Vitae duorum Offarum
Encyclopedia
The Vitae duorum Offarum "The lives of the two Offas" is a literary history written in the mid-thirteenth century, apparently by the St Albans
monk Matthew Paris
.
, a fourth or fifth-century ancestor figure of the Mercians, and King Offa of Mercia
(r. 757-796), through whose lives the text recounts the foundation of St Albans Abbey: Offa of Angel made the vow to found a monastery, while several centuries later, his namesake Offa of Mercia executed this plan on discovering the relics of the British martyr king St Alban and built St Albans Abbey. Although some historical elements are interwoven into the story, Matthew had little reliable information to go on and much of the narrative is therefore fictitious.
Of particular interest is that it features the oldest surviving account of the "Constance" tale-type. The king of York tries to marry his daughter; when she refuses, she is abandoned in the woods, where Offa finds her, and he marries her, but later, when he is at war, through a forged letter, she is again abandoned in the woods with her children, and she, Offa, and the children are reunited many years later. This tale was particular popular in chivalric romance such as The Man of Law's Tale and Emaré
in England. Twenty variants are known, including those in French, Latin, German, and Spanish.
It has been suggested that it is related to the story of Offa and his queen in Beowulf
, but Beowulf does not contain sufficient information concerning her to identify her with this tale type; Drida is described as coming to him over water because of her father, but that could mean that she was sent by him, not that she fled him.
The story contains many fairy tale
s motifs: the heroine forced to flee an incestous marriage, such as The She-Bear
, Allerleirauh
, Donkeyskin
, and The King who Wished to Marry His Daughter
; a strange woman found by the king, who marries her, but who is then forced into exile with her children owning to substituted letters, such as The Girl Without Hands
and The Armless Maiden
; or a fairy tale featuring both elements, as in Penta of the Chopped-off Hands
.
Previously, Matthew Paris had written another, brief account of Offa of Mercia in his Latin copy of Vie de Saint Auban "The Life of St Alban" (verse), preserved in Trinity College Dublin, MS 177, which is also embellished with miniatures portraying selected episodes.
Selections may be found in:
Portions of the text, especially those dealing with Quendrida (Cynethryth
), are translated in:
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
monk Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris
Matthew Paris was a Benedictine monk, English chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts and cartographer, based at St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire...
.
Account
The text concerns two kings, King Offa of the AnglesOffa of Angel
Offa was the 4th-great-grandfather of Creoda of Mercia, and was reputed to be a great-grandson of Woden, English god of war and poetry and creator of Middle-Earth, the realm of man. Offa was the son of Wermund, and the father of Angeltheow...
, a fourth or fifth-century ancestor figure of the Mercians, and King Offa of Mercia
Offa of Mercia
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...
(r. 757-796), through whose lives the text recounts the foundation of St Albans Abbey: Offa of Angel made the vow to found a monastery, while several centuries later, his namesake Offa of Mercia executed this plan on discovering the relics of the British martyr king St Alban and built St Albans Abbey. Although some historical elements are interwoven into the story, Matthew had little reliable information to go on and much of the narrative is therefore fictitious.
Of particular interest is that it features the oldest surviving account of the "Constance" tale-type. The king of York tries to marry his daughter; when she refuses, she is abandoned in the woods, where Offa finds her, and he marries her, but later, when he is at war, through a forged letter, she is again abandoned in the woods with her children, and she, Offa, and the children are reunited many years later. This tale was particular popular in chivalric romance such as The Man of Law's Tale and Emaré
Emaré
Emaré is a middle English Breton lai, a form of Mediaeval Romance poem, told in 1035 lines. The author of Emaré is unknown and exists in only one manuscript, the Cotton Caligula A. ii, which contains ten metrical narratives. Emaré seems to date from the late fourteenth century, possibly written in...
in England. Twenty variants are known, including those in French, Latin, German, and Spanish.
It has been suggested that it is related to the story of Offa and his queen in Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
, but Beowulf does not contain sufficient information concerning her to identify her with this tale type; Drida is described as coming to him over water because of her father, but that could mean that she was sent by him, not that she fled him.
The story contains many fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
s motifs: the heroine forced to flee an incestous marriage, such as The She-Bear
The She-Bear
"The She-bear" is an Italian literary fairy tale, written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone.Ruth Manning-Sanders included it in A Book of Princes and Princesses....
, Allerleirauh
Allerleirauh
Allerleirauh is a fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. Since the second edition published in 1819, it has been recorded as Tale no. 65. Andrew Lang included it in The Green Fairy Book....
, Donkeyskin
Donkeyskin
Donkeyskin is a French fairy tale told by Charles Perrault.Andrew Lang included it, somewhat euphemized, in The Grey Fairy Book.It is Aarne-Thompson folktale type 510B, unnatural love...
, and The King who Wished to Marry His Daughter
The King who Wished to Marry His Daughter
"The King Who Wished to Marry His Daughter" is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands, listing his informant as Ann Darroch from Islay.It is Aarne-Thompson type 510B, unnatural love...
; a strange woman found by the king, who marries her, but who is then forced into exile with her children owning to substituted letters, such as The Girl Without Hands
The Girl Without Hands
The Girl Without Hands or The Handless Maiden or The Girl With Silver Hands or The Armless Maiden is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 31. It is Aarne-Thompson type 706.-Synopsis:...
and The Armless Maiden
The Armless Maiden
The Armless Maiden is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki.It is Aarne-Thompson type 706, the girl without hands...
