Oberon, also Auberon, King of Shadows and Fairies, is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, written in the mid-1590s. He is Consort to Titania, Queen of the Fairies.^[1] by Sophie Anderson For other uses, see Fairy (disambiguation). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... King consort is a title given in some monarchies to the husband of a Queen regnant. ... Titania was the name of a character in William Shakespeares play A Midsummer Nights Dream. ...

The medieval concept of the character Oberon arose from a multitude of earlier sources.

Merovingian legend

Oberon's status as king of the elves comes from the character of Alberich (elbe "elves" reix, rex "king"), a sorcerer in the legendary history of the Merovingian dynasty. In the legend, he is the otherworldly "brother" of Merowech, whose name is the eponym of the Merovingians. Alberich wins for his eldest son Walbert the hand of a princess of Constantinople. In the Nibelungenlied, a Burgundian poem written around the turn of the 13th century, Alberich guards the treasure of the Nibelungen, but is overcome by Sigfrid. A small forest elf (älva) rescuing an egg, from Solägget (1932), by Elsa Beskow An elf is a creature of Germanic paganism which still survives in northern European folklore. ... Alberich was a legendary sorcerer originating in the mythos of the Frankish Merovingian Dynasty. ... John Dee and Edward Kelley evoking a spirit: Elizabethans who claimed magical knowledge A magician is a person skilled in the mysterious and hidden art of magic, which can be described as either the act of entertaining with tricks that are in apparent violation of natural law, such as those... There are other articles with similar names; see Merovingian (disambiguation). ... Merowig (fl. ... An eponym is the name of a person, whether real or fictitious, who has (or is thought to have) given rise to the name of a particular place, tribe, discovery, or other item. ... For other uses of the term Merovingian, see Merovingian (disambiguation). ... The term prince, from the Latin root princeps, is used for a member of the highest ranks of the aristocracy or the nobility. ... Map of Constantinople. ... The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. ... Burgundian is either of the following; An extinct language of the Germanic language group spoken by the Burgundians. ... German Nibelung and the corresponding Old Norse form Niflung (Niflungr) refers in most of the German texts and in all the Old Norse texts to the royal family or lineage of the Burgundians who settled at Worms. ... Sigurd sculpture in Bremen Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr, German: Siegfried) was a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga. ...

French heroic song

The name Oberon got its literary start in the first half of the 13th century from the fairy dwarf Oberon that helps the hero in the chanson de geste, titled Les Prouesses et faitz du noble Huon de Bordeaux. When Huon, son of Seguin count of Bordeaux, passed through the forest where he lives, he was warned against Oberon by a hermit, but his courtesy had him answer Oberon's greetings, and so gain his aid in his quest: having killed Charlot, the Emperor's son, in self-defense, Huon must visit the court of the amir of Babylon and perform various feats to win a pardon, and only with Oberon's aid does he succeed. The chansons de geste, Old French for songs of heroic deeds, are the epic poetry that appears at the dawn of French literature. ... Huon of Bordeaux is the title character of a 13th century French romance (chanson de geste). ... Enchanted Forest entrance The Enchanted Forest is a now-closed theme park in Ellicott City, Maryland, on U.S. Highway 40 near the intersection with Bethany Lane. ... Onuphrius lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the late 4th century A hermit (from the Greek erēmos, signifying desert, uninhabited, hence desert-dweller) is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion and/or isolation from society. ... This article is about the word, for other meanings see Quest (disambiguation) A quest is a journey towards a goal with great meaning and is used in mythology and literature as a plot device. ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... Emir (also sometimes rendered as Amir or Ameer, Arabic commander) is a title of nobility historically used in Islamic nations of the Middle East and North Africa. ... Babylon (in Arabic: بابل; in Syriac: ܒܒܙܠ in Hebrew:בבל) was an ancient city in Mesopotamia (modern Al Hillah, Iraq), the ruins of which can be found in present-day Babil Province, about 80km south of Baghdad. ...

This elf appears dwarfish in height, though very handsome; he explains that at his christening, an offended fairy cursed him to the height (the first wicked fairy godmother), but relented and as compensation gave him great beauty. As Alberich features as a dwarf in the Nibelungen, the dwarfish height was thus explained. ^[2] Carabosse as envisaged by Leon Bakst The wicked fairy godmother, a figure rare in fairy tales, is nevertheless among best-known figures from such tales, because of her appearance in one of the most widely known tales, Sleeping Beauty, and in the ballet derived from it. ...

