Arthurian Romances

by Chretien de Troyes

  He had promised them two castles, the most beautiful and the best situated in all his land and the ones that least feared attack: one was called Montrevel; the other was named Roadan. When they entered his kingdom, Erec’s men would cede these two castles to them, with their revenues and jurisdictions, just as he had promised them. They arranged matters just as Erec had ordered: the messengers immediately presented his host with the gold and the silver and the horses and the clothes and the deniers, of which there was a great abundance, for they did not care to delay. They led them to Erec’s kingdom and showed them great honour. They arrived there in three days and delivered to them the keeps of the castles, for King Lac did not oppose it. He joyously welcomed and greatly honoured them; he loved them because of his son Erec. He ceded the castles to them and had both knights and burghers engage by oath and swear that they would hold them as dear as their rightful lords. When this had all been arranged, the messengers returned to their lord Erec. He received them warmly, asking them for news of the vavasour and his wife, and of his father and the kingdom; they told him good and pleasing news.

  It was not long after this that the date arrived that had been set for Erec’s marriage. The waiting greatly tormented him; he did not want to delay or wait any more. He went to ask the king’s permission for the marriage to be performed at his court, if it did not displease him. The king granted him the boon, and throughout his kingdom sent for kings, dukes, and counts, those who held land for him, declaring that none should be so bold as to be absent at Pentecost. None dared to stay behind or to fail to come quickly to court, once they had received the king’s summons.

  Now listen to me, and I shall tell you who the counts and the kings were. Count Branles of Gloucester came with a very rich entourage, leading a hundred horses; then came Menagormon, who was lord of Eglimon; and the lord of the High Mountain came with a very rich company. The Count of Traverain came with a hundred of his companions; then came Count Godegrain, who brought along no fewer. With those you have heard me name came Moloas, a powerful baron, and the lord of the Isle of Glass. No one ever heard thunder there; neither lightning nor tempest strikes, nor dwells any toad or serpent, and the weather is not too hot nor is there any winter.

  And Greslemuef of Estre-Posterne brought with him twenty companions, and his brother Guingamar came, lord of the Isle of Avalon. Of him we have heard tell that he was the friend of Morgan le Fay,8 and it was the proven truth. David of Tintagel came, who never felt anger nor sorrow. There were many counts and dukes, but there were even more kings. Garras, a fierce king of Cork, came with five hundred knights clad in costly silks, mantles, and stockings and fitted tunics. On a Cappadocian horse came Aguiflez, the king of Scotland, and he brought both his sons with him, Cadret and Quoi, two greatly dreaded knights. With those that I have named for you came King Ban of Ganieret, and all who were with him were young squires; they had neither beards nor moustaches. He brought many jovial people; he had two hundred in his household, and every one of them, whatever he might be, had a falcon or a tercel, a merlin or a sparrow-hawk, or a goshawk, red or moulted.

  Quirions, the old king of Orcel, brought no young men along, but rather had two hundred companions, the youngest of whom was a hundred years old. Their heads were hoary and white and they had beards down to their waists, for they had lived a long time; King Arthur held them very dear. The lord of the dwarves came next, Bilis, king of the Antipodes. The man of whom I’m speaking was indeed a dwarf and full brother of Bliant. Bilis was the smallest of all the dwarves, and Bliant his brother the largest of all the knights in the kingdom by half a foot or a full hand-breadth. To display his power and authority Bilis brought in his company two kings who were dwarves, who held their land by his consent, Gribalo and Glodoalan; people looked at them with wonder. When they had arrived at court, they were very cordially welcomed; at court all three were honoured and served like kings, for they were very noble men.

  When King Arthur finally saw his baronage assembled, he was very happy in his heart. Then, to increase the joy, he ordered a hundred youths to bathe, for he intended to make them all knights. Each received a shimmering gown of rich Alexandrian silk, just as he desired, according to his wish and taste. They all had matching armour and swift, trim horses; even the worst was well worth a hundred pounds.

