This ambitious study of all proper names in the Chanson de Roland
is based for the first time on a systematic survey of the whole
geographical and historical literature from antiquity to after 1100
for the Geographica, and on working through (almost) the entire
documentary tradition of France and its neighbouring regions from
778 to the early 12th century for the personal names. The overall
result is clear: the surviving song is more tightly and profoundly
structured, even in smaller scenes, than generally assumed, it is
also richer in depicting reality, and it has a very long
prehistory, which can be traced in outline, albeit with decreasing
certainty, (almost) back to the Frankish defeat of 778. Here are
some individual results: for the first time, a detailed (and
ultimately simple!) explanation not only of the 'pagan' catalogue
of peoples, but also of the overarching structure of Baligant's
empire, the organisation of North Africa, the corpus of the Twelve
Anti-Pairs as well as the 'pagan' gods are given, and individual
names such as Bramimunde and Jurfaret, toponyms such as Marbrise
and Marbrose are explained. From Roland's Spanish conquests (v.
196-200), the course of the elapsed set anz toz pleins is
reconstructed. Even the names of the weapons prove to be a small
structured group, in that they are very discreetly adapted to their
respective 'pagan' or Christian owner. On the Christian side, the
small list of relics in Roland's sword is also carefully devised,
not least in what is left out: a relic of the Lord; this is
reserved for Charlemagne's Joiuse. The author explains for example,
why from the archangel triad only Michael and Gabriel descend to
the dying Roland, whereas 'the' angel Cherubin descends in Rafael's
place. Munjoie requires extensive discussion, because here a
(hitherto insufficiently recorded) toponym has been secondarily
charged by the poet with traditional theological associations. The
term Ter(e) major is attested for the first time in reality, namely
in the late 11th century in Norman usage. For the core of France,
the fourth cornerstone - along with Besancon, Wissant and
Mont-Saint-Michel - is Xanten, and its centre is Aachen. The poet's
artful equilibration of Charles's ten eschieles and their leaders
is traced. The "Capetian barrier" emerges as a basic fact of epic
geography. Approximatively, the last quarter of the study is
devoted to the prehistory of the song, going backwards in time:
still quite clearly visible is an Angevin Song of Roland from
around 1050, in which Marsilie, Olivier, Roland, Ganelon, Turpin
and Naimes already have roles similar to those in the preserved
Song. Behind it, between about 970 and shortly after 1000, is the
Girart de Vienne from the Middle Rhone, already recognised by
Aebischer, with the newly invented Olivier contra Roland. Finally,
in faint outlines, an oldest attainable, also Middle Rhone
adaptation of the Roland material from shortly after 870 emerges.
For the Chanson de Roland, Gaston Paris and Joseph Bedier were thus
each right on the main point that was close to their hearts: the
surviving song has both the thoroughly sophisticated structure of
great art that Bedier recognised in it, and the imposingly long
prehistory that Paris conjectured.
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