The real Seguin was Count of Bordeaux under Louis the Pious in 839, and died fighting against the Normans in 845. Charles l'Enfant, a son of Charles the Bald, died in 866 of wounds inflicted by a certain Aubouin in the circumstances of an ambush similar to the Charlot of the story. Thus Oberon appears in a 13th century French courtly fantasy that is based on a shred of 9th century fact. He is given some Celtic trappings, such as a magical cup (similar to the Holy Grail) that is ever-full for the virtuous: "The magic cup supplied their evening meal; for such was its virtue that it afforded not only wine, but more solid fare when desired" according to Thomas Bulfinch. In this story he is said to be the child of Morgan le Fay and Julius Caesar. Louis the Pious, contemporary depiction from 826 as a miles Christi (soldier of Christ), with a poem of Rabanus Maurus overlaid. ... Norman conquests in red. ... Charles the Child (in the Latin of the Annales Bertiniani, Karolus puer) (c. ... Charles the Bald - Detail from a painting in the First Bible of Charles the Bald, painted ca. ... For historical artifacts associated with the cup of the Last Supper, see Holy Chalice. ... Thomas Bulfinch (July 15, 1796 - May 27, 1867) was an American writer, born in Newton, Massachusetts to a highly-educated but not rich Bostonian merchant family. ... Morgan le Fay, by Anthony Frederick Sandys (1829 - 1904), 1864 (Birmingham Art Gallery): A spell-brewing Morgaine distinctly of Tennysons generation Morgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgaine, Morgain, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress and sometime antagonist of King Arthur and Guinevere in the Arthurian legend. ... Gaius Julius Caesar [1] (Latin pronunciation ; English pronunciation ; July 12 or July 13, 100 BC or 102 BC – March 15, 44 BC), was a Roman military and political leader and one of the most influential men in world history. ...

A manuscript of the romance in the city of Turin contains a prologue to the story of Huon de Bordeaux in the shape of a separate romance of Auberon, and four sequels, and there are later French versions as well. “Torino” redirects here. ...

Shakespeare saw or heard of the French heroic song, through the ca 1540 translation of John Bourchier, Lord Berners, called Huon of Burdeuxe. In Philip Henslowe's diary there is a note of a performance of a play, Hewen of Burdocize, on December 28, 1593. Philip Henslowe (c 1550 - January 6, 1616) was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events May 18 - Playwright Thomas Kyds accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe. ...

Role in the Play A Midsummer Night's Dream

Oberon is the king of the fairies in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream who is feuding with Titania, the queen of the fairies. They are fighting over a baby that Oberon wants to raise as his henchman. Titania wants to keep the baby because he is the child of Titania's mortal friend who died, and Titania want's to raise the child for her friend. Because Oberon and Titania are powerful fairies, their arguments affect the weather. Titania describes what happens to nature when they argue saying, Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Titania was the name of a character in William Shakespeares play A Midsummer Nights Dream. ... Titania was the name of a character in William Shakespeares play A Midsummer Nights Dream. ...

Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,
As in revenge, have suck'd up from the sea
Contagious fogs; which falling in the land
Have every pelting river made so proud
That they have overborne their continents:
The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain,
The ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn
Hath rotted ere his youth attain'd a beard;
The fold stands empty in the drowned field,
And crows are fatted with the murrion flock;
The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud,
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green
For lack of tread are undistinguishable:
The human mortals want their winter here;
No night is now with hymn or carol blest:
Therefore the moon, the governess of floods,
Pale in her anger, washes all the air,
That rheumatic diseases do abound:
And thorough this distemperature we see
The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts
Far in the fresh lap of the crimson rose,
And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown
An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds
Is, as in mockery, set: the spring, the summer,
The childing autumn, angry winter, change
Their wonted liveries, and the mazed world,
By their increase, now knows not which is which:
And this same progeny of evils comes
From our debate, from our dissension;
We are their parents and original.
(Act 2, Scene 1)

Other historical references

Oberon is a character in The Scottish History of James IV, a play written ca. 1590 by Robert Greene. Robert Greene, BA, MA, (1558 – September 3, 1592) was an English playwright, poet, pamphleteer, and prose writer. ...

In 1610, Ben Jonson wrote a masque of Oberon, the Fairy Prince. It was performed by Henry Frederick Stuart, the Prince of Wales, at the English court on New Year's Day, 1611. For other persons of the same name, see Ben Johnson (disambiguation). ... Costume for a Knight, by Inigo Jones: the plumed helmet, the heroic torso in armour and other conventions were still employed for opera seria in the 18th century. ... For other people known as Henry, Prince of Wales see Henry, Prince of Wales (disambiguation) Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales ( February 19, 1594 - November 6, 1612) was the eldest son of King James VI of Scotland/ James I of England and Anne of Denmark. ...

