Latin Arthurian Literature

Parallel text and translation of Arthurian romances in Latin.

Latin is the language not only of numerous Arthurian chronicles - including the most important of all, Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britannie - but also of a small number of important but largely neglected romancesconcerning Arthur and his knights. Several of these romances clearly take their inspiration from the chronicle tradition, and their authors sometimes join romance adventures with actual events and characters (such as Henry II) inorder to give the appearance of history to Arthurian fiction. Ranging in date from the late twelfth to the fourteenth century, these romances include De ortu Waluuanii (in which Gawain defeats the Persian champion for thepeace of Jerusalem), Historia Meriadoci, Arthur and Gorlagon, and Draco Normannicus. These four texts are presented here in facing text and translation, and accompanied by a thorough introduction and extensive notes.