''Melion'' is an anonymous

Breton lai A Breton lai, also known as a narrative lay or simply a lay, is a form of medieval French and English romance literature. Lais are short (typically 600–1000 lines), rhymed tales of love and chivalry, often involving supernatural and fairy-wor ...

that tells the story of a knight who transforms into a

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 or ...

for the love of his wife who betrays him.

Composition and manuscripts

The actual date of composition is estimated between 1190 and 1204. The lai of ''Melion'' is contained in one existing manuscript: C. Paris, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, 3516, f. 343r, col. 1 - 344r, col. 4. This manuscript dates from 1268. The text is written in the Picard dialect.

Plot summary

''Melion'' tells the story of a knight named Melion who serves

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

and who vows that he will never marry a woman who has loved another man. In the age of

courtly love Courtly love ( oc, fin'amor ; french: amour courtois ) was a medieval European literary conception of love that emphasized nobility and chivalry. Medieval literature is filled with examples of knights setting out on adventures and performing vari ...

, it is impossible for Melion to find such a woman at court. One day while out hunting, Melion meets the daughter of the King of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

who tells him that she has never loved a man other than him. They marry and have two children. Three years later, Melion, his wife, and a squire go hunting. Melion sees a beautiful stag, and his wife declares that she will die if she does not eat the flesh of this particular animal. Melion promises her the meat and asks her to help him transform into a

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

using a magical ring. The wife touches Melion's head with the stone of the ring, and he heads off into the forest after the stag. Meanwhile, the wife takes Melion's clothes and the ring, and she elopes to Ireland with the squire. When Melion returns to the place where he left his wife, he sees that she is gone. Still in the shape of a wolf, he stows away on a boat to Ireland, where he is persecuted by the sailors and the townspeople because of his lupine form. Melion bands together with ten other wolves and begins killing livestock and people. The people complain to the king, who hunts down ten of the eleven, leaving Melion alone. King Arthur arrives in Ireland, and Melion goes to him. The king and his knights are surprised by the tame and courtly behavior of the wolf, and they keep him on as a companion. At the court of the King of Ireland, Melion sees the squire who left with his wife and he attacks him. Knowing that Melion is tame, King Arthur and the knights investigate why he attacked the man. The squire confesses, and the daughter is forced to come to court with the magical ring to restore Melion. After becoming a man again, Melion considers punishing his wife by transforming her into a wolf, but instead, he leaves her and returns to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

with King Arthur.

Analysis and significance

Structure

The poem can be broken down into the following sections: # Introduction (vv. 1-14) # Melion makes his vow and meets the lady (vv. 15-133) # The lady learns the truth (vv. 134-182) # The lady betrays Melion (vv. 183-218) # Melion follows his wife and joins the wolves (vv. 219-280) # Melion joins King Arthur (vv. 281-485) # Melion attacks (vv.486-502) # The knights investigate the cause of the attack (vv. 503-520) # The wife confesses; Melion regains human form (vv. 521-564) # The wife is punished (vv. 565-586) # Epilogue (vv. 587-592)

Allusions

This lai shares many plot features with

Marie de France Marie de France ( fl. 1160 to 1215) was a poet, possibly born in what is now France, who lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an unknown court, but she and her work were almost certainly known at the royal court ...

's ''

Bisclavret "Bisclavret" ("The Werewolf") is one of the twelve The Lais of Marie de France, 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 h ...

'' and the anonymous '' Biclarel'' where the hero is also a

. Some scholars believe that ''Melion'' and ''Bisclavret'' in particular evolved from the same source. The introduction of a magic ring, however, is unique to ''Melion''.

Symbolism

The hunt can be seen as a symbol for change.Hopkins 41 Melion meets his wife while out hunting, later he is transformed into a wolf and loses his wife on a hunt, and he is hunted while in the form of a wolf. Just as Arthur is associated with the court, the lady is associated with "the ungovernable, inexplicable wilderness, with chaos, with the other."

Notes and references

External links

Melion
in English translation alongside Old French verse French poems Anonymous lais Arthurian literature in French Werewolf written fiction Old French texts Arthurian characters Arthurian legend Knights of the Round Table