Eliduc

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Eliduc (in manuscript actually Guildeluec and Guilliadon ) is the title of the twelfth and final Lais in Marie de Frances collection that they in 1170 to Anglo-Norman wrote down in eight-syllable couplets. With 1184 verses, Eliduc is the longest poem attributed to her.

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Knight Eliduc in Brittany is loyal to the king and therefore enjoys many advantages. Other knights jealously slander him when the king banished him. Eliduc hands over his land to his faithful wife Guildeluec and goes to "Logres" (Lloegr is the Welsh name for England ). He hears of a king at Exeter who has only one daughter and is besieged by another because of her. Eliduc helps the king to win. His daughter Guilliadon sends him a belt and a ring, they live together in love. Then Eliduc hears that his former king needs him. Guilliadon wants to accompany him, but he convinces her to set a date for him. His former wife already notices that something is wrong. When the appointment comes, he runs off with Guilliadon. A storm is raging at sea. A skipper tells her that Eliduc has a wife. Guilliadon collapses. Eliduc throws the skipper overboard, the storm ends. He wants to bury Guilliadon in the forest and leaves her in the chapel of a hermit, who has also died, in order to later build a monastery there. His wife Guildeluec sends a servant after him when he is mourning again in the chapel. She immediately understands what's going on and also mourns. Two weasels come, the servant kills one, the other fetches a magic flower and revives it. Guildeluec sees it and thus raises the dead. She doesn't know who she is looking at and honestly says that she knew nothing about Eliduc's marriage. Guildeluec forgives. She releases Eliduc, who lives happily with Guilliadon. Later they all go to the monastery.

Remarks

The ship passage is of course reminiscent of Jona . On the slander of the king, cf. the later popular fairy tale Corvetto . The Brothers Grimm mention the Lai in the note to their fairy tale The Three Snake Leaves .

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