Brocéliande
Encyclopedia
Roman de Rou
Roman de Rou is a verse chronicle by Wace in Norman covering the history of the Dukes of Normandy from the time of Rollo of Normandy to the battle of Tinchebray in 1106...
, a verse chronicle written by Wace
Wace
Wace was a Norman poet, who was born in Jersey and brought up in mainland Normandy , ending his career as Canon of Bayeux.-Life:...
.
Brocéliande is a notable place of legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
because of its uncertain location, unusual weather, and its ties with Arthurian Romance
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, most notably a magical fountain and the tomb of the legendary figure Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
.
Location
Early source works provide unclear or conflicting information on the exact location of Brocéliande; different hypotheses exist to locate Brocéliande on the map.- According to Wace, Brocéliande is in BrittanyBrittanyBrittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. In modern times, Brocéliande is most commonly considered to be Paimpont forestPaimpont forestPaimpont forest, sometimes said to be the Arthurian Brocéliande, is in the French commune of Paimpont, near the city of Rennes in Brittany. As Brocéliande it had a reputation in the Medieval imagination as a place of magic and mystery...
in Brittany. - Some scholars think that Brocéliande is a mythological place and has never existed.
- Jean MarkaleJean MarkaleJean Bertrand' directs here. You may have been looking for the Haitian politician Jean-Bertrand Aristide.Jean Markale was the pen name of Jean Bertrand, a French writer, poet, radio show host, lecturer and high school French teacher who lived in Brittany.He published numerous books about Celtic...
notes that while the forest itself is legendary, it is part of the "remainder of the immense forest that covered the entire center of Brittany until the High Middle Ages." He goes on to point out that the notion of a magical forest in France has its roots in the writings of LucanLucanLucan is the common English name of the Roman poet Marcus Annaeus Lucanus.Lucan may also refer to:-People:*Arthur Lucan , English actor*Sir Lucan the Butler, Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend...
who describes a numinous, magical forest full of ominous happenings in Gaul.
Medieval historical accounts
First mention:- Brocéliande is a land of peoples with many legends according to the Roman de Rou, which covers the history of the Dukes of NormandyDuchy of NormandyThe Duchy of Normandy stems from various Danish, Norwegian, Hiberno-Norse, Orkney Viking and Anglo-Danish invasions of France in the 9th century...
from the time of Rollo of NormandyRollo of NormandyRollo , baptised Robert and so sometimes numbered Robert I to distinguish him from his descendants, was a Norse nobleman of Norwegian or Danish descent and founder and first ruler of the Viking principality in what soon became known as Normandy...
to the battle of TinchebrayBattle of TinchebrayThe Battle of Tinchebray was fought 28 September 1106, in the town of Tinchebray , Normandy, between an invading force led by Henry I of England, and his older brother Robert Curthose, the Duke of Normandy...
. Wace numbers the BretonsBreton peopleThe Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
from Brocéliande, about whom there are many legends, along with the Breton knights: "ceux de Brecheliant (sic) dont les Bretons disent maintes légendes..." Wace also gives the name of the fountain of BarentonBarentonBarenton is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in north-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Manche department*Parc naturel régional Normandie-Maine...
: "La fontaine de Berenton/sort d'une part lez le perron..." Wace describes how hunters scoop water from the fountain and wet a stone in order to summon rain. He also mentions rumors of fairiesFairyA fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
and magic; he travels to Brittany in search of these marvels, but finds nothing notable.
Brocéliande is briefly mentioned in one historical text:
- in Bertran de BornBertran de BornBertran de Born was a baron from the Limousin in France, and one of the major Occitan troubadours of the twelfth century.-Life and works:...
's 1183 poem of dedicated to Geoffrey II, Duke of BrittanyGeoffrey II, Duke of BrittanyGeoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond was Duke of Brittany between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage with the heiress Constance. Geoffrey was the fourth son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine.-Family:He was a younger maternal half-brother of Marie de...
– the duke to whom Brocéliande belonged.
Brocéliande's unusual weather alone is noted in a handful of texts:
- in Giraldus Cambrensis's circa 1185 expeditionary account, Topographia Hibernica.
- in Alexandre NeckhamAlexander NeckamAlexander Neckam was an English scholar and teacher.-Biography:Born at St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, Neckam's mother, Hodierna, nursed the prince with her own son, who thus became Richard's foster-brother...
's circa 1195 work on nautical science, De naturis rerum. - in William the BretonWilliam the BretonWilliam the Breton , French chronicler and poet, was as his name indicates born in Brittany.He was educated at Nantes and at the University of Paris, afterwards becoming chaplain to the French king Philip Augustus, who employed him on diplomatic errands, and entrusted him with the education of his...
's circa 1215 poem Philippide.
