«Paris et Vienne» and its Swedish translation

ABSTRACT: The French romance Paris et Vienne was translated into a great number of languages in the Middle Ages. The Swedish translation Riddar Paris och Jungfru Vienna from the sixteenth century only comprises the opening of the tale and is no more than 208 lines long. It is preserved in the manuscript Stockholm, Kungliga biblioteket, D 2, which is also known as Spegelbergs bok, a manuscript that contains texts of different genres. This article discusses some features of the Swedish text and context. First, in relation to the writing of the Swedish translation, it examines the manuscript’s context and the role of Sweden’s last Roman Catholic bishop, Hans Brask, as well as his secretary, Hans Spegelberg. Then, it analyses the links between the Swedish fragment, on the one hand, and the French romance and its translations into English and Low German, on the other hand (the Low German translation was most likely the Swedish translator’s direct source). The article takes special notice of the prologue to the Swedish text and its use of the notion höffuisk kerlech, or ‘courtly love’.KEYWORDS: Paris et Vienne – Riddar Paris och Jungfru Vienna – Roman idyllique – Medieval translation – Courtly lov

Les objets miroirs du récit dans la tradition européenne des aventures de Floire et de Blanchefleur

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The Courtly Knight Meets Medieval Sweden : From Le Chevalier au lion to Herr Ivan

This dissertation investigates the links between Chrétien de Troyes’ romance Le Chevalier au lion from the late twelfth century and the Old Swedish text Herr Ivan, written at the behest of Queen Eufemia of Norway at the beginning of the fourteenth century. The study has two parts. The first sets out to determine the sources of the Swedish text: Was Le Chevalier au lion really the source text of Herr Ivan? The second part raises the question of what happened to the courtly ideals that characterize the French romance when they were transferred into Swedish. The analysis of the question concerning the sources of Herr Ivan confirms that Le Chevalier au lion was the translator’s main source, while the Old Norse version Ívens saga, from the middle of the thirteenth century, was used as a secondary source. The relationship between Le Chevalier au lion, Ívens saga and Herr Ivan is examined through a comparison of the three texts: the choice of verse or prose, the role of prologues and epilogues, and the use of the voice of a narrator and of direct and indirect discourse. Four specific passages are compared at a micro-level. By comparing Herr Ivan to its sources, it becomes clear that the Swedish translator wanted to stress certain courtly ideals by presenting a distinct and coherent interpretation of what Chrétien de Troyes refers to as courtoisie. This indicates that the function of the text was to present a set of ideological and aesthetic values. The analysis of the transmission of courtly ideals takes its point of departure in the uses of the French word courtois and the Swedish equivalent hövisker. As a next step, three elements intimately linked to courtliness are examined: aventure, gaieté and honneur. Also the different roles played by the lion are highlighted. Finally, it is shown how the courtly ideals of Herr Ivan can be read in the light of the other Old Swedish texts written at the behest of Queen Eufemia: Hertig Fredrik av Normandie and Flores och Blanzeflor

Ekosystemtjänster i samhällsbyggnadsprocessen : En kartläggning över hur Sveriges kommuner arbetar med ekosystemtjänster i urbana miljöer