; or a fairy tale featuring both elements, as in Penta of the Chopped-off Hands
Penta of the Chopped-off Hands
Penta of the Chopped-off Hands or The Girl With the Maimed Hands is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone....
.
Manuscripts
The text is preserved in two manuscripts:- The Liber additamentorum, BLBritish LibraryThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
CottonCotton libraryThe Cotton or Cottonian library was collected privately by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton M.P. , an antiquarian and bibliophile, and was the basis of the British Library...
MS Nero D I, where it is accompanied by miniatures made both by Matthew Paris and by a fourteenth-century hand, and - MS Add. 62777 (BLBritish LibraryThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, London), a copy of the former.
Previously, Matthew Paris had written another, brief account of Offa of Mercia in his Latin copy of Vie de Saint Auban "The Life of St Alban" (verse), preserved in Trinity College Dublin, MS 177, which is also embellished with miniatures portraying selected episodes.
Edition and translation
- William Wats (ed.). "Vitae duorum Offarum sive Offanorum Merciorum regum, coenobii Sancti Albani fundatorum." In idem, Matthaei Paris Chronica Maior. London, 1684. 961-8 (Offa of Angeln), 969-88 (Offa of Mercia).
- Michael SwantonMichael SwantonMichael James Swanton is a British literary critic, translator, archaeologist and historian specializing in Old English literature and the Anglo-Saxon period....
(ed.). The Lives of Two Offas: Vitae Offarum Duorum, Introduced, Translated and Edited. Crediton: The Medieval Press, 2010.
Selections may be found in:
-
- R. W. Chambers and C. L. Wrenn (supplement). Beowulf: an Introduction. 3d ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1959. 36-40, 229-35, 238-43.
- F. J. Furnivall and E. Brock (eds. and trs.). Originals and Analogues of Some of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. London, Chaucer Society, 1872. Part I, pp. 73–84. Vita Offae Primi, the Life of Offa of Angel (suggested as analogue to the "Man of Law's Tale").
Portions of the text, especially those dealing with Quendrida (Cynethryth
Cynethryth
Cynethryth was the wife of Offa of Mercia and mother of Ecgfrith of Mercia. Cynethryth is the only Anglo-Saxon Queen consort in whose name coinage was definitely issued.-Origins and marriage:...
), are translated in:
- Fulk, Robert D. "The Name of Offa's Queen: Beowulf 1931–2." Anglia: Zeitschrift für englische Philologie 122.4 (2004): 614–39, appendix at 631-9.
Secondary literature
- Rickert, Edith. "The Old English Offa Saga." Modern PhilologyModern PhilologyModern Philology is a literary journal that was established in 1903. It publishes scholarly articles on literature, literary scholarship, history, and criticism in all modern world languages and book reviews of recent books as well as review articles and research on archival documents. It is...
2 (1904-5): 29-77 (part 1), 321-76 (part 2). PDF available from Internet Archive - Shippey, Tom. "Wicked Queens and Cousin Strategies in Beowulf and Elsewhere." Heroic Age 5 (2001). Available online
- Grüner, Hans. Matthei Parisiensis Vitae duorum Offarum (saec. XIII med.) in ihrer Manuskript und Textgeschichte. Munich, 1907.
- Grüner, Hans. Die Riganus-Schlacht in den Vitae duorum Offarum des Mathaeus Parisiensis (saec. XIII): ein Beitrag zur Bibel- und Legendenkunde des Mittelalters wie zur Geschichte der altenglichen Heldensage. Hamburg, 1914.
- Hahn, C. "The Limits of Text and Image? Matthew Paris's final project, the Vitae duorum Offarum, as a historical romance." In Excavating the Medieval Image. Manuscripts, artists, audiences. Essays In Honor Of Sandra Hindman, ed. David S. Areford and Nina A. Rowe. Aldershot, 2004. 37-58. ISBN 9780754631439
- Luard, Henry Richard (ed.). Matthei Parisiensis, monachi Sancti Albani, Chronica Majora. Rerum britannicarum medii aevi scriptores 57. 7 vols: vol 6. London, 1872-1883. pp. 1–8.
- Rigg, A.G. A History of Anglo-Latin Literature. 1066-1422. Cambridge, 1992. p. 198.
- Vaughan, R. Chronicles of Matthew Paris: Monastic Life in the Thirteenth Century. Gloucester et al., 1986.
- Vaughan, R. Matthew Paris. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought 6. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1958.
External links
- British Library: images from the manuscript:
- f. 2r (Riganus trying to persuade King Waermund to abdicate)
- f. 3r (Preparation of Offa for battle)
- f. 3v (Offa and his men in battle)
- f. 4v (The burial and mourning of the dead)
- f. 5v (King Offa succeeds King Waermund, 14th century)
- f. 6r King Offa meets his bride in the woods and marries her
- f. 7r (battle scene, 14th century)
- f. 8r
- f. 18r
- f. 22r (The shrine of St. Alban carried in procession)
- f. 25r (King Offa as founder of St Albans Abbey)
- f. 32v (Offa directing the construction of St. Albans Abbey)
- Image of Wærmund