(The Fair Unknown) is a French Arthurian romance written by Renaut de Beaujeu 1200. The title refers to the young knight who is the protagonist of the tale.
Initially without a name, the knight eventually discovers his identity and parentage during the course of the story: he is Gingalain, son of Gawain and the fay Blanchemal. As a nameless youth, he arrives in King Arthur's court and is granted a to be knighted. He earns the nickname "Fair Unknown", then accepts his main quest, to save the Princess (and later Queen) of Gales, a mission heralded to the Court by the queen's maidservant Hélie. The Fair Unknown embarks upon a number of side-quests, including his succoring of the Maid of the White Hands (, the enchantress of the Ile d'Or, who becomes his mistress, but he leaves abruptly to return to his main quest in the city of Snowdon. He defeats the enchanter Mabon and accomplishes the "Fearsome Kiss" () upon a serpent to dispel the transformation of the princess of Wales, after which a voice reveals to him his name and his parentage. The princess discloses her name as Blonde Esmeree; she is Princess/Queen of Wales, and wishes to marry the hero. The Fair Unknown has a chance of reunion with White Hands, but when Arthur calls a tournament to entice him back, she helps by magically sending him to the joust, and he takes this to be a rejection. He then marries Blonde Esmeree.
There are later French reworkings of the tale, such as the Beausdous by Robert de Blois and the reconstructed Gliglois (both 13th century), as well as a modern prose rendition (published 1530) (cf. ). There are also cognate tales in other languages: the Middle English Libeaus Desconus, German Wigalois, and Italian Carduino (cf. ).
The term "The Fair Unknown" might be applied more generically to any similar character assuming the same motif of anonymity (cf. ).
Nomenclature The Old French form is actually ,, in the book's subtitle is: "'Li Biaus Descouneüs'; 'The Fair Unknown'". Cf., Fresco, index, "Biau Descouneü", also text, v. 131, etc. rendered in Middle English as the . While "The Fair Unknown" may be the modern English translation of Li Biaus Descouneüs (modern ), this designation had already been used in the Middle English work, which appends the literal translated meaning of "Libeaus Desconus" as "Þe faire unknowe".Libeaus Disconus, v. 83, , note, p. 132: "eine wörtliche übersetzung des frz. namens".
Plot summary Guinglain is the eventually revealed baptismal name of the title character of Le Bel Inconnu, a 6,266-line French poem by Renaut de Beaujeu, completed some time after 1191 and before 1212/13,, p. xi which survive in the unique Chantilly, Bibliothèque du Château/Musée Condé, MS. 472.
The character's true name is withheld until midpoint into the poem after he completes the quest of the kiss (cf. ),Guingla(i)n, Le Bel Inconnu v. 3233 et passim, cf. index, p. 409. this delay being a deliberate ploy by the author to enhance the dramatic effect.
Knighthood and main adventure In Le Bel Inconnu, a youth appears at Arthur's court in Caerleon, and the nameless youth abruptly asks King Arthur for an unspecified boon, which is granted.Le Bel Inconnu vv. 82–89 The king sends out to discover the youth's name, but the youth cannot provide what he does not know, and he is given the nickname "Fair Unknown".
A maidservant named Helie (or Hélie) from Wales (Gales) then arrives at court, seeking a knight to take up an adventure to rescue her master, the Princess/Queen. The adventure is that of the Fearsome Kiss ().Le Bel Inconnu vv. 192, 3206, 4997, cf. index, "Fier Baissier" p. 408. No knight seems willing, when the youth requests that his promised boon be permission to accept this adventure. Arthur at first tries to dissuade, fearing it may be too dangerous, but relents after enlisting the youth as a knight of his court.Le Bel Inconnu vv. 184–227 Helie, however, is unhappy with the choice of an unproven knight, "the worst rather than best".Le Bel Inconnu vv. 228–232 In the Middle English version, the messenger named Elene (Elaine) also complains that a child has been assigned to the task.
Side adventures The Fair Unknown has a chance to prove himself in a number of adversarial encounters and adventures before arriving at the main quest in Wales. During the journey he is accompanied by Helie, her dwarf, and a squire named Robert who is assigned to him by the king.
In his first enemy encounter, Le Bel Inconnu defeats the knight Blioblïeris who defends the Perillous Ford (), after which he is challenged by Blioblïeris's two (or three) cronies, including "Willaume de Salebrant". The Libeaus Desconus sets the hero's first fight against William of Salebraunche at "Castle Adventurous upon the Vale Perilous" (or "Pont/Bridge Perilous").Libeaus Desconus, : (var. C., etc., v. 302) and "Upon þe point perilous" (var. pont I; bridge of perill P., vale C., v. 306).
Maiden Blanches Mains at Ile d'Or The most significant of the side-quests is his aiding The Maiden of the White Hands (),"Blances Mains, la Pucele as", in Old French, index, p. 406, glossed as "fairy mistress of Guniglain, lady of Ille d'Or. First so named at v. 1941. foiling the plans of her unwanted suitor Malgier le Gris ("Malgier the Grey")v. 2192 by defeating and killing him.: "The most important of these is the defeat of Malgier le Gris,..", etc. The victory earns him the title to this kingdom and a claim to wed the Maid himself, and they are enamored of each other.vv. 2204ff Le Bel Inconnu overspends his time here in leisurely amorous idleness (recreantise), but leaves abruptly upon remembering his main quest/adventure, to complete his obligation to the Welsh princess.
