''Guillaume de Palerme'' ("William of Palerne") is a French romance poem, later translated into English where it is also known as ''William and the Werewolf''. The French verse romance was composed , commissioned by Countess Yolande (who is generally identified as Yolande, daughter of Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut). The prose version of the French romance, printed by N Bonfons, passed through several editions. The English poem in alliterative verse, commissioned by

Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford Humphrey (VIII) de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford, 5th Earl of Essex (6 December 1309 – 15 October 1361) of Pleshy Castle in Essex, was hereditary Constable of England. He distinguished himself as a captain in the Breton campaigns of the Hundred Y ...

, was written by a poet named William. A single surviving manuscript of the English version is held at

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

. The

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...

has cited this poem as being the earliest known use of singular ''they'' in written English.

Plot

Guillaume, a foundling supposed to be of low degree, is brought up at the court of the emperor of

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 loves the emperor's daughter Melior who is promised to a Greek prince. The lovers flee into the woods disguised in bear-skins. Alfonso, who is Guillaume's cousin and a Spanish prince, has been changed into a wolf by his stepmother's enchantments. He provides food and protection for the fugitives, and Guillaume eventually triumphs over Alfonso's father, and wins back from him his kingdom. The benevolent

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...

is disenchanted, and marries Guillaume's sister.

Motifs

The werewolf as used in this story draws on later developments of that legend than such lais as ''

Bisclavret "Bisclavret" ("The Werewolf") is one of the twelve Lais of Marie de France written in the 12th century. Originally written in French, it tells the story of a werewolf who is trapped in lupine form by the treachery of his wife. The tale shares a c ...

'' and ''

Melion ''Melion'' is an anonymous Breton lai that tells the story of a knight who transforms into a werewolf for the love of his wife who betrays him. Composition and manuscripts The actual date of composition is estimated between 1190 and 1204. The la ...

'', where the werewolf status is inherent, although his obeisance to the king, his father, corresponds to the same act in the other stories. The werewolf's protection of the child probably stems from the anecdote found in both '' The Seven Sages'' and ''

Gesta Romanorum ''Gesta Romanorum'', meaning ''Deeds of the Romans'' (a very misleading title), is a Latin collection of anecdotes and tales that was probably compiled about the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th. It still possesses a two-fold l ...

''. But the werewolf's attack on his wicked stepmother corresponds to that of the werewolf on his false wife in ''Bisclavret'' and ''Melion'', and Guillaume plays the same role as the king, protecting the werewolf after the attack. The love of Guillaume and Melior, though presented as classical courtly love, ends in marriage and children—a deviation from the original formulation of courtly love that grew common in romances of this era.

References

Additional sources

*{{EB1911, volume=12, wstitle=Guillaume de Palerme *Bunt, Gerrit H.V.
''William of Palerne, An Electronic Edition''

External links

''William of Palerne (William and the Werewolf)''
translated and retold in Modern English prose by Richard Scott-Robinson. Medieval poetry Medieval French romances Fictional Sicilian people Werewolf written fiction

Plot

Motifs

References

Additional sources

Further reading

External links