Sir Gingalain (Guinglain, Gingalin, etc.), also known as Le Bel Inconnu, or The Fair Unknown, is a character from Arthurian legend whose exploits are recorded in numerous versions of a popular medieval romance. His nickname differs depending on the version and language; he is known in the English as Libeaus Desconus. The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of the British Isles, centering around King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
The basic outline of the romance is always the same. Gingalain is the son of Sir Gawain by a fay he meets in the forest, but his mother never tells him about his lineage. He realises he wishes to be a knight and travels to King Arthur's court; after he is knighted as Le Bel Inconnu, a messenger comes in requesting aid for her queen who is under siege by powerful magicians. Le Bel Inconnu asks for the quest and accompanies the messenger, along the way he faces numerous adventures and discovers that Gawain is his father. He eventually rescues and marries the queen. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight In Arthurian legend, Sir Gawain (Gawan, Gauvain, Walewein etc. ... by Sophie Anderson A fairy, or faery, is a creature from stories and mythology, often portrayed in art and literature as a minuscule humanoid with wings. ... King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain, where he appears as the ideal of kingship in both war and peace. ...
The Fair Unknown motif was very popular in medieval romance; Gingalain's story is clearly related to (if not the direct source of) the tales of Sir Gareth, Le Cote Mal Taile, and especially Percival. Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthurs legendary Knights of the Round Table. ...
External links
Jessie Weston's translation of Sir Libeaus Desconus
He is a friend to young knights, a defender of the poor, and a consummate ladies' man. His strength waxes and wanes with the sun: his might triples by noon, but fades as the sun sets.
He is credited with at least three children: Florence, Lovell, and Gingalain, the last of which is also called Libeaus Desconus or LeBelInconnu, the Fair Unknown.
He is the hero of one of the greatest works of Middle English literature, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, where he is portrayed as an excellent, but human, knight; other important EnglishGawain romances include The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle and The Awntyrs off Arthure (The Adventures of Arthur).
In LeBelInconnu, the potential of magical power to transform reality is extended to the audience as the creator/conveyor of the tale becomes a passive participant.
LeBelInconnu, attributed to Renaut de Bâgé, is a narrative of 6266 lines written in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century and extant in only one manuscript, Chantilly 472.
As in LeBelInconnu, she is associated with paradise, but here the connection is clearly deceptive; it seems to him that he is in paradise.
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