Guigemar is a lai written by Marie de France. It tells the story of a knight falling in love with the wife of a jealous man.
Characters[]
- Guigemar
- The lady
- Lord Mériaduc
- The lord
- The lady's maid
Plot[]
In the time that "Hoilas ruled the land" of Brittany, a knight named Guigemar (the son of baron Oridial) returns to his homeland from Flanders to visit his father and his lord. While hunting, he spots a pale deer and shoots it. He is hit by his own arrow and is cursed by the deer to be unable to cure the arrow wound without finding true love.
Stricken by his wound, Guigemar stumbles towards a gorgeous ship and lays in it as it drifts towards a land across the sea. Guigemar's ship is spotted by the wife of the lord of the land (who has imprisoned his wife in a tower due to his jealousy) and her maid after it lands in a nearby garden. Both think Guigemar to be dead until the lady feels his heartbeat. Guigemar explains his curse, and the lady agrees to help him.
After a sleepless night, Guigemar meets with the lady and the two reveal that they truly love each other. The two have an affair for a year before they are discovered by the lord after a chamberlain notices them. The lord initially wants to put Guigemar to death but instead exiles him from his land. Before Guigemar leaves, the lady ties a knot in his shirt and in her own belt as a sign of their true love.
Shortly after Guigemar returns to Brittany, the lady decides to drown herself but finds the ship and travels to Brittany. She is found by Lord Mériaduc, who takes her captive. Guigemar attends a tournament held by Lord Mériaduc and notices the lady in attendance. After making sure that it is her, the two rekindle their love but Mériaduc tries to keep the lady to himself. Due to this, Guigemar wages war with Mériaduc and reclaims his love.