Tristan and Isolde: Medieval Legend and Courtly Love
Tristan and Iseult form one of the most famous couples in medieval literature. Their story, told for centuries, tells us a chivalrous epic made of love, betrayal and tragedy.
The legend of Tristan and Iseult forever marked the European imagination and constituted one of the bases of medieval culture, in particular by providing a new vision of love and feelings.
By telling us the story of a forbidden love triangle, the legend that we will discover together actually teaches us more about human nature than we might think.
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Summary of the story of Tristan and Isolde
Please note, there are several versions!
Summary of the story of Tristan and Isolde
A long time ago, a knight named Tristan lived in the kingdom of Cornwall.
The young man was in fact the nephew of King Mark, the ruler of these lands.
From a very young age, he had distinguished himself by his bravery, his honor and his skills in combat.
In short, Tristan had everything to be the model knight, handsome, upright and serving those weaker than him.
A first fight that left its mark
One day, the king of Ireland sent a brute named Morholt to demand tribute from the kingdom of Cornwall.
Not wanting to be subdued, King Marc decided to send Tristan to fight the brute in single combat.
The fight was intense but brief and, quickly, Tristan managed to defeat Morholt, leaving a piece of his broken sword in his enemy's body.
For some reason, no one saw the shard of metal, which remained in the body of the colossus as it was transported to Ireland for burial.
Far from having been unequal, the fight left a wound in Tristan, a wound which, even after several months, would not heal.
Meeting a very strange healer
Looking everywhere for a way to heal himself, the young man heard about a healer named Iseult who was then living in Ireland.
Known to be capable of curing any ailment, treating any wound and chasing away any illness, the exploits of this magician had already caused a stir in the courts of the surrounding kingdoms.
Tristan thus went there and, in fact, was healed of his wound, without even the slightest scar remaining.
On his return to Cornwall, he praised the young Iseult in such a wonderful, grandiose way that King Mark decided to take her as his wife.
Tristan's second mission to Ireland
Ever obedient, Tristan returned to Ireland to convey his uncle's request.
Once he arrived in the village in question, Tristan discovered that a terrible dragon was terrorizing the region.
During an epic fight, the knight managed to overcome the beast.
However, once again he was injured, this time not by a man but by a monster.
Without much surprise, it was Isolde who was appointed to care for him.
Arriving at the scene of the fight, however, she came across an element that would change the course of their destiny: there, she saw a broken sword, the same sword of which she had once found a fragment in the body of her own uncle...
Yes, Morholt the brute was indeed Isolde's uncle.
At first, the healer wanted to avenge her uncle's death. However, given the heroic exploits of the knight who, it must be remembered, had just freed his people from the yoke of a dragon, she decided to forgive him and agreed to go and marry King Marc.
The birth of feelings
If Iseult had power around her, it was her doubt through her lineage: for generations in fact, the women of her family had possessed magical powers.
Her mother, learning that her daughter was getting married, concocted a love filter, a sort of potion which, drunk by two people, would make them love each other for eternity.
Curious to know what this strange brew that had been passed down to them was, Tristan and Isolde tasted it together on their way back to Cornwall.
They immediately fell in love and thus linked their destiny forever.
Despite an attentive husband in the person of King Marc, Iseult could not help thinking of Tristan, and he, of thinking of his beautiful one.
Even though they tried to keep their passion a secret for some time, it eventually became known and, faced with his uncle's anger, Tristan had no choice but to leave the kingdom.
The attempt at a new life
The young man then left to settle in Brittany to start a new life, hoping one day to be able to forget the beautiful Isolde.
After some time, he met another woman, also named Isolde, with whom he married and started a home.
They all lived several years of happiness, Tristan with his wife and Iseult with the king, without however being able to completely erase their loved one from their minds.
One day, while receiving a more serious injury than usual during a fight, Tristan fell seriously ill.
Despite his best efforts, his wife could find no cure.
It was then that he told her of the miraculous healing powers of a young woman living in the kingdom of Cornwall.
A boat was then sent with a simple mission: bring Isolde back to Brittany. To save time, it was agreed that, if the magician had agreed to come, the sailors would have to hoist a white sail. If, on the other hand, she had refused, the sail would have to be black.
A tragic destiny until the end
Shortly after, the ship returned and, as we can imagine given the feelings that animate these two souls, Isolde had agreed to come to the aid of the chosen one of her heart.
