. This idyllic romance, based on the story of “Neema and Noam” in the Thousand and One Nights, exists in two versions, both anonymous. The earlier (ca. 1160; 3,342 octosyllabic lines in manuscript A) is courtly in inspiration and preserved in four manuscripts (A: B.N. fr. 375; B: B.N. fr. 1447; C: B.N. fr. 12562, and, as a fragment, in V: Vatican, Palatinus, lat. 1971). A 13th-century reworking, more popular in tone, is preserved in one manuscript and incomplete (3,448 octosyllables; B.N. fr. 19152). Both versions tell of two children born on the same day, one to a pagan queen, the other to a Christian captive, who are brought up together at court and fall in love. King Fénix (Galerïen in the popular version) opposes their union, sells Blancheflor into captivity and tells the hero she has died, building a magnificent tomb to support this fiction. Only when Floire becomes ill does he reveal his deceit.
The young man searches through the East and discovers that Blancheflor is held captive by an emir. He bribes a porter with a magnificent goblet, decorated with scenes from the story of Paris and Helen, and is smuggled into the tower in a basket of flowers. He is later discovered by the Emir, who, however, forgives the couple and joins them in marriage. On return to his homeland, Floire becomes king and converts to Christianity.
The popular version stresses the battle skills of the hero but curtails description of objects and settings. Floire wins over the Emir by defending Babylon against his enemy, the story ending with this victory. The courtly version contains references to the works of Ovid, Virgil, and the vernacular Alexander romance Apollonius de Tyr. As the owner of the magnificent goblet, Floire becomes part of a heroic line of descent, from Vulcan, its creator, to Aeneas, an earlier owner. The tale’s popularity is attested by its translation into a variety of languages, including Dutch, German, Yiddish, Middle English, Italian, and Spanish.
Leclanche, Jean-Luc, ed. Le conte de Floire et Blancheflor. Paris: Champion, 1980. [Courtly version.]
Pelan, Margaret M., ed. Floire et Blancheflor: seconde version: ed. du ms. 19152 du fonds français avec introd., notes, et glossaire. Paris: Ophrys, 1975. [Popular version.]
Leclanche, Jean-Luc, trans. Le conte de Floire et Blanchefleur. Paris: Champion, 1986.
Kibler, William W. “Archetypal Imagery in Floire et Blancheflor.” Romance Quarterly 35(1988):11–20.
Leclanche, Jean-Luc. “La date du conte de Floire et Blancheflor.” Romania 92(1971):556–67.
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