22. In 1. 4883 Gawain dismounted beneath an oak. However, hornbeam here is assured by the rhyme. [5022]
23. A mocking allusion to the Lombards for their proverbial cowardice. ‘Snail fighting’ – attacking an enemy incapable of defending himself – was the sign of a coward. Other allusions in Old French poems to snails in this context are cited in Tobler-Lommatzsch, vol. 5, pp. 468–9. [5912–13]
24. Here, for the first (and only) time in Chrétien’s poem, the extraordinary character of the grail is revealed to be not so much what it is – a wonderfully beautiful serving dish (see note15) – as what it contains: a life-sustaining consecrated Host. The light emanating from the grail (11. 3191–5) is doubtless also to be associated with the Host. Thus the grail is ‘holy’ (tant sainte chose) because of what is conveyed in it, not because, as in Chrétien’s successors, of its intrinsic value as prototype of the chalice in the Mass (the wine cup from the Last Supper). [6391]
25. The hermit’s advice to Perceval recapitulates his mother’s (11. 492–580) and that of Gornemant (11. 1619–68). Like Gornemant, the hermit both echoes the words of his predecessors and introduces his own elaborations, specifically the details of religious observance. In so doing, he introduces biblical injunctions, in fact mirroring the situation in his source, the Book of Ecclesiasticus (or Sirach), words of wisdom addressed by a father to his son. The details about honouring priests derive from Ecclesiasticus vii.29–31, a passage followed by advice to act charitably towards the poor, the ill, and the defenceless. Significantly, both for the hermit’s words and for Chrétien’s general theme, the passage on duties towards God’s priests is preceded by a reference to the Ten Commandments: ‘With your whole heart honour your father; your mother’s birthpangs forget not’. [6425]
26. The multiplicity of God’s names, stemming from His attributes, developed among the Hebrews in response to the taboo against pronouncing God’s true name. The names were considered to have special powers and were invoked for magical as well as religious purposes. In Christian times these powers accrued to the name (and names) of Jesus. [6448–52]
27. Gawain soon learns (11. 8839–41) that Arthur will hold his Whitsuntide court in a week’s time, thus the season is late spring or early summer (mid-May to the end of June), when daylight hours reach their maximum. The reference here is to the winter solstice, thought in the Middle Ages to occur at Christmas, when the daylight hours are at their minimum. Chrétien is using a form of paradox by evoking the least of one thing (the amount of daylight around the winter solstice) to describe something else that is very great (about seven hours is a long time to sit at table). [8207]
28. Orcanie, more readily than the name of Guiromelant’s castle (1. 8578), suggests the Orkney Islands; however, in Chrétien’s topography it is the name of a city (1. 9113), not a vast territory. King Lot, Gawain’s father and husband of the younger queen, ruled over the Orkney Islands first as an adversary of Arthur, then as his ally and vassal. Gawain’s wanderings take him from Tintagel in Cornwall northward to the Solway Firth, on to the marches of Galloway and eventually, it might appear, to his father’s kingdom in the far North.
29. Guiot’s copy of Chrétien’s text (MS A) ends with the notation Explycyt Percevax le viel (‘Here ends The Old Perceval’). The First Continuation follows this notation. MS L also has the First Continuation, but originally broke off at precisely the same point as Guiot’s copy: the Continuation is marked by a change in hand. MS B breaks off at exactly the same verse as Guiot’s copy and bears the notation Explicit li romanz de Perceval (‘Here ends The Romance of Perceval’). The text in both C and H ends after 1. 9278, that is, six lines earlier than ABL. Most of the other MSS, however, show no indication of any change of author. What appears to be the point at which Chrétien stopped writing is thus preserved the most clearly in the MSS associated with Guiot’s copy. [9184]
APPENDIX
1. For a description of the MSS of the Continuations, see vol. 1 of William Roach, The Continuations of the Old French Perceval of Chrétien de Troyes, 5 vols (Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society, 1949–83): xvi–xxxiii. Roach publishes all the continuations except that of Gerbert, most of which was published by Mary Williams as Gerbert de Montreuil, La Continuation de Perceval, CFMA 28 & 50 (Paris: Champion, 1922–5). Translations of significant parts of all four continuations can be found in Perceval, The Story of the Grail, trans. Nigel Bryant (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1982).
2. In spite of earlier hesitations, Roach now accepts Wauchier’s authorship of this Continuation. See his vol. 5, pp. xi–xii and the article by Guy Vial, ‘L’auteur de la deuxième continuation du Conte du Graal’, in Mélanges d’études romanes… offerts à Monsieur Jean Rychner (Travaux de linguistique et de littérature, XVI, 1; Strasbourg, 1978).
1. Our translations were made before the excellent critical editions of Cligés, by Stewart Gregory and Claude Luttrell, and of Perceval, by Keith Busby, were published.
Table of Contents
Cover
About the Author
Title Page
Copyright Page
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
A NOTE ON THE TRANSLATIONS
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Arthurian Romances
EREC AND ENIDE
CLIGéS
THE KNIGHT OF THE, CART (LANCELOT)
THE KNIGHT WITH THE LION (YVAIN)
THE STORY OF THE GRAIL (PERCEVAL)
APPENDIX: THE STORY OF THE GRAIL CONTINUATIONS
GLOSSARY OF MEDIEVAL TERMS
NOTES
Footnote
Translations
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Arthurian Romances Page 72
