Martyrium und „lignage“-Konstruktion in der ‚Naissance du chevalier au cygne‘ (‚Elioxe‘)

Abstract

The ‘Naissance du chevalier au cygne’ is part of the ‘Premier cycle de la croisade’, a cycle of chansons de croisade that narrates the birth of the ancestors of Godefroy de Boulogne and the resulting death of their mother. In the portrayal of this moment of simultaneous birth and death, it is important to accentuate that the mother is presented as a martyr. As a consequence of the indeterminate and ambivalent depiction of the character, the birth of the seven children who later transform into swans is considered the absolute point of commencement for the genealogical line from which the cycle’s action proceeds. With respect to the crucial significance genealogical models provide for the chanson de geste, general narrative concepts can be discerned on the basis of the ‘Naissance du chevalier au cygne’, facilitating a modified perspective to the cycle as a whole. For example, illustrating martyrdom as a narrative paradigm subsequently suggests various consequences for the other chansons de croisade.