The magical mantle, the drinking horn and the chastity test : A study of a ’tale’ in Arthurian Celtic literature

475 Pages·1987·17.428 MB·English

by  Thérèse Saint Paul

THE MAGICAL MANTLE,
THE DRINKING HORN AND THE CHASTITY TEST:
A STUDY OF A "TALE" IN ARTHURIAN CELTIC LITERATURE
Therese SAINT PAUL
Ph.D
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
1987
Acknowledgements
My most sincere thanks go to Professor William
Gillies for his kindness and support. His patience and
confidence throughout this project often refuelled my
enthusiasm especially in the more demanding moments. In
addition I would like to thank Dr. D.E.Meek of the Celtic
Department (Edinburgh University) for triggering the idea
of pursubing studies in this area.
This thesis would have never seen the light of day
had it not been for Professor P.Mertens-Fonck and Madame
J.De Calluwe-Dor from Liege University. They kindled my
interest in the Celtic element of Arthurian literature
and introduced me to the Arthurian Society. Thanks also
go to Professor Varty for the opportunity to work as a
French Lectrice at Glasgow University. I am grateful to
Professor I.Simon (Liege University) and to the British
Council whose scholarship enabled me to study for one
year at Edinburgh University; and also to the Edinburgh
University Postgraduate studies committee for two
subsequent scholarships.
I extend my acknowledgments to many people who
contributed to clarify my mind on certain points. Among
others, Dr. Colin Pritchard (Glasgow University) for his
help with the "Cluster Analysis" and invigorating
discussions, while jogging on Sunday afternoons.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to my
colleagues (Modern Languages department, Jordanhill
College of Education) for their understanding during the
course of my research. In particular, the Computing
department (Jordanhill College) for the use of their
facilities and Tom Malone whose designing skills
enlivened two of my pages (i.e. figs 4-5). Thanks to
family (Marc, Cathy, Melanie) and friends for coping with
my "hermit-like" behaviour. Thank you to Peter for his
patience, help and technical abilities with computer
hiccups; to Colin and Glenys Pritchard for their
judicious and careful proof-reading and friendly support.
Special fondness and recognition go to my parents,
Mr and Mrs Saint Paul, for their continuous
encouragement, despite the evident emotional difficulty
of m~ being so far away from home. In particular I wish
to express my very warm thanks to my dear mother for her
constant enthusiasm and her active involvement in the
finalising of my work.
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This thesis has been composed by myself
The work my own.
Some ideas from the thesis have been voiced in a paper
entitled "L'aventure comique: Ie cas du test de fidelite
des dames de la cour arthurienne", given at the 15th
International Congress of the Arthurian Society, Leuven,
July 22-29th 1987.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of illustrations Vi.
Abstract Vii.
Note to the reader Vi ii.
INTRODUCTION 1 .
(a) Purpose of the study 8.
(b) Approach 15.
PART I: THE TALE IN TIME AND PLACE
A. The Versions 27.
1. The corpus of versions - criteria for selection 27.
2. General survey of the corpus in time and place
-List of the versions and abbreviations (Fig.1) 31.
B. Index of the Versions 36.
1. Procedure 36.
2. Index (Fig.2) 36.
2.1. The "Drinking horn" versions 38.
2.2. The "Mantle" versions 81 .
C. Summary of conclusions on the relations,
filiations,correspondances between the Versions 139.
1. Procedure (Fig.3) 139.
2. Conclusions on the "Drinking horn" versions
(Fig.4) 141 .
3. Conclusions on the "Mantle" versions (Fig.5) 145.
4. Conclusions on the "Drinking horn"
and "Mantle" versions 151 .
5. Remarks. 156.
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PART II: THE ANATOMY OF THE TALE
A. The Tale elements
161 .
1. Definitions
161 .
2. Procedure
162.
B. Study of the Tale elements 165.
C. Conclusions 241. _
PART III: TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF THE TALE
A. The Tale in the medieval context 244.
1 . The literary context 245.
1 . 1 • Tale and genres 247.
1 . 2 . Tale and topics 252.
1.3. Tale and the popular comic 263.
2 . Socio-historical context 273.
2.1. Chastity of women and Church ethics 274.
2.2. Chastity test of women and the social
importance of honour and shame 278.
2.3. Tale scenario and socio-cultural elements. 287.
2.4. Conclusions 295.
B. Towards a typological definition of the Tale. 298.
1. Tale and structure. 300.
1.1. The Propp ian model 301.
1.2. The Dorfman model 306.
1.3. Hero-focus 308.
1.4. Hero-test and Heroic biographical pattern 314.
2. Tale and myth. 320.
2.1. Definitions. 320.
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2.2. The ideal Arthurian Hero.
324.
2.3. Mythical aspects of the Hero-Test
-relevance for our Tale
329.
C. Tale and Audience.
347.
1. The Chastity Test scenario
or the comic adventure. 347.
1.1. Tale as topical satire. 348.
1.2. Tale as parody of a familiar narrative
pattern. 350.
1.3. Tale and the "Carnivalesque spirit" 353.
CONCLUSION 361.
APPENDIX 366.
Cluster analysis of the versions (Drinking Horn
and Mantle) (Figs.6-9)
NOTES TO THE TEXT 372.
Introduction 372.
Part I 375.
Part II 385.
Part III 399.
Conclusion 419.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 420.
1. Bibliographical list of the versions 420.
2. Abbreviations 423.
3. General bibliography 424.
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List of illustrations
Fig.l: Geographical repartition of the versions. 35