Johann Wolfgang Goethe took the figures from Shakespeare's work to Faust I. Oberon is married to Titania, and the couple is celebrating its golden wedding anniversary in Faust I. Johann Wolfgang Goethe  , IPA: , later von Goethe, (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath: he was a poet, novelist, dramatist, humanist, scientist, theorist, painter, and for ten years chief minister of state for the duchy of Weimar. ... Front cover of Faust, Leipzig 1832 Johann Wolfgang von Goethes Faust is a tragic play and the best known version of the Faust story. ... Titania was the name of a character in William Shakespeares play A Midsummer Nights Dream. ... A wedding anniversary is an anniversary which falls on the month and day a particular wedding took place, and which recurs every subsequent year. ...

In 1826, Carl Maria von Weber's opera, Oberon (opera), (written after a poem by Christoph Martin Wieland) debuted at Covent Garden in London. Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst, Freiherr von Weber (November 18, 1786 in Eutin, Holstein – June 5, 1826 in London, England) was a German composer, conductor, pianist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school. ... Oberon, or The Elf Kings Oath is a romantic opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber to a English libretto by James Robinson Planche, after a poem by Christoph Martin Wieland. ... Christoph Martin Wieland (September 5, 1733 _ January 20, 1813), was a German poet and writer. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ...

Notably, the name Oberon was also chosen for the outermost natural satellite of the planet Uranus in 1847, as an homage to William Shakespeare and his literary character. Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Oberon (oe-bur-on) is the outermost of the major moons of the planet Uranus. ... Adjectives: Uranian Atmosphere Surface pressure: 120 kPa (at the cloud level) Composition: 83% Hydrogen 15% Helium 1. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Modern references

• Oberon, with Titania, provides the characters of A Midsummer Tempest, by Poul Anderson, with magical assistance.
• In 2000, the series Lexx portrayed Oberon in the episode 4.11: "A Midsummer's Nightmare".
• Oberon was also a guest character in an episode of Pokey the Penguin.
• In The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny, Oberon is the King of Amber and the father of all of the princes in the series.
• In the Warlock series of Christopher Stasheff, Oberon (alias Brom O'Berin) is the half-human King of Elves on the planet Gramarye, but poses as the Royal Fool to influence the human kingdom. He is also the father-in-law of the titular Warlock.
• In the middle-grade novel The Revenge of the Shadow King, by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis, Oberon appears in the title role of the all-powerful and malevolent king of the Land of Faerie.
• References to Oberon and Titania appear as two of the mortal names given to the King and Queen of Faerie in Raymond E. Feist's 1988 fantasy novel, Faerie Tale.
• Oberon is a character appearing in Disney's Gargoyles as the ruler of the mystical Avalon and "king" of the Third Race. Also seen in Gargoyles is the Shakespearean trickster Puck, and Oberon's queen Titania
• Oberon has appeared in the comic books Sandman, Hellboy, and The Books of Magic.
• Oberon, along with his wife Titania, appears in the Nickelodeon show Fairly OddParents, and in the video games.
• The sword Firebrand in the video game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's information is 'Fire sword of Oberon'
• Oberon has also appeared in the novel Magic Street by Orson Scott Card.
• In David A McIntee's 1999 Doctor Who novel Autumn Mist, Oberon, the King of the fairie-like Sidhe, takes his name from the Shakespearean character
• In the Playstation 2 title Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne by Atlus, one of the attainable demons is Oberon. The game states that his wife is Titania, and a curse set upon him at childhood has stunted his growth.
• King Auberon Quin is the elven monarch of London in G. K. Chesterton's novel, "The Napoleon of Notting Hill" (1904)
• In John Crowley's 1981 fantasy novel Little, Big, Auberon is the name of one of the principle characters, the son of Smokey Barnable and Daily Alice Drinkwater.
• Oberon is mentioned by name in the song "Hollow Hills" by Bauhaus. The song references burial mounds similar to the Barrow-downs in The Lord of the Rings.
• In the Double Edge series by Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis, Oberon is the High King of the Sidhe (elves), and the overall ruler of most things Underhill. It is hinted that he is actually Zeus.
• In the novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Oberon is mentioned as being the overlord of The Raven King John Uskglass' fairy kingdom.
• In the "I've Grown a Costume on Your Face" segment of The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror XVI", Martin dresses as Oberon for Halloween.
• Auberon is the King of the Seely Court in the role-playing game Castle Falkenstein.
• In Garry Kilworth's 1996 fantasy novel A Midsummer's Nightmare Oberon appears as king of the elves, which have to leave the sherwood forest in an old bus, to find a new home , their travel wakes up old fairy and magic folk, good and sinister ones, and as Titania falls in love with a human baby and steals /(borrows)it, their adventure becomes even more turbulent and funny.

