Huon of Bordeaux is the title character of a 13th-centuryFrench epic poem withromance elements.
The poem tells of Huon, a knight who unwittingly killsCharlot, the son of EmperorCharlemagne. He is given a reprieve from death on condition that he fulfil a number of seemingly impossible tasks: he must travel to the court of theEmir of Babylon and return with a handful of the Emir's hair and teeth, slay the Emir's mightiest knight, and three times kiss the Emir's daughter, Esclarmonde. Huon eventually accomplishes all these feats with the assistance of the fairy kingOberon.[1][2]
Thechanson de geste that survives (in three more or less complete manuscripts and two short fragments) comprises 10,553decasyllable verses grouped in 91assonancedlaisses. Presumed dates for its composition vary, but 1216 and 1268 are generally given asterminus post quem (earliest possible date) andterminus ante quem (latest possible date).[3]
Thechanson's success gave rise to six continuations and one prologue which triple its length:
The poem and most of its continuations were converted to arhymed version inalexandrines in 1454 (only one manuscript exists).[7] While no manuscript exists from the 15th century prose version, this version served as the base text for 16th century printed editions (eleven exist), the earliest extant being the edition printed by Michel le Noir in 1513.[8] The work was reprinted ten times in the 17th century, eight times in the 18th and four times in the 19th (notably in a beautifully printed and illustrated adaptation in modern French byGaston Paris in 1898).
The romance came into vogue inEngland through the translation (c. 1540) ofJohn Bourchier, Lord Berners, asHuon of Burdeuxe,[9] through whichShakespeare heard of the French epic. InPhilip Henslowe's diary there is a note of a performance of a play,Hewen of Burdocize, on 28 December 1593. The tale was dramatized and produced in Paris by the Confrérie de la Passion in 1557.
The tale also serves as the basis forChristoph Martin Wieland's epic poemOberon of 1780, where Huon becomes the lover of the Sultan's daughter Rezia/Amanda.Andre Norton retold the tale in quasi-modern English prose asHuon of the Horn, published byHarcourt, Brace & Company in 1951, which is considered her first fantasy novel.
The Charlot of the story has been identified byAuguste Longnon (Romania vol. viii) withCharles the Child, one of the sons ofCharles the Bald andErmentrude of Orléans, who died in 866 in consequence of wounds inflicted by a certain Aubouin in precisely similar circumstances to those related in the romance. The godfather of Huon may safely be identified withSeguin, who wascount of Bordeaux underLouis the Pious in 839, and died fighting against theVikings six years later. Huon himself is probably based onHunald I, duke ofAquitaine in the 8th century, who was defeated by Charlemagne's father.[10]
Esclarmonde.
Huon de Bordeaux.
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