Animal Crossings of Human Borders

Human–Animal Relationships in Three Lays by Marie de France

Abstract

This article examines a selection of border cross­ings carried out by animals in three of Marie de France’s lays. It will be argued that the animal characters perform acts of border crossing that introduce and highlight a non-traditional representation of the human–animal relationship. The examples encompass the speaking hind in ‘Guigemar’, whose anthropomorphised representation destabilises the human–animal border; the weasel in ‘Eliduc’, which revives its mate and crosses the boundary of life and death; and the messenger swan in ‘Milun’, which disregards man-made (physical) borders and, as a pet, occupies an intriguing position on the human–animal spectrum. Besides their implied subversive potential, the three acts of border crossing also raise questions of agency, self-awareness, emotional capacity, and rational thought. Drawing on these concepts of animal studies, I aim to analyse the animals’ representations and to contextualise them in the philosophical, scientific, and cultural environment of the 12th century.