Arthurian legend
Earliest appearances:- in the 1170s, Chrétien de TroyesChrétien de TroyesChrétien de Troyes was a French poet and trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. Perhaps he named himself Christian of Troyes in contrast to the illustrious Rashi, also of Troyes...
mentions the forest of Brocéliande in his Arthurian romance, Le Chevalier au lionYvain, the Knight of the LionYvain, the Knight with the Lion is a romance by Chrétien de Troyes. It was probably written in the 1170s simultaneously with Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, and includes several references to the action in that poem...
. While in Brocéliande, YvainYwainSir Ywain is a Knight of the Round Table and the son of King Urien in Arthurian legend...
pours water from a spring into a stone, causing a violent storm to erupt. This in turn summons the knight EscladosEscladosIn Arthurian Legend, Esclados was a knight who defended a magical fountain in the forest of Brocéliande. Esclados was subsequently slain by Ywain who then married his widow, Laudine. In Chretien's The Knight with the Lion, Esclados is referred to as "Esclados the Red"....
le Ros who defends the forest. - in JaufréJaufréJaufre is the only surviving Arthurian romance written in Occitan. Its main character is equivalent to Sir Griflet, a Knight of the Round Table known from other literature...
, the Arthurian romance of unknown authorship composed in CataloniaCataloniaCatalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, the forest of Brocéliande is near King Arthur's palacePalaceA palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
and the site of a mill where King Arthur battles a strange bull-like animal. The dating of Jaufré is debated and may have been written as early as 1183 or as late as 1225-1228. - in the late 12th or early 13th century, Robert de BoronRobert de BoronRobert de Boron was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries who is most notable as the author of the poems Joseph d'Arimathe and Merlin.-Work:...
associates the wizard Merlin with Brocéliande in his poem Merlin, also known as the Estoire de Merlin, or the Vulgate or Prose Merlin. - in the early 13th century, Brocéliande appears in context with archangelArchangelAn archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
s and Arthurian Knights in the medieval poet Huon de MéryHuon de MéryHuon de Méry was the author of Li Tournoiemenz Anticrit , a 3,546-line Old French poem written in octosyllables.-Life:...
's allegoricalAllegoryAllegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
poem Tournoiement Antecrist.
By the timeframe of 1230-1240, the forest of Brocéliande is established as part of Arthurian legend, having appeared in multiple writings.
Brocéliande continues to appear throughout the Arthurian canon, in works such as Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 19th century poem Idylls of the King
Idylls of the King
Idylls of the King, published between 1856 and 1885, is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love for Guinevere and her tragic betrayal of him, and the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom...
and 20th century works including Edwin Arlington Robinson
Edwin Arlington Robinson
Edwin Arlington Robinson was an American poet who won three Pulitzer Prizes for his work.- Biography :Robinson was born in Head Tide, Lincoln County, Maine, but his family moved to Gardiner, Maine, in 1870...
's 1917 poem Merlin and Alan Seeger
Alan Seeger
Alan Seeger was an American poet who fought and died in World War I serving in the French Foreign Legion. A statue to his memory and to...
's 1916 poem Brocéliande. Like many of the earlier Arthurian works, Brocéliande is the location where Vivien entraps Merlin inside an oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
tree.
Modern fiction
Brocéliande serves as the location of Robert HoldstockRobert Holdstock
Robert Paul Holdstock was an English novelist and author best known for his works of Celtic, Nordic, Gothic and Pictish fantasy literature, predominantly in the fantasy subgenre of mythic fiction....
's fantasy novel Merlin's Wood
Merlin's Wood
Merlin's Wood; or, The Vision of Magic is a short novel written by Robert Holdstock and was first published in the UK in 1994. The novel is considered part of the Mythago Wood cycle, but takes place in Brittany, France instead of Herefordshire, England...
.
It is mentioned repeatedly in Andre Norton
Andre Norton
Andre Alice Norton, née Alice Mary Norton was an American science fiction and fantasy author under the noms de plume Andre Norton, Andrew North and Allen Weston...
's Here Abide Monsters using the formula 'Avalon, Tara, Brocéliande, Carnac'.
The name was an inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional realm of Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
in Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
.
It appears in the movie Robin Hood
Robin Hood (2010 film)
Robin Hood is a 2010 British/American adventure film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett...
starring Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...
as the place where Robert Loxley is ambushed by the French.
Sarah Singleton
Sarah Singleton
Sarah Singleton is a British journalist and author of adult and young adult fiction. She was awarded the Booktrust Teenage Prize for her novel Century in 2005.-Biography:...
s book The Poison Garden features a magic garden called Broceliande.
External links
French studies concerning Brocéliande as a place:- Broceliande as Broualan near Dol, « Thèse Kerfontaine »
- Broceliande in the Maine, « Thèse Payen-Bertin »
- Broceliande as Paule, near Carhaix, «Thèse JC Even»http://marikavel.com/broceliande/broceliande.htm