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Lohengrin (German:[ˈloːənɡʁiːn]) is a character inGermanArthurian literature. The son ofParzival (Percival), he is a knight of theHoly Grail sent in a boat pulled byswans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears inWolfram von Eschenbach'sParzival, is a version of theKnight of the Swan legend[1] known from a variety of medieval sources. Wolfram's story was expanded in two later romances.Richard Wagner's operaLohengrin of 1848 is based upon the legend.[1]
Lohengrin first appears as "Loherangrin", the son of Parzival[1] and Condwiramurs inWolfram von Eschenbach'sParzival.[2] Wolfram's story is a variation of theKnight of the Swan tale, previously attached to theCrusade cycle of medieval literature. Loherangrin and his twin brother Kardeiz join their parents inMunsalväsche when Parzival becomes theGrail King; Kardeiz later inherits their father's secular lands, and Loherangrin remains in Munsalväsche as a Grail Knight. Members of this order are sent out in secret to provide lords to kingdoms that have lost their protectors and Loherangrin is eventually called to this duty inBrabant, where the duke has died without a male heir. His daughterElsa fears the kingdom will be lost, but Loherangrin arrives in a boat pulled by a swan and offers to defend her, though he warns her she must never ask his name. He weds the duchess and serves Brabant for years, but one day Elsa asks the forbidden question. He explains his origin and steps back onto his swan boat, never to return.
The Knight of the Swan story was previously known from the tales of the ancestry ofGodfrey of Bouillon, the first ruler of theCrusaderKingdom of Jerusalem. The story appears in the two versions of the taleNaissance du Chevalier au Cygne,[1] which describes the Swan Knight Elias arriving to defend the dispossessedDuchess of Bouillon. They marry and have a daughter,Ida, who becomes the mother of Godfrey and his brothers. The Knight of the Swan is not the only altered version of a popular story Wolfram uses in his narrative; he makesPrester John the son of his characterFeirefiz.
Graham Seal suggests that the tale of Lohengrin reworks elements from Northern European folklore.[3]
The story was picked up and expanded in the late 13th-centuryLohengrin by a certain "Nouhusius" or "Nouhuwius", who changed the character's name and tied the romance's Grail and Swan Knight elements into the history of theHoly Roman Empire.[4] The story follows Wolfram closely but adds certain details – notably, Princess Elsa's questioning of her husband occurs only after prodding by an antagonist who spreads rumors that Lohengrin is not of noble blood – that extends the material into a fullromance. In expanding the material, the author drew on several other medieval German literary works, including theSächsische Weltchronik, theJüngerer Titurel, and theWartburgkrieg.[5] In the 15th century, the story was taken up again for the anonymousLorengel.[6] This version does not include the taboo against asking the protagonist about his mysterious origin and Lorengel and his princess can live happily ever after.
In 1848,Richard Wagner, drawing on the contemporary work ofLudwig Lucas, adapted the tale into his popularoperaLohengrin, arguably the work through which Lohengrin's story is best known today.[7] While KingHenry the Fowler tries to assemble forces in Brabant to combat theHungarian invasions, Lohengrin appears on theScheldt River to defend Princess Elsa from the false accusation of killing her younger brother Gottfried (who turns out to be alive and returns at the end of the opera). According to Wagner, the Grail imbues the Knight of the Swan with mystical powers that can only be maintained if their nature is kept secret; hence the danger of Elsa's question. The most famous piece fromLohengrin is the "Bridal Chorus" ("Here Comes the Bride"), still played at many Western weddings.
Wagner'sLohengrin was parodied inVictor Herbert's 1906burlesqueThe Magic Knight, and was reworked intoSalvatore Sciarrino's 1982 operaLohengrin, which reduces the narrative to a manic hallucination.[8]
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