Lanval is an epic poem written by Marie de France in the Anglo-Norman era. The story follows a knight of King Arthur’s court, Lanval, who wanders off from court and finds himself wooed by an otherworldly, magical woman. When Lanval breaks a promise to her and faces persecution in his court, his Lady is the one that must come and save him. The significance of the tale is the apparent inversion of the expected gender stereotypes in the heroic tale.
The unnamed* magical lady establishes traditionally masculine control over other men in the poem through her beauty, choices, and confidence. Although Marie de France subjects the women in the poem to the usual focus on beauty, de France also pushes the boundaries of what femininity could be by making the magical woman the savior of Lanval.
Lanval’s introduction to the fae women begins when “he saw two girls approaching; never/ had he seen fairer women—ever!” (lines 55-56) come towards him while he sleeps near a brook. We soon learn that these ladies have come to get Lanval because their lady has taken an interest in him. The two women describe their “own demoiselle”—” as “so worthy, wise, and beautiful.” This is significant as the women describe their lady beyond the physical descriptions here, specifically adding worthy and wisdom—attributes usually given to male heroes of these Arthurian tales (71-72). Comparatively, when Lanval first meets her, he immediately described only her physical appearance: “Her body was so well-formed, so fair!…Her face, neck, and breast bare too, and white as hawthorn bloom, as delicate” (105-106). These differences highlight how the male perspective at the time was focused on the beauty of women for them to be interested in them.
The lady’s superior wealth also stands out and contrasts the expectations of a single woman’s finances: “No King exists beneath the sky/ who could afford all, possibly” (91-92). Wealth is also an attribute given to men because women could not own their own wealth during the era in which this lai was written. Looking at Anglo-Norman financial laws of coverture, married men and women are considered a singular financial entity. This meant that married women could not own their own property or work any jobs. Unmarried or widowed women, however, were considered “feme sole.” The “feme sole can legally own property and own her own wealth (Encyclopedia Britannica)
It is clear that his lady also holds all of the control in this relationship and had to be the one to invite Lanval to her when she sends her handmaidens to fetch him. She later highlights this sentiment when she invites him to her tent: “she called him forward… I left my lands to come where you are; To find you I have come so far!” (111-113) By telling Lanval this, the lady is making it know that it was her choice to leave her lands to meet Lanval, thereby highlighting her control over the situation.
Further demonstrating the control that this fae lady holds in the relationship, the lady in this story also required a promise or prohibition from the man of her choosing. In this case, the lady promises herself to Lanval unless he ever speaks of her to another person. Because of these rules, it is clear that the lady controls the relationship:
“’Friend,’ she said, ‘I admonish you—
command! Beseech! In all you do,
tell our secret to no one.
Here is my warning, all and sum.
Betray us, and you lose your lover;
I shall be lost to you forever.
(lines 143- 148)
Through this warning, the lady is testing Lanval’s worthiness and loyalty and retains the upper hand of control of the relationship.
In addition to the rules she has in place for Lanval on speaking of her, the lady also gives Lanval strict guidelines for when he may summon her. At first glance, the lady appears to be taking a traditional, submissive role as a woman by saying she will meet Lanval any time he chooses, these guidelines show that it is in fact the lady who controls this area as well. She tells him is must be in a private place with no one else around: “we shall be seen there by no other/ none hear the words we speak together” (169-170). Because Lanval can summon the lady when he wishes and is in a place that follows these guidelines, the readers can notice one of the lady’s magical powers—she can hear Lanval even when she is not near him, and can appear to his location. Along with her overwhelming beauty and wealth, she uses magic as a tactic to maintain her agency over the relationship. Even if she is not physically near, she can know when Lanval betrays her and breaks his promise.
The Magical Realm
Although the lady is able to retain control in a patriarchal world, Marie de France makes clear that she is only able to do this because of her magical powers. As the two fae women bring Lanval to their lady at the beginning of the poem, they tell him: “Now come along with us, do! / Safely we’ll conduct you through– /Not far–look, you can see her tent!” (72-75). By saying “through,” the speaker is suggesting that the ladies are taking Lanval through the veil of the world into the faery world. This is also paralleled when the unnamed faery woman takes Lanval back to Avalon at the very end of the poem after she has saved him from execution. Because of this explicit change into the magical realm, the reader more easily believes that this lady has such control over Lanval.
*In Celtic tradition, “one’s name is regarded as being in a very emphatic sense a part of one’s self, and as such it must be guarded with the greatest care lest it become known to an enemy, who may use it to the detriment of the owner” (Cross 622). This is likely why the lady remains unnamed, rather than because she is not important enough as a woman to have a name in the poem.
Works Cited:
Cross, Tom Peete. “The Celtic Elements in the Lays of Lanval and Graelent.” Modern Philology 12 (1914): 585-644.
France, Marie De. Lanval. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H.Abrams. New York: W.W.Norton & Company, Inc., 2000. 171-185.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Feme Sole.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 7 June 2017, https://www.britannica.com/topic/feme-sole.
For more reading see: Magic and Gender in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight