Huon of Bordeaux

by Catherine M. Jones (Translator), William W. Kibler (Editor)

The adventures of Huon of Bordeaux have been perennial favorites since their first appearance in the thirteenth century as a French "chanson de geste." Within decades there were spin-offs and a prequel. The story was reprinted, popularized, and translated from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. It became a staple of children’s literature as well as the basis for theatrical and operatic works. By the twentieth century, it had become the inspiration for fantasy writers. Huon’s adventures begin when he is summoned to Charlemagne’s court, where he is attacked, betrayed, and banished to travel to the East. There he will have to perform impossible feats before he can return and reclaim his title as Duke of Bordeaux. Although courteous, Huon is a foolish young knight, and Charlemagne himself is portrayed as an old fool. But fortunately for Huon, mysterious forces, magical objects, and benevolent beings come to his aid against these evil powers and save him from his worst errors of judgment and hubris. Confonted by cruel and wicked Saracens and their smart and beautiful daughters, Huon negotiates the impossible and attains his ideal, both as a man and a knight. Jones and Kibler’s verse translation sings with grace, humor, and wit. For both teaching and for pure literary enjoyment, this first modern English translation of "Huon of Bordeaux" will be a major complement to the corpus of medieval French epic literature. “Huon of Bordeaux" is on a much higher level. We do not feel that it is simply being made up out of the author’s head. It has its roots in legend and folklore without which it is hard for romance to have the necessary solidity.” C. S. Lewis

Genres: Folklore

354 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2021

Reviews

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had heard that this thirteenth-century French epic used Oberon as a character, and since I'm interested in his development, I figured I should read it. It's about a lord named Huon, who, when he kills Charlemagne's son in self-defense, is disinherited by the Emperor unless he can fulfill some seemingly impossible tasks at the court of the Emir of Babylon. This is not the historical Babylon in Mesopotamia, which would have been long destroyed by then, but the fort on the Nile in Egypt. Charlemagne here is kind of a jerk who lets himself be swayed by treacherous advisors, but since he's described as being almost 200 years old, that's not too surprising. (Historically, he was probably between sixty-five and seventy-one when he died.) On his journey, he meets and befriends Oberon, the very handsome three-foot-tall son of Morgan le Fay and Julius Caesar. (This apparently means he's far too young to be Theseus' contemporary like Shakespeare made him, but also that Morgan was around centuries before King Arthur. I don't think there was any real attempt at consistency with this stuff.) The fairy gives Huon a horn that will summon him and a goblet from which only the virtuous can drink, and sets a series of conditions on his help that Huon keeps breaking for no particular reason; but fortunately for him, Oberon's entourage is on his side. I can see Huon lying about his religion to get out of being killed, but not so much his raping his fiancee. She's willing to have sex with him, but only after they get married, so that's still rape. The writer criticizes Islam without having done even the most basic research on it, calling Muslims pagans and having so many of them say Muhammad created the world that it almost seems like an intentional joke, but I think it just reflects general European ignorance of the time. But then, the Emir's daughter converts to Christianity just because she has feelings for Huon, which doesn't exactly show it in the best light either. Our hero kills two giants, coincidentally meets up with some old acquaintances who have been lost for years, and thwarts his treacherous brother's attempts to steal his lands.

[Lulu]

chanson de geste c. 1260? (1216-1268 = terminus post quem - terminus ante quem)


16th century English trans romance version:
“John Bourchier, Lord Berners
The Book of Huon de Bordeaux. Adapted from French Sources, 1525–1533.” ‘
Printed by Wynkyn de Worde 1534
Second edition in 1570, now lost
Third edition by Thomas Purfoot, 1601
Critical edition by S. L. Lee for the Early English Text Society, 1882–1887



Inspired by it 1898 https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...