A Midsummer Tempest is an alternate history fantasy novel by Poul Anderson. ... Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926–July 31, 2001) was an American science fiction author of the genres Golden Age. ... Lexx is a science fantasy TV series that follows the adventures of a group of mismatched individuals aboard the Lexx, the most powerful destructive force in the two universes from which the show takes its name. ... This Lexx episode begins with Stanley H. Tweedle & Kai transporting Zevs corpse to The Feast of Mograth in order to have her reanimated. ... Pokey the Penguin is a non sequitur, absurdist online comic strip, which began in 1998 and continues to be updated (albeit sporadically). ... Nine Princes in Amber The Chronicles of Amber is a popular fantasy series by Roger Zelazny. ... Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Cover The Revenge of the Shadow King is the first volume in the Grey Griffins Book series written by American authors Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis, published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. ... Derek Benz (left) and co-author, J.S. Lewis (right) Derek Benz (born October 27) is an American author of childrens fantasy. ... J.S. Lewis Jon Samuel Lewis (born May 15, 1972 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a fiction writer who writes under the pen name J.S. Lewis. ... Raymond Elias Feist (born 1945, Los Angeles, California) is an American author, mostly specialising in fantasy fiction. ... Walt Disney Television Animation is the animated television production division of The Walt Disney Company. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... In the fictional universe of the animated series Gargoyles, the name Oberons children is given to the so-called Third Race of beings (the other two being humans and gargoyles). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Puck (mythology). ... For other uses, see Titania (disambiguation). ... The Sandman was a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics for 75 issues from 1988 until 1996. ... Hellboy is a fictional Dark Horse Comics character created by Mike Mignola. ... Cover for the Italian edition of the series. ... For other uses, see Titania (disambiguation). ... Nickelodeon (more commonly called Nick for short) is an American cable television network that is owned by Viacom International. ... The Fairly OddParents is one of the most popular cartoons on Nickelodeon The Fairly OddParents is an animated series created by Butch Hartman and was first aired in March 30, 2001. ... This article is about computer and video games. ... The word Firebrand has several uses: A type of burnable wood Firebrand is the American name for Red Arremer, a character in Capcom video games. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ... Castlevania is a video game series, created and developed by Konami. ... Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (commonly abbreviated SotN) is an action-adventure game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the PlayStation in 1997. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... The PlayStation 2 , abbreviated PS2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ... Atlus is a Japanese computer and video game developer and publisher. ... Gilbert Keith Chesterton (May 29, 1874–June 14, 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. ... John Crowley (born December 1, 1942 in Presque Isle, Maine) is an American author of fantasy, science fiction and mainstream fiction. ... Little, Big: or, The Fairies Parliament is a modern fantasy novel by John Crowley, published in 1981. ... Bauhaus are an English Goth rock band, formed in Northampton in 1978. ... location of Barrow-downs in Middle-earth marked in red In J. R. R. Tolkiens legendarium, the Barrow-downs or Tyrn Gorthad were a series of low hills east of the Shire, behind the Old Forest, and west of the village of Bree. ... The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by the English academic J. R. R. Tolkien. ... Mercedes Lackey (born June 24, 1950) (also known as Misty Lackey) is a prolific American author of fantasy novels. ... The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in Ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th century engraving Zeus (in Greek: nominative: Zeús, genitive: Diós), is... Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is the award-winning debut novel by British writer Susanna Clarke. ... by Sophie Anderson For other uses, see Fairy (disambiguation). ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Treehouse of Horror XVI is the fourth episode of the seventeenth season of The Simpsons, as well as the sixteenth Halloween episode. ... Castle Falkenstein was an innovative steampunk-themed fantasy role-playing game designed by Mike Pondsmith and originally published by R. Talsorian Games. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with List of LEXX episodes. ...

References

Katharine Mary Briggs (November 8, 1898 – 1980) is the author of The Anatomy of Puck, the definitive 4-volume Dictionary of British Folk-Tales, and various other books on fairies and folklore. ...

External links

• Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911: "Huon de Bordeaux"
• Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911: "Oberon"