Fig.2: Page index of the "Drinking Horn" and "Mantle"
versions. 31
Fig.3: Matrix of elements
Fig.4: Chronological filiation of the "Drinking Horn"
versions.
Fig.5: Chronological filiation of the "Mantle" versions 150
Fig.6: Dendrogram of the "Drinking Horn" versions.
Fig.7: Dendrogram of the "Mantle" versions.
Fig.8: Dendrogram of all versions.
Fig.9: Dendrogram of all versions excluding objects
(Drinking Horn & Mantle) and their characteristics
from the variables. ~1oA
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Abstract
The field of the study is that of popular versus
learned literature and the use of traditional patterns
and cliches in medieval works, Arthurian and Celtic in
particular. The aim of the study is to examine the
definition of a "Tale": its very concept, its form, and
its reception through a plurality of methods, from
different and cumulative perspectives which seek to blend
into a creative synthesis. This leads to a questioning
of the usefulness of motif-indexes in tale-definition.
An approach is given which takes into account
contemporary scholarship on "structural", internal
textual analysis as well as pre-structural concepts such
as the notion of the Heroic Biographical Pattern.
A preliminary approach (part I) gives a survey of
the Tale in time and place. The Tale is found from the
12th to the 20th century but was particularly popular
between the 12th and 14th centuries. The presence of its
early versions in an Arthurian literary context points to
a milieu of Tale formation'which is in-between insular
Celtic, Breton and Anglo-Norman French. Networks of
version-filiations are drawn which confirm this while
they also indicate pivotal versions and point to specific
geographical groupings (in particular French,
Scottish/Irish Gaelic, Icelandic, English, Welsh, Dutch
and German). In an appendix to this section, a
statistical method ("Cluster Analysis") is used to add
verification.
Part II assembles short monographs on the Tale
"traits". It thereby establishes their literary status
and their strong Arthurian-Celtic link in matters of
detail, images, recurrent themes such as: for example the
feast setting, the fairy visitant, the magic objects, the
test, the names of characters.
Having thus created a background of information and
critical material, the next level of approach (part III)
considers the appeal and durability of the Tale in the
medieval period and beyond; and this, in diverse literary
genres. It is concluded that the main topics (the
Chastity Test of women/cuckoldry of men; the mockery of
Arthur, of the chivalric code and of the honour concept)
struck a sensitive chord in the minds of medieval
audiences. But, as the study goes on to show, the Tale
is basically exploited for its farcical, comic potential.
Finally, the appeal and durability of the Tale is
sought in its relation to traditional tale patterns and
in their mythical value. In this sense, the study shares
the views of scholars who sought parallels between
society (its mentality, world vision) and myth.
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Note to the reader
The footnotes have been placed in a separate section
at the end of the study. These contain succinct
references. The reader will find references in full ln
the Bibliography under name of author or editor; or
whenever specified, under title. A list of the texts
which we use as our basic corpus is given (with their
abbreviations) in Part I. These are re-listed separately
ln the Bibliography, with references to their editors.
In addition, the following abbreviations to particular
books have been used throughout the thesis:
ALMA: Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages, ed.
R.Sh.Loomis (Oxford, 1959).
AT: The Types of Folktale. A classification and
bibliography, A.Aarne and S.Thompson (Helsinki,
1964, 2ed.).
ERE: Encyclopedia of Religions and Ethics (1908-)
HRB: (Historia Regum Brittaniae), Geoffrey of Monmouth,
The History of the Kings of Britain, tr. L.Thorpe
(Penguin, 1980).
ST: of Folk-Literature, S.Thompson, 6 vols.
Motif~Index
(Copenhagen, 1955-8).
TYP: Trioedd Ynys Prydein, The Welsh Triads, R.Bromwich
(Cardiff, 1978).
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INTRODUCTION
Arthurian literature has always exerted a powerful
attraction on romantic minds, perhaps because its world
of action belongs to the realm of the fantastic fiction ,
of the merveilleux, of the fairy tale. It is this
presence of the magic, fantasy, the emphasis on the
entertaining aspect of the supernatural element that
characterized the "Matter of Britain" and appeared so
attractive to generations of insular and continental
poets and conteurs. Arthurian material represents a
formidable receptacle of international folklore and of
Celtic elements proper (that is particular 'traits',
which are in themselves a synthesis of various
socio-cultural elements drawn from international popular
motifs, scraps of more obscure mythological elements and
mythical narratives).
The intrusion of the supernatural upon the world is
often very effectively used as a narrative device in
Arthurian tales, to the point of perhaps being over-used
for its eye-catching appeal and haunting quality. The
systematic occurrence of adventures and marvels
assimilates Arthurian literature to Celtic literature and
in more general terms to the folktale.(l) The
supernatural is accepted as an objective fact; it is a
familiar and necessary element of the background against
which tales are told.
Although Arthurian literature undeniably "eblouit
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