The Giant Hero in Medieval Literature

Erscheinungsjahr 2016
ISBN: 978-90-04-29295-6
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 2, 266 Seiten, Format (B × H): 159 mm x 241 mm, Gewicht: 522 g

Reihe: Explorations in Medieval Culture

In The Giant Hero in Medieval Literature Tina Boyer counters the monstrous status of giants by arguing that they are more broadly legible than traditionally believed. Building on an initial analysis of St. Augustine’s City of God, Bernard of Clairvaux’s deliberations on monsters and marvels, and readings in Tomasin von Zerclaere’s Welsche Gast provide insights into the spectrum of antagonistic and heroic roles that giants play in the courtly realm. This approach places the figure of the giant within the cultural and religious confines of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and allows an in-depth analysis of epics and romances through political, social, religious, and gender identities tied to the figure of the giant. Sources range from German to French, English, and Iberian works.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Boyer, Tina Marie

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literarische Strömungen & Epochen
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literarische Stoffe, Motive und Themen
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturgeschichte und Literaturkritik
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literatursoziologie, Gender Studies

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contents
Acknowledgements vii
List of Figures viii
Introduction 1
1 The Giant in the Medieval Mind 26
St. Augustine and the Monstrous Races 29
Biblical Giants 33
Theological Conceptions 36
Secular and Courtly Conceptions 39
2 The Monster from the Outside 51
Sigenot 53
The Giantesses of the Eckenlied 66
Grauer Rock (Orendel) 75
3 Misplaced Loyalties and Evil Minions 101
Daniel von dem blühenden Tal 102
Virginal 116
Laurin and Walberan 125
4 A Fighter for Court and Hero 131
König Rother 132
Boeve de Haumtome 148
Nibelungenlied 156
5 Of Monstrous Courts and Heroes 161
Herzog Ernst 162
6 The Questing Giant 187
Fierabras 188
Eckenlied 200
Conclusion 221
Questions of Monstrous Identity in Romances and Epics 222
Our Medieval Inheritance 227
vi Contents
Figures 233
Bibliography 245
Index 260

Über Autor(innen)

Tina Marie Boyer, Ph.D. (2010), is Assistant Professor of German Medieval Literature and Second Language Acquisition at Wake Forest University. She has published articles on monstrous entities in medieval literature, medievalism, and pop-culture.