Ferragut (also known asFerragus,Ferracutus,Ferracute,Ferrakut,Ferraguto,Ferraù,Fernagu[1]) was a character—aSaracenpaladin, sometimes depicted as agiant—in texts dealing with theMatter of France, including theHistoria Caroli Magni, and Italianepics, such asOrlando Innamorato byMatteo Maria Boiardo andOrlando Furioso byLudovico Ariosto. In the tales, he was portrayed as physically invulnerable except at his navel/stomach, and was eventually killed (or fated to be killed) by the paladinRoland.
"Ferracutus" was the Latin form of the name used in thePseudo-Turpin Chronicle.Thomas Bulfinch used "Ferragus" in his English adaptationLegends of Charlemagne,[2] but the form "Ferragut" appears to be the most frequent in English today.
In hisOrlando innamorato, Matteo Maria Boiardo used Feraguto/Feragu (Ferraguto/Ferragu). Ferraù is asyncopated form used inOrlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto.
The character appears in one of the main episodes of the so-calledPseudo-Turpin Chronicle (Historia Caroli Magni, Book IV of theCodex Calixtinus), a Latin chronicle concerning the feats ofCharlemagne and the paladinRoland from the middle of the 12th century.
In a story modeled onDavid and Goliath,[3] Roland battles the Saracen giant Ferracutus, who is holding the city ofNájera (Spain). A descendant ofGoliath who had been sent to Nájera fromSyria by theEmir ofBabylon to fight theChristian army of Charlemagne, the giant Ferracutus didn't fear any arrow or spear and had the strength of forty strong men, was nearly twelvecubits tall, with a face a cubit long, a nose ahand long, members nearly four cubits long and fingers the length of three hands. Charlemagne sent several of his men to fight the giant:Ogier theDane,Reinaldos of Montalbán, Constantine king of Rome, Count Hoel, and twenty other fighters two by two, who were defeated effortlessly by the giant and put to prison. As soon as Roland obtained permission from Charlemagne, he approached the giant alone and they fought for two days (taking truces to rest at night) using swords, wooden sticks, stones and bare fists. They accidentally killed each other's horses, but Roland could find no way of wounding the giant. During the second night, the courteous Roland placed a stone beneath the head of the giant as a pillow, and upon waking the giant revealed to Roland that he was only vulnerable in one spot: his navel. They also had a conversation about religion discussing matters such as theHoly Trinity, theGenesis, theImmaculate Conception andResurrection ofJesus. After this conversation another fight took place in which Roland used the knowledge his opponent had given him, and killed Ferragut by inserting a spear in his navel.
The Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle was a massive success throughout Europe[4] and was frequently adapted or borrowed from until the Renaissance.
An adaptation of the Pseudo-Turpin story of Ferraguto and his mortal duel with Orlando (Roland) occurs in the anonymous Franco-Venetian epicL'Entrée d'Espagne (c. 1320; the author is thought to be from Padua).[5][6]
The story also appears in the 14th-century Italian epicLa Spagna (attributed to the Florentine Sostegno di Zanobi and likely composed between 1350–1360[7]).
Based in part in the Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle (probably viaVincent of Beauvais'sSpeculum Historiale),[8]Jean or Jehan Bagnyon's 15th-centuryLa Conqueste du grand roy Charlemagne des Espagnes et les vaillances des douze pairs de France, et aussi celles de Fierabras (also calledFierabras) includes the story of Ferragus (Book 3, Part 1, Chapters 10–11). This work knew a European success and was adapted into Castilian, Portuguese, German, and English.
While the incident is not depicted in it, Ferraguto's death at the hands of Orlando is presented as a well-known fact inLuigi Pulci's epicMorgante.[5]
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InMatteo Maria Boiardo'sOrlando innamorato, Ferraguto is a leading Saracen knight (and not a giant), the nephew of King Marsilio of Spain, and one of the many characters passionately in love withAngelica. At the beginning of the poem, Angelica and her brother Argalia arrive at the court of theEmperor Charlemagne inParis, announcing that any knight who defeats Argalia in single combat will win Angelica's hand in marriage, but if he loses he will become Argalia's prisoner. Ferraguto is among the first knights to try and is unhorsed. However, he angrily refuses to accept his captivity and Argalia and Angelica flee in terror. Ferraguto catches Argalia, kills him and steals his helmet, but he promises the dying man only to wear it for a few days.
At the beginning of Ludovico Ariosto'sOrlando Furioso (a continuation ofOrlando innamorato), Ferraù loses the helmet in a stream and is confronted by the ghost of Argalia, who tells him he must find another helmet instead. Ferraù vows to win the helmet of Almonte, which now belongs to the greatest Christian knight,Orlando. He manages to possess it for a while but Ariosto predicts his ultimate death at the hands of Orlando. Like the character in the Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle and the 14th-century Italian epicLa Spagna, Ferraù is completely invulnerable except via hisnavel.
Ferragus is also the name of a completely differentSaracengiant from Portugal in the medieval romanceValentine and Orson. Brother of Esclarmonde, he is responsible for imprisoning Bellissant, the sister of KingPepin, and is eventually beheaded by the Duke of Aquitaine[3].
The character is depicted:
Other references: