Amadas
Encyclopedia
Amadas, or Sir Amadace is a medieval English chivalric romance, one of the rare ones for which there is neither a known nor a conjectured French original, like Sir Eglamour of Artois
. The hero shares a name but no more with the romance Amadas et Idoine.
, and while touched with romance, the chief intent is clearly moral, to demonstrate that generosity, even to the dead, never goes unrewarded. However, the emphasis on the monetary aspects cloud this ideal.
The practice of not allowing a corpse to be buried without its debts being paid is of long standing. The romance cleaves faithfully to the traditional story, lending itself simplicity.
The figure of the Spendthrift Knight probably influenced the like figure in Sir Cleges
.
The rash vow, to share everything, is also a common motifs in romance; as is common, Amadas makes it without thinking of what it will entail or setting any limits to it. This does, however, allow him to demonstrate the depths of his word's reliability.
Sir Eglamour of Artois
Sir Eglamour of Artois is a Middle English verse romance that was written sometime around 1350. It is a narrative poem of about 1300 lines, a tail-rhyme romance that was quite popular in its day, judging from the number of copies that have survived – four manuscripts from the 15th century or...
. The hero shares a name but no more with the romance Amadas et Idoine.
Manuscripts
The tale is found in two medieval manuscripts: National Library of Scotland MS Advocates 19.3.1, dating to the late-fifteenth century and the slightly earlier Taylor MS 9, otherwise known as MS Ireland Blackburn in the Robert H Taylor Collection, Princeton University Libraries, dating to the mid-fifteenth century.Synopsis
Sir Amadas wastes his property in generosity. Poor, he finds a chapel where a body can not be buried until his debts are paid and spends his last coin to pay them. He meets with a white knight and adventures with him, winning lands, wealth, and a princess. His companion demands the promised half of his reward -- half the princess and their child. When Amadas goes to do it, the knight stops him and reveals that he is the man Amadas buried.Motifs
The knight is the folkloric figure Grateful deadGrateful dead (folklore)
Grateful dead is a folktale present in many cultures throughout the world. The most common story involves a traveler who encounters a corpse of someone who never received a proper burial, typically stemming from an unpaid debt. The traveler then either pays off the dead person's debt or pays for...
, and while touched with romance, the chief intent is clearly moral, to demonstrate that generosity, even to the dead, never goes unrewarded. However, the emphasis on the monetary aspects cloud this ideal.
The practice of not allowing a corpse to be buried without its debts being paid is of long standing. The romance cleaves faithfully to the traditional story, lending itself simplicity.
The figure of the Spendthrift Knight probably influenced the like figure in Sir Cleges
Sir Cleges
Sir Cleges is a medieval English chivalric romance. It is clearly a minstrel tale, praising giving gifts to minstrels, and punishing the servants who might make it impossible for a minstrel in a noble household. Corrupt officials are central to it....
.
The rash vow, to share everything, is also a common motifs in romance; as is common, Amadas makes it without thinking of what it will entail or setting any limits to it. This does, however, allow him to demonstrate the depths of his word's reliability.