Fair Unknown

(The Fair Unknown) is a French Arthurian romance written by Renaut de Beaujeu 1200. The title refers to the young knight who is the protagonist of the tale. Initially without a name, the knight eventually discovers his identity and parentage during the course of the story: he is Gingalain, son of Gawain and the fay Blanchemal. As a nameless youth, he arrives in King Arthur's court and is granted a to be knighted. He earns the nickname "Fair Unknown", then accepts his main quest, to save the Princess (and later Queen) of Gales, a mission heralded to the Court by the queen's maidservant Hélie. The Fair Unknown embarks upon a number of side-quests, including his succoring of the Maid of the White Hands ( , the enchantress of the Ile d'Or, who becomes his mistress, but he leaves abruptly to return to his main quest in the city of Snowdon. He defeats the enchanter Mabon and accomplishes the "Fearsome Kiss" ( ) upon a serpent to dispel the transformation of the princess of Wales, after which a voice reveals to him his name and his parentage. The princess discloses her name as Blonde Esmeree; she is Princess/Queen of Wales, and wishes to marry the hero. The Fair Unknown has a chance of reunion with White Hands, but when Arthur calls a tournament to entice him back, she helps by magically sending him to the joust, and he takes this to be a rejection. He then marries Blonde Esmeree.…

(The Fair Unknown) is a French Arthurian romance written by Renaut de Beaujeu 1200. The title refers to the young knight who is the protagonist of the tale. Initially without a name, the knight eventually discovers his identity and parentage during the course of the story: he is Gingalain, son of Gawain and the fay Blanchemal. As a nameless youth, he arrives in King Arthur's court and is granted a to be knighted. He earns the nickname "Fair Unknown", then accepts his main quest, to save the Princess (and later Queen) of Gales, a mission heralded to the Court by the queen's maidservant Hélie. The Fair Unknown embarks upon a number of side-quests, including his succoring of the Maid of the White Hands ( , the enchantress of the Ile d'Or, who becomes his mistress, but he leaves abruptly to return to his main quest in the city of Snowdon. He defeats the enchanter Mabon and accomplishes the "Fearsome Kiss" ( ) upon a serpent to dispel the transformation of the princess of Wales, after which a voice reveals to him his name and his parentage. The princess discloses her name as Blonde Esmeree; she is Princess/Queen of Wales, and wishes to marry the hero. The Fair Unknown has a chance of reunion with White Hands, but when Arthur calls a tournament to entice him back, she helps by magically sending him to the joust, and he takes this to be a rejection. He then marries Blonde Esmeree. There are later French reworkings of the tale, such as the Beausdous by Robert de Blois and the reconstructed Gliglois (both 13th century), as well as a modern prose rendition (published 1530¹) (cf. ). There are also cognate tales in other languages: the Middle English Libeaus Desconus, German Wigalois, and Italian Carduino (cf. ). The term "The Fair Unknown" might be applied more generically to any similar character assuming the same motif of anonymity (cf. ).

Maiden Blanches Mains at Ile d'Or

The most significant of the side-quests is his aiding The Maiden of the White Hands ( ), foiling the plans of her unwanted suitor Malgier le Gris ("Malgier the Grey") by defeating and killing him. The victory earns him the title to this kingdom and a claim to wed the Maid himself, and they are enamored of each other. Le Bel Inconnu overspends his time here in leisurely amorous idleness (recreantise), but leaves abruptly upon remembering his main quest/adventure, to complete his obligation to the Welsh princess. The Maiden of the White Hands is also called at one point "Lady of the White Hands" ( ), whom he had succored earlier. She is also referred to as a veritable "Fay" or "Fairy" of Ile d'Or by commentators as she was an enchantress manifesting magical powers. After completing his main quest, he will have a chance to revisit the Pucelle to apologise for his abrupt departure after their initial acquaintance, and she will then reveal she had been aiding him all along using her magical powers.

References

Citations Bibliography (Editions and translations) , Routledge, 2021, (Studies)

External links

The Fair Unknown motif at The Camelot Project

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