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The Great Mare
The Great Mare (la Grand Mare, grant jument or grand'jument in French) was a gigantic mare that served as a mount for giants in several Renaissance works. Stemming from medieval traditions inspired by Celtic mythology, she first appeared in ''The Grand and Priceless Chronicles of the Great and Enormous Giant Gargantua'', written in 1532, in which Merlin created her from bones atop a mountain. François Rabelais, Rabelais was inspired by these ''Chronicles'' and proceeded build on upon the given descriptions, including in his writings that the mare was Gargantua's mount in ''The Very Horrific Life of the Great Gargantua, Father of Pantagruel'', which was published five years later. It was saddled up to be a parody, examples of this being the instances when the mare drowned her enemies with her urine and leveled all of the trees of Beauce, France, Beauce, transforming the region into a plain. This animal seemingly originated from a primeval dragon modeler or from the mountain of Ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bayard (legend)
Bayard (french: Bayard, nl, (Ros) Beiaard, it, Baiardo) is a magic bay horse in the legends derived from the medieval '' chansons de geste''. These texts, especially that of ''The Four Sons of Aymon'', attribute to him magical qualities and a supernatural origin. He is known for his strength and intelligence, and possesses the supernatural ability to adjust his size to his riders. Since the Middle Ages, Bayard has been an important figure in northern French and Belgian folklore, particularly in the Ardennes, notably in Bogny-sur-Meuse, Dinant, Namur and Dendermonde. Folk processions stage it among the processional giants, namely the Ducasse d'Ath and the Ommegang van Dendermonde. The widespread dissemination of his legend and its success have influenced many artists, as well as popular beliefs. Legend Bayard first appears as the property of Renaud de Montauban (Italian: ''Rinaldo'') in the Old French twelfth century ''chanson de geste'' ''The Four Sons of Aymon''. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
