Medieval Welsh Tales as Adaptations: The Case of Iarlles y Ffynnon

CORDO RUSSO, LUCIANA

Cardiff, Wales

Seminario; Research Seminar; 2012

School of Welsh, Cardiff University

Iarlles y Ffynnon is one of the Arthurian Welsh tales in the Mabinogion, known as "Y Tair Rhamant" or "The Three Welsh Romances". There is a French parallel story to this tale, as well as to Peredur and Gereint, composed by Chrétien de Troyes in the second half of the twelfth century. The nature of the relationship between them has been a matter of contention for many years and it is not really within the scope of this presentation to review them thoroughly. However, it is also impossible to avoid even a brief account of them insofar it is relevant for the present discussion. We will then compare both tales from the standpoint of narratology and then we will inquire into the traces of French-influenced elements in Medieval Wales. We will also study French-influenced elements in Iarlles y Ffynnon, such as the presence of courtly love, courtesy, and feminine atmosphere, amongst others. We will propose several possible theoretical frameworks from where to consider the especific process of transposition that is being studied. We will examine conceptualizations of medieval translation as they appear in Medieval Welsh texts (not necessarily in Middle Welsh). The study suggests that Iarlles y Ffynon is not a translation of Le chevalier au lion nor is it a free retelling. Many things were left out because they did not agree with Welsh taste or they were not relevant for a Welsh audience. It is therefore amazing to find strikingly similar details such as the ones examined. We think that we can distinguish a set of features characteristic of this kind of adaptations.