Bisclavret
courtesy of Lady Marguerite de Bordeaux

Authors Note:
A lai is the medieval short story, and Marie de France was rightly renowned for hers. There are twelve of them, written in good Norman French for, it is believed, Henry II of England (he of The Lion is Winter fame, died in 1189)*.

There is a strong Breton influence, both in naming the stories and the characters, and as a result of the mania which swept courtly western Europe as a result of the romance of Tristan and Yseulte (aka Iseud, Isolde, etc.) In fact, the shortest of the lais, Chevrefoil (mod. Fr: chevrefeuille, or honeysuckle), tells us about a pleasant little interlude that was "omitted" from the original versions of T&I (probably because it was written about a hundred years after the originals). One could call it the medieval equivalent of a "fan fiction".

There are the requisite "coincidence" lais: twins separated at birth are in love with the same man (Le Fresne), illegitimate son and father separated at birth meet on the field of battle (Milun). And there are accounts ofman's extreme capacity for cruelty, not to mention women's (Laustic, Equitan, Chaitivel). The pure cunning and evil exhibited by these wrong-doers bring to mind the mustache-twirling villains (modern sense of the word) tying a helpless maiden to railroad tracks (disclaimer: I mean no insult to mustached individuals. I have no money. Do not sue me.).

Many of the lais deal with the supernatural, from fairies (Lanval) to shape-shifters (Yonec) to unusually smart weasels (Equitan). Boats sail without benefit of a crew (Guigemar), magic potions cause an entire mountain to flower (Les Deuz Amanz).

This particular lai is that of Bisclavret, a noble baron who is, unfortunately, a werewolf (Mod. Fr.* loup-garou). It is valuable to us as students of social history because it exhibits many signs of typical medieval thought and attitude.

Even though it is written by a woman, the sexism and gender stereotyping pervasive in European society at the time is very evident in this lai. Pay attention to how this "beste salvage" is instantly tamed in the presence of royalty, as well as to Marie's aside that the knight is worthy of hate since he leaves the revelry as soon as decently possible-- a sure sign, in the medieval mind, of a weak and cowardly man. Also noteworthy is the importance of clothing: the wife and the knight dressing richly and elegantly whilst Bisclavret, like Samson shorn of his locks, is naked and vulnerable-- a major philosophical point.

My favorite part, without doubt, is how maiming can somehow become hereditary. Obviously medieval people were not overly troubled by completely bizarre things that have no basis whatsoever in fact or logic, but hey, if we're going to believe in werewolves ...

I have translated the introduction and final couplets from the original Old Norman French with an eye towards modern comprehension without sacrificing, I hope, period syntax and flavor. The main body of the text was translated by Glyn Burgess and Keith Busby for Penguin Classics, Penguin Books, New York, 1986. For the complete text of all the lais, visit the International Marie de France Society.

In Brittany there lived a baron whom I have heard greatly praised. He was a good and handsome knight who conducted himself nobly. He was one of his lord's closest advisors and was well loved by all his neighbors. As his wedded wife he had a woman who was worthy and attractive in appearance. He loved her and she returned his love.

But one thing caused her great worry; each week he was absent for three full days without her knowing what became of him or where he went, and no one in the household knew what happened to him.

One day, when he had returned home in high spirits, she questioned him. "My lord," she said, "my dear, sweet love, I would gladly ask you something, if only I dared; but there is nothing I fear more than your anger."

When he heard this, he embraced her, drew her towards him and kissed her. "My lady," he said, "come, ask your question! There is nothing you can ask which I shall not tell you, if I know the answer."

"In faith," she said, "I am relieved to hear this. My lord, I am so fraught with anxiety the days you are apart from me, my heart is so heavy and I have such a fear of losing you that I shall surely die shortly from this unless I soon get help. Please tell me where you go, what becomes of you and where you stay. I think you must have a lover and, if this is so, you are doing wrong."

"My lady," he said, "In God's name, have mercy on me! If I tell you this, great harm will come to me, for as a result I shall lose your love and destroy myself."

When the lady heard this, she knew that this was no light matter. She questioned him repeatedly and coaxed him so persuasively that he told her his story, keeping nothing secret. "My lady," he began, "I become a werewolf: I enter the vast forest and live in the deepest part of the wood where I feed off the prey I can capture."

When he had related everything to her, she asked him whether he undressed or remained clothed. "My lady, I go about completely naked."

"Tell me, in the name of God, where do you leave your clothes?"

"That I will not tell you, for if I lost them and were discovered in that state, I should remain a werewolf forever. No one would be able to help me until they were returned to me. That is why I do not wish this to be known."

"My lord," the lady replied to him, "I love you more than the whole world. You must not hide anything from me or doubt me in any way. That would not seem like true love. What have I done wrong? What sin have I committed that you should doubt me in any way? Do tell me-- you will be acting wisely." She tormented and harried him so much that he could not do otherwise but tell her.

"My lady, beside the wood, near the path I follow, stands an old chapel which often serves me well. There beneath a bush is a broad stone, hollowed out in the centre, in which I put my clothes until I return home."

The lady heard this remarkable revelation and her face became flushed with fear. She was greatly alarmed by the story, and began to consider various means of parting from him, as she no longer wished to lie with him.

She sent a messenger to summon a knight who lived in the region and who had loved her a long time, wooed her ardently and served her generously. She had never loved him or promised him her affection but now she opened her heart to him.

