Fierabras (from French: ', "brave/formidable arm") or Ferumbras is a fictional

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

(sometimes of gigantic stature) appearing in several '' chansons de geste'' and other material relating to the Matter of France. He is the son of Balan, king of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and is frequently shown in conflict with Roland and the

Twelve Peers The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, where ...

, especially Oliver, whose prowess he almost rivals. Fierabras eventually converts to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and fights for

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

Texts and adaptations

The oldest extant text of the story of Fierabras is a 12th-century (c. 1170) Old French ''chanson de geste'' of roughly 6,200

alexandrine Alexandrine is a name used for several distinct types of verse line with related metrical structures, most of which are ultimately derived from the classical French alexandrine. The line's name derives from its use in the Medieval French ''Roman ...

sHasenohr in

assonance Assonance is a resemblance in the sounds of words/syllables either between their vowels (e.g., ''meat, bean'') or between their consonants (e.g., ''keep, cape''). However, assonance between consonants is generally called ''consonance'' in America ...

laisse A laisse is a type of stanza, of varying length, found in medieval French literature, specifically medieval French epic poetry (the ''chanson de geste''), such as ''The Song of Roland''. In early works, each laisse was made up of (mono) assonanced ...

s. The story is as follows: the Saracen king Balan and his son Fierabras return to Spain after sacking the church of Saint Peter's in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and taking the relics of the passion. Charlemagne invades Spain to recover the relics and sends his knight Olivier de Vienne, Roland's companion, to battle Fierabras. Once defeated, the giant decides to convert to Christianity and joins Charlemagne's army, but Olivier and several other knights are captured. Floripas, Fierabras' sister, falls in love with one of Charlemagne's knights, Gui de Bourgogne. After a series of adventures, Charlemagne kills king Balan, divides Spain between Fierabras and Gui de Bourgogne (who marries Floripas), and returns to Saint Denis with the holy relics. The poem also survives in an

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

version dating from the 13th century (roughly 5,000 alexandrines; the first 600 verses do not appear in the Old French version). The Occitan and the Old French version may derive from a common lost source.Gerritsen. This version in turn inspired an Italian version (''Cantare di Fierabraccia e Ulivieri'') in the second half of the 14th century. Two English versions were made: ''Sir Ferumbras'' (late 14th or early 15th century) and ''Firumbras'' (fragmentary). A 15th-century English work, ''Sowdon of Babylon'', combined the story with another work (the ''Destruction de Rome'').Miquet, 18. The story was put into prose three times in the 14th and 15th centuries: * one anonymous version (14th century); in this version, among the various changes brought to the story, Fierabras is no longer depicted as a giant. * a Burgundian version (expanded with other material from the Matter of France and the history of Charlemagne: ''Chroniques et conquêtes de Charlemagne'') by

David Aubert David Aubert (before 1413 – working 1449-79) was a French calligrapher who transcribed and adapted courtly romances and chronicles for the court of the Duke of Burgundy. In addition to finely presented works, illuminated at Bruges and other c ...

(c. 1456–8) * and, most importantly, a

Swiss French Swiss French (french: français de Suisse or ') is the variety of French spoken in the French-speaking area of Switzerland known as Romandy. French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, the others being German, Italian, and ...

version by Jean or Jehan Bagnyon, ''Le rommant de Fierabras le geant'' (Geneva, 1478,Tilly, 16. the first ''chanson de geste'' to be printed) which the author (like David Aubert) expanded with other material from the Matter of France and the history of Charlemagne (from 149

the title was ''La Conqueste du grand roy Charlemagne des Espagnes et les vaillances des douze pairs de France, et aussi celles de Fierabras''). The historical material in Bagnyon's text is largely based on the '' Historia Caroli Magni'' (also known as the "Pseudo-Turpin" chronicle), probably known to Bagnyon via the ''Speculum Historiale'' of

Vincent de Beauvais Vincent of Beauvais ( la, Vincentius Bellovacensis or ''Vincentius Burgundus''; c. 1264) was a Dominican friar at the Cistercian monastery of Royaumont Abbey, France. He is known mostly for his ''Speculum Maius'' (''Great mirror''), a major work ...

. The Bagnyon version became one of the most popular novels in France in the first half of the 16th century (15 editions printed to 1536) and was adapted into Castilian, Portuguese, German, and English (by

William Caxton William Caxton ( – ) was an English merchant, diplomat and writer. He is thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into England, in 1476, and as a printer to be the first English retailer of printed books. His parentage a ...

). In Spain the story can be found in the ''Historia del emperador Carlomagno y de los doce pares de Francia'' by Nicolás of Piemonte first edited in 1521. This is a Castilian translation—or better, an adaptation—of Bagnyon's ''La Conqueste du grand roy Charlemagne''.

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...

refers to Fierabras in his ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'' (see below). There also exist other versions of the legend, including one in

Early Modern Irish Early Modern Irish ( ga, Gaeilge Chlasaiceach, , Classical Irish) represented a transition between Middle Irish and Modern Irish. Its literary form, Classical Gaelic, was used in Ireland and Scotland from the 13th to the 18th century. External ...

(''Stair Fortibrais''). The 17th-century playwright Calderón de la Barca used elements of the story (the love affair of Floripas and Gui) for his play ''La Puente de Mantible''. In 1823,

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

wrote the opera ''

Fierrabras ''Fierrabras'', 796, is a three-act German opera with spoken dialogue written by the composer Franz Schubert in 1823, to a libretto by Joseph Kupelwieser, the general manager of the Theater am Kärntnertor (Vienna's Court Opera Theatre). Along ...