  When Erec received his wife, she had to be named by her proper name, for unless a woman is called by her proper name she is not married. People did not yet know her name, but now they learned it for the first time: Enide was the name given her at baptism. The archbishop of Canterbury, who had come to court, blessed them as was fitting and proper.

  When all the court was assembled, every minstrel in the land who knew any kind of entertainment was present. In the hall there was great merriment; each contributed what he could: one jumped, another tumbled, another performed magic, one told stories, another sang, one whistled, another played, this one the harp, that one the rote, this one the flute, that one the reed pipe, the fiddle or the vielle. Maidens performed rounds and other dances, each trying to outdo the other in showing their joy. Nothing that can contribute to joy or draw the heart of man to happiness was absent from the wedding that day. There is the resonance of tambourines and drums, musettes, flutes and panpipes, and trumpets and reed pipes.

  What should I say of the rest? No wicket or door was closed: the entrances and exits were all wide open that day; neither poor man nor rich was turned away. King Arthur was not parsimonious; he ordered the bakers, cooks, and wine-stewards to serve bread, wine, and game in great quantity to each person – as much as he wished. No one requested anything, whatever it might be, without receiving all he wanted.

  There was great joy in the palace, but I will spare you the rest of it, and you shall hear the joy and pleasure that were in the bedroom and the bed on that night when they were to unite; bishops and archbishops were present. At the first union Enide was not stolen away, nor was Brangain put in her place.9 The queen took charge of the preparations and the bedding for them, for she dearly loved them both.

  The hunted stag who pants from thirst does not so yearn for the fountain, nor does the hungry sparrow-hawk return so willingly when called, that they did not come into each other’s arms more eagerly. That night they fully made up for what they had so long deferred. When they were left alone in the room, they paid homage to each member. The eyes, which channel love and send the message to the heart, renewed themselves with looking, for whatever they saw greatly pleased them. After the message from the eyes came the sweetness, worth far more, of the kisses that bring on love; they both sampled that sweetness and refreshed their hearts within, so that with great difficulty they drew apart. Kissing was their first game.

  The love between the two of them made the maiden more bold: she was not afraid of anything; she endured all, whatever the cost. Before she arose again, she had lost the name of maiden; in the morning she was a new lady.

  That day the minstrels were happy, for all were paid according to their liking. All that was owed to them was paid, and they were given beautiful gifts: clothes of vair and ermine, of rabbit and rich purple cloth, furtrimmed scarlet or silk. Those who wanted a horse or money each had a gift according to their wishes, as good as they deserved. Thus the wedding celebration and the court lasted more than two weeks with joyous magnificence; King Arthur had all his barons stay for two weeks to enhance the nobility, the festivity, and the honour to Erec.

  When it came to the third week, everyone in common accord agreed to undertake a tournament. My lord Gawain came forward and pledged himself as patron for one of the two sides: York and Edinburgh. And Melis and Meliadoc pledged themselves to represent the other side. Then the court disbanded.

  A month after Pentecost the tournament10 gathered and was engaged in the plain below Edinburgh. There were many bright-red banners, and many blue and many white, and many wimples and many sleeves given as tokens of love. Many lances were brought there, painted azure and red, many gold and silver
, many of other colours, many striped, and many variegated. On that day was seen the lacing on of many a helmet, of iron or of steel, some green, some yellow, some bright red, gleaming in the sunlight. There were many coats of arms and many white hauberks, many swords at the left-hand side, many good shields, fresh and new, of azure and fine red, and silver ones with golden bosses. Many fine horses – white-stockinged and sorrel, fawn-coloured and white and black and bay – all came together at a gallop.

  The field was entirely covered with armour. On both sides the lines stirred noisily; in the mêlée the tumult grew; great was the shattering of lances. Lances were broken and shields were pierced, hauberks dented and torn apart, saddles were emptied, knights fell, horses sweated and foamed. Swords were drawn above those who fell to the ground with a clatter. some ran to accept the pledges of the defeated and others to resume the mêlée.

