Yvain, the Knight of the Lion (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Yvain, the Knight of the Lion (French: Yvain, le Chevalier au Lion) is a romance by Chrtien 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. The main character, Yvain, is derived from the historical Owain mab Urien. In the poem, Yvain seeks to avenge his cousin Calogrenant who had been defeated by an otherworldly knight beside a magical storm-making stone in the forest of Brocliande. Yvain defeats this knight, Esclados, and falls in love with his widow Laudine. With the aid of Laudine's servant Lunete, Yvain wins his lady and marries her, but Gawain convinces him to embark on chivalric adventure. His wife assents but demands he return after a set period of time of one year, but he becomes so enthralled in his knightly exploits that he forgets his lady, and she bars him from returning. Yvain goes mad with grief, but is cured by a noblewoman and decides to rediscover himself and perhaps a way to win back his wife.