Mambrino was a fictional Moorish king, celebrated in the romances of chivalry. His first appearance is in the late fourteenth-century ''Cantari di Rinaldo'', also known as ''Rinaldo da Monte Albano'', ''Rinaldo Innamorato'' or ''Innamoramento di Rinaldo''. The ''Cantari di Rinaldo'' is an adaptation of the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intellig ...

chanson de geste The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th c ...

, ''

Renaud de Montauban Renaud de Montauban (; also spelled ''Renaut'', ''Renault'', Italian: ''Rinaldo di Montalbano'', Dutch: ''Reinout van Montalba(e)n'') was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century Old French ''chanson de geste'' known as ''Th ...

'', also known as ''Les Quatre Fils Aymon''. In the Old French,

Renaud Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (), known as Renaud (), born 11 May 1952, is a French singer, songwriter and actor. His characteristically 'broken' voice makes for a very distinctive vocal style. Several of his songs are popular classics in F ...

defeats the Saracen king Begon, who was invading King Yon’s kingdom of Gascony. The Italian replaces Begon with Mambrino, and furnishes him with an elaborate backstory. In the ''Cantari'', Mambrino is one of six brothers, all giants. Four of the brothers had been decapitated by Rinaldo on various occasions earlier in the poem, so that his invasion of Gascony was motivated by his desire for vengeance. Rinaldo, as the Italians called Renaud, wins the war by defeating Mambrino in single combat and decapitating him as well. Mambrino’s

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

, in this poem, has for its crest an idol which is so constructed that whenever the wind blows through it, it says, “Long live the most noble lord Mambrino, and all his barons.” In later poems, Mambrino’s helmet was made of pure gold and rendered its wearer invulnerable. These are the helmet's attributes in the ''

Orlando Innamorato ''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in English as "''Orlando in Love''"; in Italian titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the " I" is never capitalized) is an epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. The poem is a rom ...

'' and the '' Orlando Furioso'', throughout which poems it is worn by Rinaldo. Francesco Cieco da Ferrara's poem, ''Mambriano'', is about the titular son of Mambrino's sister and his attempt to avenge his uncle. Both the sister and the nephew were invented by Francesco.

Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

, in his novel ''

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 ...

'', tells us of a

barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...

who was caught in the rain, and to protect his hat clapped his brazen basin on his head.

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 ...

insisted that this basin was the enchanted helmet of the Moorish king. Don Quixote wishes to obtain the helmet in order to make himself invulnerable. In the musical '' Man of La Mancha'', an entire song is constructed around the titular character's search for the helmet and his encounter with the barber. There is a reference in

Patrick Leigh Fermor Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor (11 February 1915 – 10 June 2011) was an English writer, scholar, soldier and polyglot. He played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance during the Second World War, and was widely seen as Britain's greates ...

's ''Mani'' to Mambrino with respect to a very large straw hat worn by a Greek man in the 1930s. " he mancame loping towards us under his giant Mambrino's helmet of straw."Fermor, Patrick Leigh, "Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese," Chapter 3, at 33 (New York: New York Review Book, 2006) ().

References

* Melli, Elio, editor. ''I Cantari di Rinaldo da Monte Albano''. Commissione per i Testi di Lingua. Bologna, 1973. Collezione di Opere Inedite o Rare 133. * Panizzi, Antonio, ''Orlando Innamorato di Bojardo: Orlando Furioso di Ariosto: With an Essay on the Romantic Narrative Poetry of the Italians; Memoirs, and Notes.'' London, William Pickering, 1830. 9 vols. Fictional kings Literary characters introduced in the 14th century {{fict-char-stub

See also

References