Romance of Horn
Encyclopedia
Romance of Horn is an Anglo-Norman literature
romans d'aventure ("adventure story") tale written around 1170 by an author apparently named "Thomas".
The hero, named Horn, is the son of the king Aälof of Suddene (probably somewhere near Devon
). Horn is orphaned after the Saracens kill his parents. He and twelve companions then set sail in a boat only to end up on the shores of Brittany
, where he grows to manhood and falls in love with the king's daughter Rymenhild. There he defends the kingdom from invading Saracens, but the king banishes him to Ireland
after he is wrongfully accused of trying to usurp the throne. In Ireland, Horn again proves his heroism and is offered the hand of the king's daughter. Horn refuses it and after some time returns to Brittany to rescue and marry Rymenhild.
The story became the base for one of the earliest Middle English romances King Horn
, written around 1225.
Anglo-Norman literature
Anglo-Norman literature is literature composed in the Anglo-Norman language developed during the period 1066–1204 when the Duchy of Normandy and England were united in the Anglo-Norman realm.-Introduction:...
romans d'aventure ("adventure story") tale written around 1170 by an author apparently named "Thomas".
The hero, named Horn, is the son of the king Aälof of Suddene (probably somewhere near Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
). Horn is orphaned after the Saracens kill his parents. He and twelve companions then set sail in a boat only to end up on the shores of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany 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...
, where he grows to manhood and falls in love with the king's daughter Rymenhild. There he defends the kingdom from invading Saracens, but the king banishes him to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
after he is wrongfully accused of trying to usurp the throne. In Ireland, Horn again proves his heroism and is offered the hand of the king's daughter. Horn refuses it and after some time returns to Brittany to rescue and marry Rymenhild.
The story became the base for one of the earliest Middle English romances King Horn
King Horn (Romance)
King Horn is a Middle English chivalric romance dating back to the middle of the thirteenth century. It survives in three manuscripts: MS. Harleian 2253 at the British Museum, London; MS. Laud. Misc 108 at the Bodleian Library, Oxford; and MS. Gg. iv. 27. 2 at the Cambridge University Library. It...
, written around 1225.