Uses of the supernatural in the Middle Welsh Chwedyl Iarlles y Ffynnawn ; Usos de lo sobrenatural en el relato galés medieval Chwedyl Iarlles y Ffynnawn ; Usos do sobrenatural no conto em galês médio Chwedyl Iarlles y Ffynnawn

This paper examines supernatural episodes in the story of the Knight of the Lion. The story has closely related versions in French (Yvain, ou le Chevalier au Lion) and in Welsh (Owein: Chwedyl Iarlles y Ffynnawn), which allow for analysis and comparison. Even without assuming which author wrote first, we can still study how each text was adapted differently for audiences in Wales and France. This essay finds eleven episodes across both texts (eight in Yvain and nine in Owein). We categorise the supernatural in these episodes as mirabilia, magicus or miraculosus, after Le Goff, Kieckhefer and Sweeney. Our final analysis shows that miraculosus dominates in the French version, presumably due to a Christianising urge of Chrétien de Troyes which emphasises the agency of God in the text. This is not the case in the Welsh version where mirabilis episodes dominate, and the supernatural elements are kept separate from the religious aspects of the text. This analysis suggests that Welsh audiences were more comfortable with secular episodes of the supernatural than French audiences. ; This paper examines supernatural episodes in the story of the Knight of the Lion. The story has closely related versions in French (Yvain, ou le Chevalier au Lion) and in Welsh (Owein: Chwedyl Iarlles y Ffynnawn), which allow for analysis and comparison. Even without assuming which author wrote first, we can still study how each text was adapted differently for audiences in Wales and France. This essay finds eleven episodes across both texts (eight in Yvain and nine in Owein). We categorise the supernatural in these episodes as mirabilia, magicus or miraculosus, after Le Goff, Kieckhefer and Sweeney. Our final analysis shows that miraculosus dominates in the French version, presumably due to a Christianising urge of Chrétien de Troyes which emphasises the agency of God in the text. This is not the case in the Welsh version where mirabilis episodes dominate, and the supernatural elements are kept separate from the religious aspects of the text. This analysis suggests that Welsh audiences were more comfortable with secular episodes of the supernatural than French audiences. ; Este trabajo analiza los episodios sobrenaturales en la historia del Caballero del León, cuyas versiones en francés (Yvain, ou le Chevalier au Lion) y en galés (Owein: Chwedyl Iarlles y Ffynnawn) son muy cercanas y permiten, así, su comparación. Incluso sin asumir una postura respecto de qué autor compuso primero, es posible estudiar el modo en el que cada texto fue adaptado de forma diferente para sus respectivos públicos. Se han encontrado once episodios a lo largo de ambos textos (ocho en Yvain y nueve en Owein) cuyo elemento o aspecto sobrenatural ha sido categorizado como mirabilia, magicus o miraculosus en función de los trabajos de Le Goff, Kieckhefer y Sweeney. Nuestro estudio muestra que lo miraculosus domina en la versión francesa, probablemente debido al matiz cristiano que le impone Chrétien de Troyes y que enfatiza la agencia divina en el relato. En cambio, en la versión galesa predominan los episodios mirabilis, y los elementos sobrenaturales se mantienen separados de los aspectos religiosos del texto. Este análisis sugiere que el público galés estaría más cómodo que el francés con episodios sobrenaturales decarácter secular.