Guillaume de Palerne[1][2] or in modern spellingPalerme ("William ofPalerne" or "Palermo") is a Frenchromance poem, later translated intoMiddle English where it is also known asWilliam and theWerewolf.[3] The French verse romance is thought to have been composed anywhere from the late 12th to late 13th century (cf.§ Dating).[4] The verse version in French survives in a single 13th century manuscript (l'Arsenal 6565 olim 178[5][6]).
The prose version of the French romance (created <1535[3]) went through early printed editions.[7] The edition fromNicolas Bonfons [fr] of Paris passed through several post-incunabula editions (c. 1550–1590?),[8][9] into the 17th century.[3]
The English poem inalliterative verse, commissioned byHumphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford, was writtenc. 1350[10][11] (or more precisely between 1335/6 and 1361[12]) by a poet named William.[13][14] A single surviving manuscript of the English version (dating to the end of the 14th century[12]) is held atKing's College, Cambridge.[15][16] The English prose was printed in 1515 byWynkyn de Worde, even earlier than the printing of the French prose.[3]
The poem's author dedicates the work to "contesse Yolent", who was generally identified as Yolande (1131–1223), daughter ofBaldwin IV, Count of Hainaut), hence the leeway of "mid-1190s to the early 1220s" as the date of composition is ascribed byAlexandre Micha [fr] (who edited the new 1990 edition), this Yolant/Yolande actually having lived to be anonagenarian.[17] Past editors and commentators (based on earlier death date of the countess) had ascribed composition beforec. 1200[18][21][22] (1194–97 had been given with confidence, with the previous assumption of thecountess death occurring in the year 1202 or 1212[23]).
However, this identification of Yolande is not certain,[24] and other possible historical figures have been suggested as plausible byChristine Ferlampin-Acher [fr],[25] who allows for the possibility ofYoland de Nevers [fr] akaYolande de Bourgogne (1247–1280).[26] Thus the overall date range is the indefinite end of 12th to the late 13th century.[4]
The original French was composed in thePicard dialect,[27] by someone active in thePicardy region of northern France and alsoÎle-de-France around Paris.[4]
TheOxford English Dictionary has cited the Middle English poem as being the earliest known use ofsingular "they" in written English.[28]
An Irish prose version (with interspersed verse)Eachtra Uilliam ("Adventure or Deeds of William") was composed in the 16th century, based on the English prose.[29][a]
The romance opens (and returns later) in theKingdom of Sicily andApulia. The author displays considerable intimacy with the geography of thisNorman kingdom.[31][32]
King Embron and his queen Felise have a baby son, who is kidnapped and raised by a kindly wolf who knew the king's brother was aiming to kill the child.[33] The wolf was in truth a prince of Spain, transformed by an evil stepmother.[34] The child is discovered one day and adopted by a cowherd as his son "Guillaume".[35][33] He is of great prowess and draws the notice of the emperor ofRome, who brings Guillaume to court as the valet to his daughter Melior. They fall in love with each other,[36] but she struggles with the unknown origins of her valet.[37][38] And then, his prowess becomes even more renowned after Guillaume is instrumental in defeating theSaxons.[39]
Though Melior's love grows stronger, a contingent of theGreek Emperor arrives with the Greek prince's proposal of marriage to the Roman princess. The Roman Emperor Nathaniel gives immediate consent. The lovers flee into the woods disguised in bear-skins. The same Spanish prince turned wolf (Guillaume's cousin Alphonse[9]) appears to the fugitive couple, providing them with food and drink stolen from the clerics and peasants.[40] The marriage ceremony had been prepared in Rome, but the bride's disappearance angers the Emperor who orders a search in the woods. The wolf holds the soldiers at bay, but witnesses come forward having seen the bears leave town. The theft of the bearskins is discovered, and the ruse unravels. The wolf now takes the lovers on a journey towards Apulia, but along the way atBenevento (Bénévent) they are discovered by miners while taking shelter inside what they mistakenly thought was anabandoned mine orquarry. Aposse arrives to capture them, but the wolf diverts attention by carrying off the magistrate's child, and they escape. The wolf has the couple wear deerskin as disguise.[41]
The group reaches war-torn Apulia, where Guillaume's sister, Florence, remains. The invading Spanish king was scheming to marry his witch-wife's son, Brandin, to Florence.[42] The group cross theStrait of Messina and arrive in Palermo (then capital of theNormanKingdom of Apulia and Sicily[43]). The city is at war, defended by King Embron's widow (Guillaume's mother) against the military invasion by the King of Spain (Alphonse's father). When Guillaume arrives in the guise of a deer, the Queen realizes this must be the deliverer of their sorrows, but she and her son do not recognize each other,[b] as Guillaume has never known his origin. Guillaume accepts aiding the defense and asks for armament. Then the king's warhorse Brunsaudebruel[c][d], which never let any man beside its master ride it, is brought to Guillaume and now recognizes him.[49] The benevolent werewolf is disenchanted and marries Guillaume's sister.[9]
It is taken as a point of incredulity that a couple suited up in bearskin could so easily trick people into thinking they are true bears, without advance training.[51]
AsLaura A. Hibbard (1924) points out,[52] theGuillaume man-wolf seems to follow the formula of the four "Werewolf's Tale" types enumerated byKittredge, namely the twolais ofBisclavret ofMelion, the romanceArthur and Gorlagon and the Irish folktale (Morraha ed. Larminie).<[53][e] Hibbard argues these parallels to be of a more primitive form thanGuillaume.[54]
Whether the similarities outweigh the differences is a point of contention.[27] Three of the paralleling tales share the common plot development where the unfaithful wife prevents the werewolf's own ability to revert back to human by stealing his clothes (Bisclavret), magic ring (Melion) or rod (Gorlagon) is a point of similarity with Guillaume.[56] but Philippe Ménard (1984) argues the differences are too many.[57] Others feel the list of similitudes are compelling. For example, the werewolf of the primitive legend also exhibits the theme of the werewolf's loyalty to the royal house[30] which is shared byGuillaume, alongside several other motifs.[58] The werewolf's attack on his wicked stepmother is something else that corresponds to that of the werewolf on his false wife inBisclavret andMelion, and Guillaume plays the same role as the king, protecting the werewolf after the attack.[31]
The work is also clearly representative of "Romulus-type" story tale where the wolf fosters a human child. This may have developed as a "two-step" formation, a story of an abandoned child rescued by strangers, with the helper animal element added, as Charles W. Dunn argued.[59]
Hibbard (1924) was convincedGuillaume could derive from a "Defense of the Child" type, specificallySeven Sages of Rome] (Old FrenchRoman des sept sages) tale orGesta Romanorum, except told in inverted order.[60][62] Though Hibbard does not elaborate,Seven Sages of Rome does contain an element much like wolf-as-protector, though it is actually a dog involved.[f] This dog motif actually closely resembles Kittredge's "Werewolf's Tale" of the Irish folktale variety[g][63] Hibbard's argument is that "confused reminiscence" (presumably including the guard dog element) will add up to be theGuillaume romance.[64]
The love of Guillaume and Melior, though presented as classicalcourtly love, ends in marriage and children—a deviation from the original formulation of courtly love that grew common in romances of this era.[65]
The warhorse recognizing its master Guillaume after the many years of absence is likened toUlysses's faithful dogArgos.[66] Hibbard (1924) comments that it is rather implausible that a horse should remember Guillaume who had been kidnapped so young as an infant.[67]
TheOxford English Dictionary traces singularthey back to 1375, where it appears in the medieval romanceWilliam and the Werewolf.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Guillaume de Palerme".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 692.