- Equitan
- Le Fresne
- Bisclavret
- Lanval
The Lais of Marie de France are generally chocked full of awesome. This collection of Breton Lais are engaging and generally hilarious, not to mention outright interesting. I'll cover the four I've read (in this go around) below.
"Equitan":
With "Equitan," we have another story of a king sleeping with his seneschal's wife. The other tale that has a similar thread is in Book 5 of Gower's Confessio Amantis, where the seneschal has his wife sleep with the king in order to make an extra buck, only to have the king eventually learn the truth, exile the seneschal, and marry the seneschal's wife. "Equitan" is a rather different story.
Our titular character is a remarkable, out right awesome king. However, he generally isn't interested in ladies, until he meets his seneschal's wife. This woman, who is generally pleasing to the eye, attracts the king with such fervor that he leaves a hunt early due to "sickness" and when she checks in on him he swears his love and, despite her misgivings, convinces her to begin a long term affair with him. Note, up to this point all of this has been the king's doing, yet the seneschal's wife is introduced as the kingdom's doom. Regardless, rumors of the need for the king to get married get back to the seneschal's wife, and she and the king concoct a plan to kill the seneschal, freeing her up to be married by the king. The king will request a bath with the seneshcal, only the wife will pour boiling water over the seneschal, killing him. The plan was set up to go, only the seneschal took so long arriving that the king decided to bide the time by dallying with the seneschal's wife. The seneschal finally arrives on the scene and, to hide his shame, the king dives into the nearest tub which, you guessed it, happened to be full of boiling water. The seneschal, realizing what was going on, throws his wife in as well, and thus the tale ends. I suppose that, in the end, the seneschal's wife was something of an evil Great White Buffalo.
"Le Fresne":
I was already familiar with "Le Fresne" as I've read the Middle English Breton Lay of the same name, but when I return to that poem I'll want to note the differences. That said, "Le Fresne" opens with a rather unpleasant woman who enjoys starting rumors and, when those rumors turn back on her, chooses to first murder and, when none of the nursemaids will help, abandon one of her twin daughters. Luckily, that daughter is found hanging in an ash tree and is named Le Fresne (note: FR frêne means "ash tree"). Raised in an abbey, Le Fresne eventually captures the attention of a young lord who convinces her to become his concubine. Eventually his people grumble that he needs a proper wife to produce an heir, so hemarries a woman that turns out to be, you guessed it, the twin sister of Le Fresne. Their mother, upon seeing the jewelry and scarf Le Fresne has decked out the bride chamber with, realizes that Le Fresne is her daughter, everyone is properly acquainted with one another, the bishop agrees to annul the lord's wedding so he can marry Le Fresne, and all ends well. Aside from the years of emotional abandonment and manner in which the horrible mother completely gets off scott free for her reprehensible actions, but whatever.
"Bisclavret":
If "Bisclavret" tells you anything its that you should find a really sweet spot to hide your clothes when you're going to change into a werewolf. Also, if you steal a werewolf's clothes, you and your grandchildren aren't going to have noses. In this lay, a knight's wife begs him to explain where he disappears to for a few days each month. After enough nagging, he explains that he goes to the woods to be a werewolf and that, if his clothes are stolen, he can never change back. His wife is so turned off by this news that she has a nearby knight steal the clothes, and after enough time without Bisclavret showing up marries said knight. Eventually, through some royal appreciation of a wolf acting like he's people, Bisclavret uncovers the plot (by biting off his wife's nose), regains his clothes, and his wife is exiled (and her children doomed to Voldemort lookalike contests).
"Lanval":
As with "Le Fresne," I've read the Middle English "Launfal" and was familiar with the basic plot of this lay. Lanval, a great knight of Arthur's court, is overlooked during gift giving time, and no one speaks up for him out of jealousy. In a huff, Lanval leaves court and happens upon some amazing handmaidens who lead him to wondrous lady (who clearly seems to be of fairy origin). She promises to grant him his desire to be his lady, and anything else he wishes, so long as he never tells anyone about her. Lanval returns to court, and takes many "private" asides to summon his new fairy lady and...well...enjoy his time with her. Guinevere finds this behavior odd, and offers her sexual goods to him in exchange for revealing his secret. Lanval refuses, saying his lady is so awesome her handmaiden is more splendid than Guinevere. Pouting, the queen brings Arthur in on this business, and Lanval has to go to trial where he will be guilty if he cannot provide proof of his lady. Unfortunately, by speaking of her, much like Fight Club, Lanval has betrayed the first rule of their relationship and lost her favor. Just when it appears that Lanval is doomed, however, his fairy lover appears, clears him of the charges, and he leaps upon her horse's back so that they can ride off into the sunset. For me, the image of Lanval clinging to the lady, riding from behind her, screaming out "weeeeeee!" as they ride for Avalon is the best image of the entire lay.
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