Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/217

 The Legend of the Holy Grail. 205

cevelle learns from knights, whom he takes for gods, that he may obtain knighthood from Arthur. His mother, grieved at first, con- sents, and gives him counsels, namely, to be " of measure " (to be reasonable), and to greet a knight, whom he is to know by the minever in his dress. Percevelle finds a maid, whom he kisses, and with whom he changes rings ; in order to be " of measure," he measures out the food he finds. He rides rudely into the hall of Arthur, who perceives the family likeness ; he slays with his dart the Red Knight, who has stolen a cup from the king's board (thus unconsciously avenging his father). Being unable to strip the corpse, he is assisted by one of the household (here Gawain), and sends back the cup, but refuses to return to court.

III. He meets the mother of the Red Knight, a witch, who mis- takes the youth for her son, whose wounds she declares her ability to heal ; Percevelle casts her into the fire he had kindled.

IV. He sees a horseman dressed in minever, whom he therefore, according to his mother's advice, desires to greet ; but this rider, recognizing only the arms of the Red Knight, flies, until Percevelle overtakes him, and informs him of the death of the latter.

V. While the hero is at the house of this (unrecognized) uncle, a messenger arrives from the Maiden's Land, desiring aid for Queen Lufamour, who is besieged by the sultan Gollerotherame. Perce- velle resorts thither, and defeats the men of the oppressor. King Arthur comes up, and Gawain and Percevelle engage in an encoun- ter, ended by the former recognizing " the fool of the field." In a single combat, the hero slays the sultan. In this engagement we have a curious trait : the simple youth, who is still ignorant of the use of the sword, does not know how to kill his overthrown anta- gonist, until Gawain bids him dismount from his horse ; as Percevelle has hitherto heard these animals described only as mares, he is puz- zled, and falls into an untimely philological revery, which comes near being fatal. His steed swerves and saves him, the sultan is killed, and Percevelle weds Lufamour.

VI. After a year, Percevelle thinks it necessary to go in search of his mother. In the wood he meets the lady with whom he had changed rings, and reconciles her to her incensed lover, the Black Knight, an old enemy of his father : he returns the stolen ring, and wishes to obtain once more that given in exchange, his mother's present, but the latter has passed into the hands of a giant, whom Percevelle kills ; he learns from the porter that the giant had been a suitor of his mother, who had become distraught at the sight of her son's ring as a probable evidence of Percevelle's death. He therefore resumes his goatskin dress and resorts to the forest, where he is able to find his mother, whom he restores by a magic draught.

�� �