Description
Book SynopsisEssays bringing out the richness of the hitherto neglected Charlemagne tradition in medieval Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Wales and Ireland. The reception of the Charlemagne legends among Nordic and Celtic communities in the Middle Ages is a shared story of transmission, translation, an exploration of national identity, and the celebration of imperialism. The articles brought together here capture for the first time the richness of the Charlemagne tradition in medieval Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Wales and Ireland and its coherence as a series of adaptations of Old French chansons de geste. Emerging from the French sources is a set of themes which unite the linguistically different Norse and Celtic Charlemagne traditions. The ideology of the Crusades, the dichotomy of Christian and heathen elements, the values of chivalry and the ideals of kingship are among the preoccupations common to both traditions. While processes of manuscript transmission are distinctive to each linguistic context, the essential function of the legends as explorations of political ideology, emotion, and social values creates unity across the language groups. From the Old Norse Karlamagnús saga to the Irish and Welsh narratives, the chapters present a coherent set of perspectives on the northern reception of the Charlemagne legends beyond the nation of England. Contributors: Massimiliano Bampi, Claudia Bornholdt, Aisling Byrne, Luciana Cordo Russo, Helen Fulton, Jon Paul Heyne, Susanne Kramarz-Bein, Erich Poppe, Annalee C. Rejhon, Sif Rikhardsdottir, Hélène Tétrel.
Table of ContentsGeneral Preface: Charlemagne: A European Icon, Marianne Ailes and Philip E. Bennett Maps Introduction: Transmission of Charlemagne in Scandinavia,Wales, and Ireland, Helen Fulton and Sif Rikhardsdottir PART I: THE NORSE CHARLEMAGNE 1. Transmission, Translation, and Manuscript History, Susanne Kramarz-Bein 2. The Cultural and Ideological Function of Charlemagne, Massimiliano Bampi 3. The Norse Roland in Context, Sif Rikhardsdottir 4. The Impact of Charlemagne on the Native Literary Tradition in the North, Claudia Bornholdt and Jon Paul Heyne 5. Unger's Karlamagnús saga: A Modern Composition?, Hélène Tétrel PART II: THE CELTIC CHARLEMAGNE 6. Charlemagne in Ireland: Manuscripts and Audiences, Aisling Byrne 7. Irish Charlemagne Texts: Narratives, Poems, and Genealogies, Erich Poppe 8. Translating Charlemagne for Welsh Audiences: The Case of Rhamant Otuel, Luciana Cordo Russo 9. The Reception of the French Charlemagne Epic in Medieval Wales: The Case of Cân Rolant and Pererindod Chiarlymaen, Annalee C. Rejhon 10. Charlemagne in Wales: Imperialism in Medieval Welsh Poetry, Helen Fulton Bibliography Index