Tristan's wife, however, upon hearing her husband talk about the healer, understood the feelings he had for her.
Jealous, she decided to lie to her man who was then bedridden by being unable to get up to come and see the color of the sails.
Desperate with sadness, and believing that his beloved had abandoned him, Tristan died of illness and grief within a matter of moments.
When Isolde learned of his death, she in turn succumbed to melancholy.
The two tragic lovers were then brought back to Cornwall to be buried side by side on the top of a mountain.
A vine grew from Tristan's grave. From that of Isolde, a rosebush.
It is said that the two plants still grow wrapped around each other and that if you try to cut them, they will grow back no matter what.
Please note, there are several versions!
The legend of Tristan and Isolde tells us the tragic story of two lovers destined to share a forbidden but eternal love.
Most historians believe that this epic was born in Brittany.
This medieval legend is very old and, as such, has seen several versions created, some of which are sometimes very different from each other.
In fact, even the name of two star-crossed lovers can vary. Some stories speak to us more of Isolde, and not of Isolde.
In short, there are two main traditions regarding the legend of Tristan and Isolde.
The first arises from the work of the two French poets of the second half of the 12th century: Thomas of England and Béroul.
Their stories being considered the closest to the original legend, most modern works which tell the story of our lovers often consist of a recompilation of extracts from the works of these two authors.
The second tradition consists of a complete rewriting in prose of the original work dating from the mid- 13th century.
This version places much more emphasis on the heroic character of Tristan, the passion of the feelings which animate the two lovebirds and all that is tragic in their destinies.
Over time, this second version was associated with Arthurian legends, even making Tristan one of the knights of the round table.
The prose novel, a style also known as the "chanson de geste", was so popular that by the end of the Middle Ages it had completely obscured the original work.
In fact, the story of Tristan and Isolde became so popular that even today, many scholars consider it one of the most iconic works of the medieval period.
A story that marked the medieval imagination
The story of Tristan and Iseult definitively left its mark on the medieval imagination like few other stories of their time.
Predating the adventures of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, some even consider this legend to be a major source of inspiration which influenced the epic quest for the Grail.
In fact, the legend of Tristan and Iseult probably influenced all of the works that followed it throughout the Middle Ages, so much did this story change the minds of the time.
In particular, the legend of Tristan and Isolde marked the beginning of a concept that would change the face of Europe forever: courtly love.
Courtly love, or fin'amor in the Occitan language, is an expression designating the way of loving one's partner with courtesy, respect and honesty, which developed during the Middle Ages.
Even if this may seem acquired to us, almost instinctive, this was not at all the case at the time and, as such, the legend of Tristan and Iseult marked a turning point in the history of feelings.
Thanks to emblematic authors of the Middle Ages such as William of Aquitaine or the famous Chrétien de Troyes, but also with the support of rich patrons, a true French art of living will develop, highlighting beauty feelings but also that of the importance of chivalry and courtesy.
A mystery forever lost
There is one thing that animates the passions of historians about our legend: the original text seems to have disappeared.
According to certain sources, this text would have been very different from the versions we know, whether we are talking about those of Thomas of England, of Béroul or the prose version.
It would indeed have contained more violent, sinister passages, sometimes even going as far as the crude.
When we see the beauty of the legend that has come down to us, we can only be amazed.
These hypotheses, however, only arise from supposition, the original work being lost forever.
Alongside this, some medievalists have managed to trace a precise timeline of history, tracing back to an ancient Pictish lord known as Drust.
Living in the Highlands, a region of Scotland, towards the end of the 8th century, Drust's life presents strange similarities to that of Tristan.
This Celtic leader saved a princess renowned for her healing talents from the hands of pirates, and repelled an invasion of Irish tribes who came to demand tribute.
This possible link between Tristan, a legendary and heroic character, and another historical figure, is quite fascinating and can only leave us dreaming.
For further
If stories of love and romance in general speak to you, there is no doubt that you will appreciate some lucky charms linked to the noblest feelings.
Here are some examples:
- A rose pendant, because it is this flower that grew from Isolde's tomb
- A Claddagh ring, a great Irish symbol linked to love
Here are also some resources related to the legend of Tristan and Isolde:
- A short literary analysis of our history, quite interesting
- The Wikipedia page dedicated to Arthurian legends, because Tristan is one of them
- An article which focuses on courtly love, a phenomenon of which our legend was the main source
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