  Erec sat upon a white horse; he came alone to the front of the ranks to joust, if he could find an adversary. From the other side, coming to meet him, spurred the Haughty Knight of the Heath, seated on an Irish horse that bore him violently forward. Erec struck him on his shield, in front of his chest, with such force that he knocked him from his charger. Leaving him on the field Erec rode on.

  Next Randuraz, son of the Old Woman of Tergalo, came towards Erec; he was covered in blue silk and was a knight of great prowess. Each headed for the other and they exchanged great blows upon their shields. Erec knocked him on to the hard ground with all the force of his lance. As he was returning he met the King of the Red City, who was very valiant and bold. They held their reins by the knots and their shields by the straps; they both had beautiful armour and excellent, swift horses. They struck one another with such strength on their fresh new shields that both their lances flew to pieces. Never had such an impact been seen! They struck against each other with their shields, their armour, and their horses. Neither cinch nor reins nor breast-strap could keep the king from falling: he was forced to the ground and he flew down from his charger; he left neither saddle nor stirrup behind, and he even carried the reins of his bridle with him in his hand. All those who saw this combat were filled with wonder, and said that the cost of fighting against such a fine knight was too dear.

  Erec was not intent upon winning horses or taking prisoners, but on jousting and doing well in order to make evident his prowess. He made the ranks tremble before him; his skill excited and encouraged those on whose side he fought. He did capture horses and knights, to defeat all the more completely those on the other side.

  I wish to speak of my lord Gawain, who fought well and admirably. In the mêlée he struck down Guincel and captured Gaudin of the Mountain. He captured knights and won horses; my lord Gawain performed very well. Girflet, son of Do, and Yvain, and Sagremor the Unruly took such good care of their adversaries that they drove them right up to the gates; they captured and struck down many. In front of the castle gate those within renewed the combat against those on the outside.

  There Sagremor, a very worthy knight, was struck down; as soon as he was captured and made prisoner, Erec ran to his rescue. He broke his lance on one of his adversaries, striking him so hard in the chest that the man was forced from his saddle. Then he drew his sword, attacked them, and dented and broke their helmets. They fled, making a path for him, for even the bravest feared him. He gave them so many knocks and blows that he rescued Sagremor; he quickly drove them back into the castle. At that point vespers sounded.

  Erec fought so well that day that he was the best of those contesting the mêlée, but he fought still better the next day: he captured so many knights and emptied so many saddles that no one who had not seen it could believe it. On both sides everyone said that, with his lance and shield, he had won the tournament. Now such was Erec’s renown that people talked of no one else; no man had such exceptional qualities, for he had the face of Absalom and resembled Solomon in his speech. For ferocity he was like a lion, and in giving and spending he was like Alexander.

  Upon his return from this tournament, Erec went to speak to the king to request permission to leave, for he wanted to return to his own land. But first he thanked him sincerely, as one who is noble, wise, and courtly for the honour he had done him, for he was extremely grateful to him. Then he asked to take his leave, because he wanted to return home and take his wife with him. The king could not refuse him this, but his wish was that he should have stayed. He gave Erec his leave and begged him to return as soon as he could, for he had no baron in his court more valiant, more bold, more gallant, except for Gawain – his very dear nephew – with whom no one could compare. But after him the king most esteemed Erec and held him dearer than any other knight.

  Erec wished to stay no longer. He bade his wife make ready as soon as he had the king’s leave, and he received in his entourage sixty worthy knights with horses, and furs of vair and miniver. As soon as he had prepared his baggage, he scarcely stayed any longer at court. He asked the queen’s permission to leave; he commended the knights to God. The queen gave him her leave. As the hour of prime was sounding he left the royal palace. In the sight of all he mounted his horse; his wife, whom he had brought from her land, mounted after him and then his entire household mounted: there were easily seven score in the company, men-at-arms and knights all together.