'', based on certain tales surrounding the knight's conversion.

Historical sources

The story echoes the historical

Arab raid against Rome The Arab raid against Rome took place in 846. Muslim raiders plundered the outskirts of the city of Rome, sacking the basilicas of Old St Peter's and St Paul's-Outside-the-Walls, but were prevented from entering the city itself by the Aurelian ...

in 846 in which

Guy I of Spoleto Guy I (died 860) was the Duke of Spoleto from 842. He was the son of Lambert I of Nantes and Adelaide of Lombardy, the eldest daughter of Pepin of Italy. He travelled with his father in 834 in the entourage of Lothair I. He was given the abbey of M ...

(proposed as a source for "Gui de Bourgogne") participated, and critics have suggested that the existing "chanson" was based on a now lost poem describing the Sack of the Roman Basilicas ''extra muros''.Hasenohr The composition of the 12th-century poem may be closely linked to the cult of relics at the Basilica of St Denis in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and the creation of the local festival of Lendit, as the narrator in the Old French poem addresses himself to visitors at this fair.Hasenohr Another view is that the Legend is based on the character of the Navarrese prince, Fortun "the Basque" Al-Graseiz or El-Akraz, as seen by the Arab chroniclers and perhaps known as such by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

to bring it over to his exotic character

Fortinbras Fortinbras is either of two minor fictional characters from William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet''. The more notable is a Norwegian crown prince with a few brief scenes in the play, who delivers the final lines that represent a hopeful future ...

. This is the tale that

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

, King of Scots, is said by Barbour to have related to his men after they fled their enemies across

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

in 1307.

The balm of Fierabras

According to a chanson from 1170, Fierabras and Balan conquered Rome and stole two barrels containing the balm used for the corpse of Jesus. This miraculous balm would heal whoever drank it. In Chapter X of the first volume of

' ''

Don Quixote de la Mancha is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Western ...

'', after one of his numerous beatings,

mentions to

Sancho Panza Sancho Panza () is a fictional character in the novel ''Don Quixote'' written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote and provides comments throughout the novel, known as ''sanchismos'', ...

that he knows the recipe of the balm. In Chapter XVII, Don Quixote instructs Sancho that the ingredients are oil, wine, salt and

rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was known by the scientific name ''Rosmar ...

. The knight boils them and blesses them with eighty

Pater Noster The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

s, and as many Ave Marias,

Salves A salve is a medical ointment used to soothe the surface of the body. Medical uses Magnesium sulphate paste is used as a drawing salve to treat small boils and infected wounds and to remove 'draw' small splinters. Black ointment, or Ichthyol ...

and

Credo In Christian liturgy, the credo (; Latin for "I believe") is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed – or its shorter version, the Apostles' Creed – in the Mass, either as a prayer, a spoken text, or sung as Gregorian chant or other musical sett ...

s. Upon drinking it, Don Quixote vomits and sweats and feels healed after sleeping. For Sancho it has also a

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

effect, rendering him near death. The ingredients, gestures and signs used by the knight fashion what is called an ''ensalmo'', "a potion and prayer used to cure the sick in a way that was forbidden by the church." Indeed, it was used most frequently by ''moriscos''. Frederick A. de Armas, ''Don Quixote Among the Saracens. A Clash of Civilizations and Literary Genres''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2011, p. 83.

Notes

References

* Geneviève Hasenohr and Michel Zink, eds. ''Dictionnaire des lettres françaises: Le Moyen Age''. Collection: La Pochothèque. Paris: Fayard, 1992. Article "Fierabras", pp. 444–45. * Jean Miquet, ed. ''Fierabras: roman en prose de la fin du XIVe siècle.'' Ottawa: Editions de l'Université d'Ottawa, 1983. *Authur Tilly. ''Studies in the French Renaissance''. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1968. *Miguel de Cervantes. ''Don Quixote'', J. M. Cohen, trans., Penguin Books, 1950, 1988. *John Barbour. ''The Brus''. *Willem Pieter Gerritsen, Anthony G. Van Melle, Tanis Guest, eds. ''A Dictionary of Medieval Heroes: Characters in Medieval Narrative Traditions.'' Article: "Fierabras", pp. 103–05. Boydell Press, 2000.

External links

''Fierabras: the "chanson de geste"''
(Auguste Kroeber, Gustave Servois, eds. Paris: Vieweg, 1860.) Google Books *Jean Bagnyon's prose version: **
''Fierabras''. Jehan Bagnyon. Geneva, 1478.Gallica
**
''Fierabras''. Jehan Bagnyon. Lyon, 1483 or 1484.Gallica
**
''Fierabras''. Jehan Bagnyon. Lyon, 1497.Gallica
**
''La conqueste que fit le grant roy Charlemaigne''. Jehan Bagnyon. Lyon, 1536Gallica
**
''La Conqueste du grand roy Charlemagne des Espagnes''. Jehan Bagnyon. Rouen, 1640Gallica
**
''La Conqueste du grant roy Charlemaigne des Espaignes''. Jehan Bagnyon. ParisGallica
** (Castillan translation
''Historia del emperador Carlo Magno''
1765. Google Books

a

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...