Daniel von Blumenthal
Encyclopedia
Daniel von dem blühenden Tal (Daniel of the Flowering Valley) is an Arthurian romance
composed around 1220 by the Middle High German
poet Der Stricker, who claimed he had received the story from a French
troubadour
. It tells how Sir Daniel, heir to the kingdom of Blumenthal, becomes a Knight of the Round Table and engages in fantastic adventures to defend King Arthur
's land from an enemy ruler.
Arthur welcomes Daniel to the Round Table
after he defeats other formidable knights including Sir Percival
and Sir Gawain
. Before long, however, a herald
in the form of an invincible giant riding a camel
arrives with a message from an enemy potentate, King Matur. The herald demands Arthur swear immediate fealty to Matur, explaining that his country is defended by the contrivances of an inventor who has created a mobile palace carried by war elephants, invincible giants
(of whom he is one), and a mechanical dragon
whose scream is so intolerable that it makes even the staunchest fighting men cover their ears, rendering them useless. On the other hand, Matur’s herald says submission to his master brings its attractions. The land is fertile, the conditions of vassalage are light, and the women are stunning. Each keeps her complexion unspoilt by means of a beautiful songbird called a Babian, who is trained to hover over her and protect her from the sun with his shadow.
Arthur bids for time while he assembles his troops, but in the meantime Daniel slips out of the castle intending to fight Matur alone. On the way, he meets with a series of adventures which, at the time, seem nothing but sideshows which delay him from his real purpose. These include rescuing a damsel from the attentions of an evil dwarf, after himself being saved by her from a magic net, and overcoming a horde of bellyless monsters. But these adventures enable him to acquire a magic sword which is crucial to the final victory over Matur. Daniel is then made a vassal-king of Arthur’s over Matur’s former Kingdom of Cluse.
This much-neglected Arthurian epic does not fit into any of the recognized categories of Arthurian literature and is therefore a literary form in its own right; as such it possesses a unique place in German literature
. The spirit of the heroic epic pervades Daniel, in contrast to other courtly Arthurian romances: Daniel's prestige comes from his abilities as a fighter, rather than his exemplification of courtly ideals, the pre-courtly focus on the importance of vassal-monarch relations prevails throughout the story, and Arthur takes part in the hostilities, contrary to his depiction as a roi fainéant
in other romances. Der Pleier
's romance Garel
was written as a reaction to Daniel; Der Pleier found Daniel too brutal and cunning to make a proper hero, and wrote his romance in the spirit of contemporary courtly attitudes. While Daniel's popularity faded, Garel continued to be admired, and as late as 1400 Runckelstein Castle near Bolzano in Italy
was decorated with frescos of scenes from Garel.
The Prussia
n family von Blumenthal
fancifully claimed a connection to the hero of this romance, and in the Late Middle Ages
one or two of its members were christened Daniel. A character named Sir Daniel appears in other Arthurian romances as well, often as the brother of Sir Dinadan
and Sir Le Cote Mal Taile.
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
composed around 1220 by the Middle High German
Middle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
poet Der Stricker, who claimed he had received the story from a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
. It tells how Sir Daniel, heir to the kingdom of Blumenthal, becomes a Knight of the Round Table and engages in fantastic adventures to defend King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
's land from an enemy ruler.
Arthur welcomes Daniel to the Round Table
Round Table
The Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his Knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of...
after he defeats other formidable knights including Sir Percival
Percival
Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. In Welsh literature his story is allotted to the historical Peredur...
and Sir Gawain
Gawain
Gawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
. Before long, however, a herald
Herald
A herald, or, more correctly, a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is often applied erroneously to all officers of arms....
in the form of an invincible giant riding a camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
arrives with a message from an enemy potentate, King Matur. The herald demands Arthur swear immediate fealty to Matur, explaining that his country is defended by the contrivances of an inventor who has created a mobile palace carried by war elephants, invincible giants
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
(of whom he is one), and a mechanical dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
whose scream is so intolerable that it makes even the staunchest fighting men cover their ears, rendering them useless. On the other hand, Matur’s herald says submission to his master brings its attractions. The land is fertile, the conditions of vassalage are light, and the women are stunning. Each keeps her complexion unspoilt by means of a beautiful songbird called a Babian, who is trained to hover over her and protect her from the sun with his shadow.
Arthur bids for time while he assembles his troops, but in the meantime Daniel slips out of the castle intending to fight Matur alone. On the way, he meets with a series of adventures which, at the time, seem nothing but sideshows which delay him from his real purpose. These include rescuing a damsel from the attentions of an evil dwarf, after himself being saved by her from a magic net, and overcoming a horde of bellyless monsters. But these adventures enable him to acquire a magic sword which is crucial to the final victory over Matur. Daniel is then made a vassal-king of Arthur’s over Matur’s former Kingdom of Cluse.
This much-neglected Arthurian epic does not fit into any of the recognized categories of Arthurian literature and is therefore a literary form in its own right; as such it possesses a unique place in German literature
German literature
German literature comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German part of Switzerland, and to a lesser extent works of the German diaspora. German literature of the modern period is mostly in Standard German, but there...
. The spirit of the heroic epic pervades Daniel, in contrast to other courtly Arthurian romances: Daniel's prestige comes from his abilities as a fighter, rather than his exemplification of courtly ideals, the pre-courtly focus on the importance of vassal-monarch relations prevails throughout the story, and Arthur takes part in the hostilities, contrary to his depiction as a roi fainéant
Roi fainéant
Roi fainéant, literally "lazy king", is a French term primarily used to refer to the later kings of the Merovingian dynasty, after they seemed to have lost their initial energy...
in other romances. Der Pleier
Der Pleier
Der Pleier is the pen name of a Middle High German poet active between 1240 and 1270 whose real name is unknown. He is the author of three long romances all on Arthurian subjects, the most famous of which is Garel von dem blühenden Tal , but little else is known of him...
's romance Garel
Garel
Garel von dem blühenden Tal is a medieval Arthurian romance composed by Der Pleier around 1230-40. It appears to have been written in contradiction to Der Stricker's Daniel von Blumenthal. It consists of 21,310 lines in rhyming couplets; the beginning is missing.After a journey, King Arthur...
was written as a reaction to Daniel; Der Pleier found Daniel too brutal and cunning to make a proper hero, and wrote his romance in the spirit of contemporary courtly attitudes. While Daniel's popularity faded, Garel continued to be admired, and as late as 1400 Runckelstein Castle near Bolzano in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
was decorated with frescos of scenes from Garel.
The Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n family von Blumenthal
Von Blumenthal
The von Blumenthal family are German nobility from Brandenburg-Prussia. Other, unrelated, families of this name exist in Switzerland and formerly in Russia, and many unrelated families called "Blumenthal" without "von" are to be found worldwide.The family was already noble from earliest times ,...
fancifully claimed a connection to the hero of this romance, and in the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
one or two of its members were christened Daniel. A character named Sir Daniel appears in other Arthurian romances as well, often as the brother of Sir Dinadan
Dinadan
Sir Dinadan is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is the son of Sir Brunor Senior, the 'Good Knight without Fear,' and brother of Sirs Breunor le Noir and Daniel. A close friend of Tristan, Dinadan is known for his good humor and joking nature...
and Sir Le Cote Mal Taile.