfal the knyght_."

TYOLET.

This lay is the translation of one published by M. Gaston Paris (Romania VIII. 1879) from a MS. in the Bibliothèque Nationale, and previously unknown. It will be seen that it really consists of two distinct stories: (_a_) Tyolet's _Enfances_; (_b_) his achieving of the adventure of the white-footed stag. Whether these two stories originally related to the same hero is doubtful, but both are of considerable importance for the criticism of the Arthurian legend.

(_a_) Tyolet's _Enfances_.--This story certainly bears a strong resemblance to the "Perceval" story as related by Chrétien de Troyes and Wolfram von Eschenbach; but while in some points it seems to have preserved more archaic features, in others it is distinctly more modern. Thus the lad's confusion of the knight with a beast seems a primitive trait, as does also his fairy gift of attracting beasts by whistling, and the curious transformation of the stag, while his behaviour on arriving at court, on the other hand, is far more civilised than that of Perceval. One naturally asks where had he learnt of tourneys and joustings and the knightly duty of "largesse"? The probability is that we have here a revised, and independent, version of the popular folk-tale which under the hands of certain twelfth-century poets developed into the Perceval romance.

(_b_) _Le cerf au pied blanc._ This story is also found in the vast compilation of Arthurian romance known as the Dutch _Lancelot_. There the adventure is attributed to Lancelot, but with certain variants--_e.g._, Kay, and not Lodoer, is the first to attempt the adventure, and to fail through cowardice (a trait entirely in accord with the rôle played by Kay in the later Arthurian story); Lancelot slays the lions _before_ cutting off the foot of the stag; and he does not marry the lady, who in this version has not herself visited Arthur's court but has sent a messenger. This at once points to a later redaction of the story; the hero certainly ought to marry the maiden at whose instigation he undertakes the adventure.

The part played by the traitor knight did not, I venture to think, originally belong to the story; it is part of a very widely spread Aryan folk-tale, generally relating to the slaying of a dragon or similar monster. Mr. Hartland has given a long list of the variants of this in _The Legend of Perseus_, vol. iii. A very fine specimen is contained in the early _Tristan_ poems, notably that of Gottfried von Strassburg, and another version, that contained in the poem of _Morien_ ascribes the adventure to _Lancelot_. It may be remarked that in both the "Lancelot" versions, as in this _lai_ of Tyolet, it is Gawain who seeks the hero, and chivalrously defends his claim against that of the traitor. The story certainly must have become connected with the Arthurian legend at a time when Gawain was still the _beau-ideal_ of knightly courtesy.

The original tale at the root of the _Cerf au pied blanc_ was, I believe, a transformation tale; the stag was the enchanted relative of the lady who instigated the adventure, and the spell could only be broken by smiting off the animal's foot (as in many instances it is necessary to cut off the head of the victim of magic spells); this seems to me the only explanation of what is here a pointless act of cruelty. Probably the connecting link with the tale of Tyolet is the mysterious stag-knight of the first part, not the fairy gift of whistling as M. Gaston Paris suggested. I believe the story to be the origin of the white stag guarded by _six_ lions in the Prose Lancelot, which in the "Queste" changes with its _four_ attendant lions into Our Lord and the Four Evangelists. The real meaning of the story has here been preserved. This solution is also indicated by the fact that one of the shapes assumed by Merlin in his numerous transformations is that of a stag _with one white foot_ (_cf._ "Merlin," Sommer's edition, xxiii. p. 302).

In connection with this it may be noted that a story published in the _Scottish Celtic Review_, vol. i., "Macphie's Black Dog," contains a striking parallel to _Tyolet_. The hero goes forth to shoot and sees a royal stag, but whenever he raises his gun to fire the animal changes into a woman. I think it is clear that in _Tyolet_ we have the Perceval Enfances plus a transformation tale.

THE WERE-WOLF.

The source of this is the _Lai du Bisclavaret_, by Marie de France. She was evidently relating a popular tradition, and there can be little doubt that it is the story referred to by Malory in the passage quoted at the heading of the tale. In Marie's _Lai_ none of the characters are named.

The same story appears to be at the root of a Celtic folk-tale, _Morraha_, published by Mr. Jacobs in his collection entitled, "More Celtic Fairy Tales," here, however, being only subsidiary, a story within a story. Elsewhere I have found no trace of it, but the reference in Malory appeared to justify its inclusion among Arthurian tales.

Since writing this note Mr. Nutt has drawn my attention to a tale published in the _Scottish Celtic Review_, referred to above, "How the Great Tuairisgeul was put to Death." This tale strongly resembles _Morraha_, only the transformation is brought about by the spells of a witch employed by the stepmother, and is not the deed of the wife. _Morraha_ seems to occupy a position between our tale and this. It may be suggested that there is a certain resemblance between the name Morraha, and that given by Malory for the hero of the story _Marrok_. It is worth noting that in both these tales the sympathy of the reader is invited for the wolf. As a rule a were-wolf is an object of dread and abhorrence.

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TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:

Obvious printer errors have been corrected. Otherwise, the author's original spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been left intact.