Jean d'Arras (fl. 1392-94) was a 14th-century Northern French writer about whom little is known. He collaborated with Antoine du Val and Fouquart de Cambrai in putting together a collection of stories entitled ''L'Évangile des quenouilles'' ("The spinners' gospel"). The

frame story A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

is a group of ladies at their spinning who relate the current theories on a great variety of subjects. The work is of considerable value for the light it throws on

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

manners, and for its echoes of folklore, sometimes deeply buried under layers of

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 ...

. There were many editions of this book in the 15th and 16th centuries, one of which was printed by the early printer

Wynkyn de Worde Wynkyn de Worde (died 1534) was a printer and publisher in London known for his work with William Caxton, and is recognised as the first to popularise the products of the printing press in England. Name Wynkyn de Worde was a German immigr ...

in English, as ''The Gospelles of Dystaves''. A more modern edition (Collection Jannet) had a preface by

Anatole France (; born , ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters. He was a member of the Académie França ...

The Roman de Mélusine

Jean d'Arras, perhaps the same, wrote at the request of

John, duke of Berry John of Berry or John the Magnificent (French: ''Jean de Berry'', ; 30 November 1340 – 15 June 1416) was Duke of Berry and Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was Regent of France during the minority of his nephew 1380-1388 ...

, as he says in his introduction, a long prose romance variously called the ''Roman de Mélusine'' or the ''Chronique de Melusine'' part of ''Le Noble Hystoire de Lusignan'' ("The Noble History of the Lusignans"), in 1392-94. He dedicated the work to

Marie of Valois, Duchess of Bar Marie of France (18 September 1344 – 15 October 1404) was the sixth child and second daughter of John II of France and Bonne of Bohemia.Jean d'Arras, ''Melusine; or, The Noble History of Lusignan'', transl. Donald Maddox, (The Pennsylvania State ...

and expressed the hope that it would aid in the political education of her children. Leaning on perhaps mostly oral tradition surrounding the originally Celtic region of Poitou, it is one of the first literary versions of the tale of

Melusine Mélusine () or Melusina is a figure of European folklore, a female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down (much like a lamia or a mermaid). She is also s ...

, a fairy cursed by her fairy mother to become a hybrid woman/serpent every Saturday. If she married a mortal man who remained faithful to her and obeyed her request never to seek her out on that day, she would gain the status of a mortal woman and enjoy salvation as a Christian. She guided the spectacular rise and subsequent fall of the House of

Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries du ...

after she met the nobleman Rainmondin by a fountain in the forest, who married her and fathered ten sons on her whose exploits in the

Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...

s brought them fame, despite the fact that most of them carried some form of physical blemish. Raimondin remains faithful to his promise until he is persuaded to believe that her hiding every Saturday is an excuse for her to entertain a lover, and he spies on her in her bath. He doesn't betray her secret until one of their most deformed sons, Geoffrey Big-Tooth, burns down the monastery his brother Fromont has retired to. In despair, Raimondin curses her publicly for her demonic nature that has infected their sons, and she turns into a dragon and flies away, wailing. For more information consult the Wikipedia article on

. :

Notes

Bibliography

* Donald Maddox and Sara Sturm-Maddox, ''Melusine of Lusignan: founding fiction in late medieval France.'' A volume of essays on the ''Roman de Melusine''. The ''Roman'' traces the powerful medieval dynasty of

from its founding in the city by the legendary Melusine, an enigmatic

shape-shifting In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherite ...

faery figure, through its glorious rise in Europe and in the Crusader kingdoms of the Eastern Mediterranean (see

Guy of Lusignan Guy of Lusignan (c. 1150 – 18 July 1194) was a French Poitevin knight, son of Hugh VIII of Lusignan and as such born of the House of Lusignan. He was king of Jerusalem from 1186 to 1192 by right of marriage to Sibylla of Jerusalem, and King o ...

, King of Cyprus), weaving together history and fiction, with elements of myth, folklore, and popular traditions fused with epic, Crusader narrative, knightly romance, and Christian doctrine, all to glorify and uphold the proprietary claims to Lusignan of the work's illustrious patron. * Jean d'Arras, ''Mélusine, roman du XIVe siècle'', ed. Louis Stouff. Dijon: Bernigaud & Privat, 1932. The standard edition of the medieval French text. * Jean d'Arras,
Melusine
', ed. A. K. Donald.

Early English Text Society The Early English Text Society (EETS) is a text publication society founded in 1864 which is dedicated to the editing and publication of early English texts, especially those only available in manuscript. Most of its volumes contain editions of ...

. London: Kegal Paul, Trench, Trübner and co. Superseded edition of the original French, available at Archive.or
here

External links

Archive.org: Jean D'Arras, ''Melusine''

gallica.bnf.fr: Jean d'Arras, Mélusine, 1485, French
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jean d'Arras 14th-century French writers French folklorists Frame stories French male poets People from Cambrai