The Maiden of the White Hands is also called at one point "Lady of the White Hands" (),v. 319. whom he had succored earlier. She is also referred to as a veritable "Fay" or "Fairy" of Ile d'Or by commentators as she was an enchantress manifesting magical powers.: "the use of magic has transformed her into a veritable fay" After completing his main quest, he will have a chance to revisit the Pucelle to apologise for his abrupt departure after their initial acquaintance, and she will then reveal she had been aiding him all along using her magical powers.
Serpent's kiss Arriving in Wales, Bel Inconnu accomplishes the "Fearsome Kiss" () namely, the ordeal of breaking an evil enchanter's spell by exchanging a "kiss" with a serpent and causing it to transform back into a woman's form. This dispelling of the snake-woman's curse is common to the BI and the LD, and also occurs in (the second cantare of) Carduino., to p. xviii., endnote to LD v. 2083.
In Le Bel Inconnu, the serpent or rather guivre (cog. wyvern) draws near and kisses him. The enchanted and transformed woman introduces herself as Blonde Esmerée of Gales (Wales), claiming to be the acknowledged queen () of Wales, whose [capital] city is Snowdon.Blonde Esmeree, Le Bel Inconnu v. 3233, and after. She is glossed as "queen of Galesin the index (). Text: "acknowledged queen" (), Snowdon () in vv. 3385–8. In the beginning, Blonde Esmeree is not named but referred to as "daughter of King Guingras" (v. 177) by the messenger Helie (v. 197). In the LD, she is the Lady of Snowdon, given in text as the Queen of Sinadoune (var. Lady of Synadowne),Libeaus Disconus, v. 1512, , "Of Sinadoune þe quene" and footnoted variants: S.]..doune I, Lady of Synadowne AP. who had been transformed by two magicians into the shape of a serpent with a woman's face.Libeaus Disconus, vv. 2095–2096: "", , or rather a dragon (winged worm) which also approached and kissed Libeaus, "", vv. 2113–2115 In Carduino, the chained serpent becomes the beautiful Beatrice upon a kiss.
Revelation In Le Bel Inconnu, the accomplishment of the "Fearsome Kiss" is followed by a revelation in the form of a voice in his head which told him his baptismal name was Guinglain, his mother was Blanchemal the Fay, and his father Gawain. 'v. 3237), etc., cf. Le Bel Inconnu vv. 3205–3243, and after, Although the hero begins by addressing "Dear God",v. 3205 the hero's amour, Lady of the White Hands, or the Fairy of the Ile d'Or (cf. ), later reveals it was actually her own voice that informed him of his name, after he despatched the enchanter Mabon (cf. )., citing , vv. 4903–4910, at . This corresponds to Le Bel Inconnu vv. 4995–5002, in : "the voice you heard,/and which told you your name.. was none other than my own". Also : "he learns that it was her voice that proclaimed his identity", etc.
Messenger and enchanters The names of the female messengers and the enchanters imprisoning the ladies are similar in the Old French and Middle English versions. The acceptance of the ordeal of the "Fearsome Kiss" is beseeched at the beginning of the tale by a female messenger arriving at Arthur's court, namely Hélie, the lady-in-waiting serving the princess Blonde Esmerée in the BI.Le Bel Inconnu vv.189–198 and preceding passages The female messenger is named Elene in the LD, and in both works she is accompanied by a dwarf.
There are two men with power to cast and remove the serpent enchantment; in the BI, an elder brother named Mabon (),Le Bel Inconnu vv. 3347 and preceding. and the younger, a knight named Evrain the Cruel ().Le Bel Inconnu vv. 3368. In the LD, the captors are named Mabon and Irain.
Wedding of Bel Inconnu When the Bel Inconnu rescues the princess and out of gratitude, she offers herself to him in marriage. However, had already been proposed marriage by the Maiden of the White Hands.: "Guinglain is faced with the dilemma of choosing between two offers of marriage"
The Bel Inconnu is having his reunion with the Pucelle à Blanches Mains when King Arthur holds a tournament with the intent to lure Gingalain back to court—and to steer his decision of marriage more towards the newly crowned Queen of Wales. In joining the tournament, Gingalain would have to forfeit his love for Pucelle and never see her again. He decides to join the tournament regardless of the sacrifices he would have to make. Pucelle altruistically offers to aid him with her powers; she transports him out of her castle with a horse, a squire, and armour to be able to join the tournament.Sturm, Sara. The "Bel Inconnu's" Enchantress and the Intent of Renaut de Beaujeu. The French Review. 1971 This magical send-off by the Blanches Mains is regarded by Bel Inconnu to be a gesture of final break-up and rejection, and he winds up marrying the Blonde Esmeree, as was arranged for him to do.
Dilemma or no Although both women are enamored with the hero, the Fair Unknown's heart lies with the Blanches Mains and he is only tepidly interested in the Blonde Esmerée. But circumstances conspire otherwise. The Fair Unknown, having abruptly left the Blanches Mains's company to tackle his main quest rescuing the Blond Esmerée, is later reunited with the Blanches Mains and is forgiven; but when the Blanches Mains helps him with her magic to attend Arthur's tournament (cf. ), he interprets this as her jilting him, and accepts Arthur's design to keep him at his court, relenting to his matchmaking with Esmerée the Queen of Gales as wife. Yet the readership's expectation to grant Fair Unknown his requited love for the enchantress is addressed by the poet in the very end, in a tantalizing and frustrating manner, for he quips that he would be willing to compose such a sequel, if only his Fair Lady were to grant him with a "favorable glance ()". This "naughty ending" has disappointed modern critics, who even accused him of flippancy on a sober romantic theme.