Fierabras

Fiërabras (from French: "a bras fier", "on brave arm") or Ferumbras is a Saracen knight (frequently 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, and is frequently shown in conflict with Roland and the Twelve Peers, especially Oliver (whose prowess he almost rivals) and eventually converting to Christianity and fighting for Charlemagne.

Texts and adaptations

The oldest extant text of the story of Fierabras is a 12th century (c.1170) French "chanson de geste" of roughly 6,200 alexandrines [ Hasenohr] in assonanced laisses. The story is as follows: the Saracen king Balan and his (15 foot tall) son Fierabras return to Spain after sacking the church of Saint Peter's in Rome and taking the relics of the passion. Charlemagne invades Spain to recuperate 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 was translated into Provençal in the 13th century, which 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), an expanded Burgundian version ("Chroniques et conquêtes de Charlemagne") by David Aubert (c.1456-8) and an expanded Swiss version by Jean de Bagnyon (late 15th century), the later of which was (with notable changes) the first "chansons de geste" to be printed [ Hasenohr] (Geneva, 1478 [Tilly, 16.] ), and one of the most popular novels in France in the first half of the 16th century (15 editions printed to 1536; from 1501 the title was "Conqueste du grand roy Charlemagne des Espagnes et les vaillances des douze pairs de France, et aussi celles de Fierabras" [Tilly, 16.] ). This prose version was adapted into Castilian, Portugese, German, and English (by William Caxton).

There also exist other versions of the legend, including one in Middle Irish ("Stair Fortibrais").

The 17th century playwright Calderon de la Barca used elements of the story for his drama "La puente de Mantibile".

In 1823, Franz Schubert wrote the opera "Fierrabras", based on certain tales surrounding the knight's conversion.

Historical sources

The story echoes the historical sack of Rome by the Saracens in 846 in which Guy I of Spoleto (proposed as a source for "Gui de Bourgogne") participated. [Miquet, 16.]

Critics have suggested that the composition of the 12th century poem is closely linked to the cult of relics at the Basilique Saint-Denis and the creation of the local festival of Lendit. [Miquet, 17.]

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 Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote de la Mancha", after one of his numerous beatings, Don Quixote mentions to Sancho Panza that he knows the recipe of the balm. In Chapter XVII, Don Quixote instructs Sancho that the ingredients are oil, wine, salt and rosemary. The knight boils them and blesses them with eighty paternosters, Hail Mary and Creed. Upon drinking it, Don Quixote vomits and sweats and feels healed after sleeping. However, for Sancho it has also a laxative effect, rendering him near death.

References

*fr icon Geneviève Hasenohr and Michel Zink, eds. "Dictionnaire des lettres françaises: Le Moyen Age". Collection: La Pochothèque. Paris: Fayard, 1992. Article "Fierabras", pp. 444-5. ISBN 2-2530-5662-6
*fr icon Jean Miquet, ed. "Fierabras: roman en prose de la fin du XIVe siècle." Ottawa: Editions de l'Université d'Ottawa, 1983. ISBN 2-7603-4809-1
*Authur Tilly. "Studies in the French Renaissance". New York: Barnes & Noble, 1968.

External links

* [http://www.lib.rochester.edu/Camelot/teams/sultint.htm "The Sultan of Babylon"] a Middle English romance featuring Ferumbras
* [http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?LEMA=fierabr%C3%A1s&TIPO_HTML=2&FORMATO=ampliado DRAE] Spanish definition of "fierabrás": an unruly, evil person, generally applied to naughty kids.