  They passed so many hills, rocks, forests, plains, and mountains during four full days until one day they came to Carnant, where King Lac was staying in a very pleasant castle. No one ever saw one in a better location: the castle was well provided with forests and meadows, with vineyards and ploughed fields, with rivers and orchards, with ladies and knights, with gallant and healthy young men, with noble and accomplished clerks who spent their revenues well, with beautiful and noble maidens, and with powerful burghers.

  Before Erec reached the castle, he sent two messengers ahead to tell the king. As soon as he had heard the news, the king had clerks and knights and maidens mount upon their horses, and he ordered the horns to be blown and the streets to be adorned with tapestries and silken sheets, in order to receive his son with great joy; then he himself mounted up. You could count fourscore clerks there, noble and honourable men with fur-lined mantles trimmed with sable; there were easily five hundred knights, on bay, sorrel, and white-stockinged horses; there were so many ladies and burghers that no one could count them.

  The king and his son galloped and cantered until they saw and recognized one another. Both dismounted and kissed and greeted each other; for a long time they did not stir from the spot where they met. Greetings were exchanged on all sides and the king made much of Erec. At length he left him and turned towards Enide. He was completely enraptured: he embraced and kissed them both, not knowing which of them pleased him more.

  They soon came to the castle. In honour of Erec’s arrival all the bells rang out joyously; all the streets were strewn with rushes, wild mint and grasses, and were hung above with hangings and tapestries of leafy-patterned silk and samite. There was great rejoicing; all the people were assembled to see their young lord: no one ever saw greater joy than was displayed by young and old. First they went to the church where they were greeted by a pious procession. Before the altar of the crucifix Erec knelt in prayer. Two barons led his wife before the altar of Our Lady. When she had completed her prayers, she drew back a bit; with her right hand she crossed herself like a well-bred woman. Then they left the church and came straight back to the castle, where the great joy began anew.

  Erec received many presents that day from knights and burghers: from one a Norwegian palfrey, and from another a golden cup; one gave him a red goshawk, one a pointer, one a greyhound, and another a sparrow-hawk, another a Spanish charger; this one a shield, that one a banner, this one a sword and that one a helmet. Never was any king more gladly welcomed in his kingdom nor received with greater joy; all strove to serve him. They made still more of Enide than they did of him, for the great beauty they saw in her and even more because of her fine character.

  I
n a chamber she was seated upon a rich silken cushion which had come from Thessaly, with many ladies round her. But just as the bright gem outshines the grey-brown pebble and the rose the poppy, so Enide was more beautiful than any other lady or maiden that might be found in all the world, were one to search it all around. She was so noble and honourable, wise and gracious in her speech, well-bred and of pleasant company, that no one ever saw in her any folly, meanness, or baseness. She had learned so well the social graces that she excelled in all the qualities that any lady must have, in both generosity and good sense. All loved her for her character: it was a cause of personal esteem to anyone who could be of service to her. No one spoke ill of her, for no one could find cause to do so. In the kingdom or in the empire there was no other lady of such quality.

  But Erec was so in love with her that he cared no more for arms, nor did he go to tournaments. He no longer cared for tourneying; he wanted to enjoy his wife’s company, and he made her his lady and his mistress. He turned all his attention to embracing and kissing her; he pursued no other delight. His companions were grieved by this and often lamented among themselves, saying that he loved her far too much. Often it was past noon before he rose from her side. This pleased him, whoever might be grieved by it. He kept very close to her, but still continued to provide his knights with arms, clothing, and deniers. Wherever there was a tournament he sent them there, most richly apparelled and equipped. He gave them fresh chargers to tourney and joust with, regardless of the cost.

  All the nobles said that it was a great shame and sorrow that a lord such as he once was no longer wished to bear arms. He was so blamed by everyone, by knights and men-at-arms alike, that Enide heard them say among themselves that her lord was becoming recreant with respect to arms and knighthood, because he had profoundly changed his way of life. This weighed upon her, but she dared not show it, for her husband might have taken it ill had she mentioned it.