It was a typical knight’s tale
including the castle, status as a favorite of the king, the beautiful wife, all
followed by, of course, envy and slander.
Thus begins the story of Eliduc.
At first, the knight Eliduc garners your sympathy by being honorable,
brave, and an exemplary model to follow:
Eliduc serves faithfully, is in charge of the king’s territories, and is
also given royal favors because of his performance and service. After Eliduc is
slandered in his native France and dismissed by the king, Eliduc voluntarily
places himself in exile and travels to England to see if he can fare any better
there. Eliduc’s experiences in England
almost mirror what has occurred to him up until this point in France: invited to live in the castle, status as a
favorite of the king as well, the castle, and a beautiful young girl who falls
in love with him. Similar, but let us
not forget that Eliduc is already married in France and is committing adultery
if he pursues it. Women have more
control, even unknowingly, over men’s lives than they realize.
In England, Eliduc encounters his
first sign of trouble – the king’s young daughter, Guilliadun. After spending some time together, the
Guilliadun and Eliduc have apparently fallen head-over-heels in love
together. After they make their love
known to one another, Eliduc is summonsed home to France, and Eliduc makes
plans to return home, but only after making a promise to Guilliadun to return
to get her on a date of her choosing. Upon returning home, Eliduc is reunited
with his lawful wife, Guildeluec who has remained faithful to him. But Guildeluec notices a behavior in Eliduc
that is surly and secretive and plots to find out the reason why.
Upon Eliduc’s return to France, he
spirits away the young Guilliadun by ship to England. Upon the boat ride home there is such a storm
that all the sailors believe the worst is going to happen. One of the sailors blames the young girl,
shouting that they should throw her overboard as Eliduc is defying God, and his
proper wife at home by remaining with Guilliadun. This is the first time Guilliadun learns that
Eliduc is married. In her shock at
Eliduc’s marriage, and fearing
for her life because of the sailor’s threats, Guilliadun
faints, and falls to the deck without breath or sign of consciousness. Believing Guilliadun to be dead, Eliduc
brings her body to a chapel in the woods to bury her. Yet after many days, Guilliadun still appears
alive with rosy cheeks, pink skin, just faintly pale. Eliduc visits the chapel in secret every day,
but his wife Guildeluec has him followed to discover once and for all why he is
so miserable. The queen journeys to the
chapel herself, and upon finding the young girl in repose, and being pretty sharp
herself, she knows that the young girl Guilliadun is her husband’s mistress and
the reason for his unhappiness and grief.
In a magical moment of watching a
weasel resurrect its dead mate with a mysterious life-giving flower, Guildeluec
restores Guilliadun to consciousness and assures her of Eliduc’s love and
devotion. Upon returning to the castle
and reuniting the two lovers, Guildeluec observes the overwhelming love between
Guilliadun and Eliduc. Realizing the
depth of the love and the happiness in her husband, Guildeluec asks her husband
to separate from her so she can become a nun and he can marry the girl whom he
loves. This is the only way that a man
can ‘legally’ marry a second woman in God and the church’s view. Guildeluec sacrifices her own lifestyle to
become a nun in order for the man she married, and loves still, to be
happy. Guildeluec loved Eliduc so much
that she renounced their marriage for him to marry another. What a woman.
