Garel

"Garel von dem blühenden Tal" (English: "Garel of the Blooming Valley") is a medieval Arthurian romance composed by Pleier around 1230-40. It appears to have been written in contradiction to Stricker's "Daniel von Blumenthal". It consists of 21,310 lines in rhyming couplets; the beginning is missing.

After a journey, King Arthur receives a declaration of war from King Ekunaver. Garel von Blumenthal leaves Arthur's court in order to raise troops for the war. On the way various adventures befall him, amongst which he lays siege to the castle of Sir Eskilabon, who had taken several knights prisoner, and frees many prisoners from the power of two giants. By killing the gruesome monster Vulganus he wins the hand of the beautiful Laudamie. Garel then gains a victory over Ekunaver before Arthur even arrives with his army. His success is celebrated in a banquet at the Round Table, before which he marries Laudamie.

The story is illustrated in frescoes to be found at Burg Runkelstein in the Tyrol. [http://www.comune.bolzano.it/roncolo/ie/galerie.htm]

References

*Tax, Petrus W. (1991). "Der Pleier". In Lacy, Norris J., "The New Arthurian Encyclopedia", pp. 362–363. New York: Garland. ISBN 0-8240-4377-4.