"Friend, rejoice; without further delay I grant you that which has tormented you; never again will you encounter any refusal. I offer you my love and my body; make me your mistress." He thanked her warmly and accepted her pledge, whereupon she received his oath and told him of her husband and what became of him. She described the path he took to the forest and sent him for her husband's clothes.

Thus was Bisclavret betrayed and wronged by his wife. Because he was often missing, everyone thought that this time he had gone away for good. They searched and inquired for him a long while but, as no trace of him was found, they had to let the matter drop. Then the knight married the lady he had loved for so long.

A whole year passed by until one day the king went hunting and headed straight for the forest in which Bisclavret was living. When the hounds were unleashed they came upon Bisclavret and the dogs and hunters spent the whole day in pursuit until they were just about to capture him, tear him to pieces and destroy him. As soon as he saw the king he ran up to him and begged for mercy. He took hold of his stirrup and kissed his foot and his leg.

The king saw him and was filled with dread. He summoned all his companions. "My lords," he said, "come forward! See the marvelous way this beast humbles itself before me! It has the intelligence of a human and is pleading for mercy. Drive hack all the dogs and see that no one strikes it! The beast possesses understanding and intelligence. Hurry! Let us depart. I shall place the creature under my protection, for I shall hunt no more today."

The king them left with Bisclavret following him. He kept very close to the king, as he did not want to be separated from him and had no wish to abandon him. The king, who took him straight to his castle, was delighted and overjoyed at what had happened, for never before had he seen such a thing. He considered the wolf to be a great wonder and loved it dearly, commanding all his people to guard it well and not to do it any harm.

None of them was to strike it and plenty of food and water must be provided for it. His men were happy to look after the creature and each day it would sleep amongst the knights, just by the king. It was loved by everyone and so noble and gentle a beast was it that it never attempted to cause any harm. Wherever the king might go, it never wanted to be left behind. It accompanied him constantly and showed clearly that it loved him.

Now hear what happened next. The king held court and all his barons and those who held fiefs from him were summoned so that they could help him celebrate the festival and serve him all the better. Amongst them, richly and elegantly attired, was the knight who had married Bisclavret's wife. He did not realize and would never have suspected that Bisclavret was so close by.

As soon as he arrived at the palace, Bisclavret caught sight of the knight and sped towards him, sinking his teeth into him and dragging him down towards him. He would soon have done the knight serious harm if the king had not called him and threatened him with a stick.

On two occasions that day he attempted to but the knight. Many people were greatly astonished at this for never before had he shown signs of such behavior towards anyone he had seen.

Throughout the household it was remarked that he would not have done it without good reason. The knight had wronged him somehow or other, for he was bent on revenge. On this occasion that was the end of the matter, until the festival came to a close and the barons took their leave and returned home. The knight whom Bisclavret attacked was one of the very first to go, I believe. No wonder Bisclavret hated him.

Not long afterwards, as I understand it, the king, who was wise and courtly, went into the forest where Bisclavret had been discovered. Bisclavret accompanied him and on the way home that night the king took lodging in that region. Bisclavret's wife learnt of this and, dressing herself elegantly, went next day to speak to the king, taking an expensive present for him.

When Bisclavret saw her approach, no one could restrain him. He dashed towards her like a madman. Just hear how successfully he took his revenge.

He tore the nose right off her face. What worse punishment could he have inflicted on her? From all sides he was threatened and was on the point of being torn to pieces, when a wise man said to the king, "My lord, listen to me. This beast has lived with you and every single one of us has seen him over a long period and has been with him at close quarters. Never before has he touched a soul or committed a hostile act, except for this lady here. By the faith I owe you, he has some grudge against her and also her husband.

"She is the wife of the knight you used to love so dearly and who has been missing for a long time without our knowing what became of him. Question the lady to see if she will tell you why the beast hates her. Make her tell you, if she knows! We have witnessed many such marvels happening in Brittany."

The king accepted his advice. Holding the knight, he took the lady away and subjected her to torture. Pain and fear combined made her reveal everything about her husband: how she had betrayed him and taken his clothes, about his account of what happened, what became of him and where he went. Since his clothes had been taken he had not been seen in the region. She was quite convinced that the beast was Bisclavret.

The king asked her for the clothes and, whether she liked it or not, made her bring them and return them to Bisclavret. When they were placed before him, Bisclavret took no notice of them.

The man who gave the advice earlier called to the king, "My lord, you are not acting properly; nothing would induce him to put on his clothing in front of you or change his animal form. You do not realize the importance of this; it is most humiliating for him. Take him into your bedchamber and bring him the clothes. Let us leave him there for a while and we shall soon see if he turns in to a man."

The king himself led the way and closed all the doors on the wolf. After a while he returned, taking two barons with him. All three entered the room. The king ran forward to embrace him, and kissed him many times.

It was not long before he restored his land to him; he gave him more that I can tell and banished the woman from the country, exiling her from the region. The man for whom she betrayed her husband went with her. She had a good many children who were thereafter recognizable by their appearance. Many of the women in the family, I tell you truly, were born without noses and lived noseless.

*(Online Editor's Note: Marie de France was a contempary of Chrétien de Troyes who was writing the Arthur Legends for the court of Champagne.)  

All pictures and text Copyright 2003
Originally appeared in The Mudpuppy
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