I Sverige är 85 % av befolkningen bosatt i städer och urbaniseringen har resulterat i förändrad markanvändning, vilket sätter press på naturens ekosystem. Ekosystemen skänker tjänster som luftrening, pollinering och naturupplevelser vilka är nödvändiga för människans välfärd. För att inte ekosystemtjänsterna ska förloras behöver den som planerar stadsbebyggelse ta hänsyn till naturens värden. Miljökvalitetsmålen och Agenda 2030 är mål som Sverige antagit för att säkerställa hållbara städer och biologisk mångfald, men trots politiska mål krävs det betydande arbetsinsatser från kommunerna för att lyckas implementera ekosystemtjänster i samhällsbyggnadsprocessen. Genom enkätundersökning och intervjuer kartlagdes aktiviteten över hur Sveriges kommuner arbetade med ekosystemtjänster, samt deras erfarenheter. Resultatet visade att kommunerna arbetade med ekosystemtjänster i varierad skala. Majoriteten arbetade med frågan lite grann, men var osäkra på hur de skulle arbeta systematiskt. Respondenterna bedömde sig ha stor kännedom om begreppet, men upplevde brist på förståelse hos politiker och tjänstemän. Majoriteten av kommunerna hade framtida planer på att implementera ekosystemtjänster i samhällsbyggnadsprocessen och var positiva till implementeringen, då den bidrog till bl.a. multifunktionella lösningar och hållbara städer. För att lyckas så bra som möjligt med implementeringen av ekosystemtjänster uppmuntras kommuner sprida kunskap bland olika grupper av tjänstemän, anpassa arbetsnivån efter organisationens förutsättningar samt systematiskt följa upp arbetsprocessen

To Omit or not to Omit a Character : Translating Le Chevalier au lion in the Nordic Countries

The opening scene of Chrétien de Troyes’ romance Le Chevalier au lion from the late twelfth century stages a quarrel caused by the knight Kay. In the Old Norse translation of the romance, Ívens saga, the character Kay has been omitted whereas he has been kept in the Old Swedish translation Herr Ivan. By comparing the passage with Kay in the French text with its Swedish translation, this paper argues that Kay’s presence in Herr Ivan plays a central role in the translation of courtly values. The fact that Kay was omitted in Ívens saga but not in Herr Ivan reflects the instability of medieval translations and their dependence on specific historical contexts

Bergman, une vision du Moyen Âge

Cet article propose une relecture de la pièce de théâtre Peinture sur bois d’Ingmar Bergman, jouée pour la première fois en 1954. Peinture sur bois marque la première rencontre sur scène entre Bergman et le Moyen Âge et fonctionne comme une pièce préparatoire au film Le Septième Sceau, apparu en 1956. Nous étudierons de quelle façon cette pièce fut reçue par la critique, en mettant en exergue la notion de « naïveté » à laquelle elle est régulièrement associée. Nous nous interrogerons également sur l’idée qu’elle « traduit », au sens large du terme, une peinture médiévale

Les objets miroirs du récit dans la tradition européenne des aventures de Floire et de Blanchefleur

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« Li chivalier se desportoient / Lai ou dames les apeloient. » Exemples de circulation des premiers vers d’Yvain ou le Chevalier au lion

This article discusses the first folio of the Lyon manuscript of La Chanson de Roland, in which the battle of Roncevaux is preceded by the first ten verses of Chrétien de Troyes’ Yvain ou le Chevalier au lion. These verses about King Arthur and his court function as an introduction to what follows and influence the reading of the chanson de geste. By comparing the opening of Chrétien’s romance to that of the German, Old Norse, Swedish and French renaissance adaptations of Le Chevalier au lion, we can see how Chrétien’s prologue changes from one context to another, while the need to refer to an authority remains unchanged. In the Nordic adaptations, Charlemagne is the starting point in the presentation of King Arthur, attesting the need to introduce Arthur to an audience that does not know him. In the Lyon manuscript it is the other way around: Arthur and his court are the starting point for a story about Charlemagne and his battles, adapting the chanson to new needs and expectations. In both cases, it is the king – Charlemagne or Arthur – who brings authority to the other king and to the texts themselves. In the Lyon manuscript, the picture of the court, in which stories are told, replaces the orality of the chanson de geste. Chrétien’s prologue, atypical of its author, is thus given a new role, that of a standard prologue

Floire et Blancheflor en Europe : anthologie, dir. Sofia Lodén et Vanessa Obry, Grenoble, UGA-Editions, "Moyen Âge Européen", 2022.

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« ’Li chivalier se desportoient / Lai ou dames les apeloient.’ Exemples de circulation des premiers vers d’Yvain ou le Chevalier au lion. », Atalaya, 12, 2011, en ligne <http://atalaya.revues.org/776>.

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