The Bridal of Triermain
Encyclopedia
The Bridal of Triermain is a rhyme
d, romantic
, narrative-poem
by Sir Walter Scott, written in 1813.
The poem celebrates the exploits of a knight errant - Sir Roland De Vaux - as he seeks to rescue (and hopefully espouse) a beautiful maiden, Gyneth. Gyneth is the illegitimate daughter of King Arthur
: doomed by Merlin
500 years previously to an enchanted sleep inside a magic castle.
The enchantment can only be broken by a rescuer both brave and noble enough to overcome the temptations used successively to distract and overcome prospective suitors, namely:
The poem is set in the countryside comprising the original Triermain fiefdom in the Barony of Gilsland
in Cumberland
. The fief was possessed originally by the old saxon
family of De Vaux, whose male line failed in the 17th century.
Like Harold the Dauntless
, The Bridal of Triermain was published anonymously. Scott attempted with his poetry to convince readers that the work was that of his friend William Erskine
, even convincing Erskine to provide the preface.
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
d, romantic
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...
, narrative-poem
Narrative poetry
Narrative poetry is poetry that has a plot. The poems that make up this genre may be short or long, and the story it relates to may be simple or complex. It is usually nondramatic, with objective regular scheme and meter. Narrative poems include epics, ballads, idylls and lays.Some narrative...
by Sir Walter Scott, written in 1813.
The poem celebrates the exploits of a knight errant - Sir Roland De Vaux - as he seeks to rescue (and hopefully espouse) a beautiful maiden, Gyneth. Gyneth is the illegitimate daughter of 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...
: doomed by Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
500 years previously to an enchanted sleep inside a magic castle.
The enchantment can only be broken by a rescuer both brave and noble enough to overcome the temptations used successively to distract and overcome prospective suitors, namely:
- fear
- wealth
- pleasure
- pride
The poem is set in the countryside comprising the original Triermain fiefdom in the Barony of Gilsland
Gilsland
Gilsland is a village in northern England about west of Hexham, and about east of Carlisle, which straddles the border between Cumbria and Northumberland...
in Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
. The fief was possessed originally by the old saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
family of De Vaux, whose male line failed in the 17th century.
Like Harold the Dauntless
Harold the Dauntless
Harold the Dauntless is a rhymed, romantic, narrative-poem by Sir Walter Scott. The last of his long verse narratives, written in 1817, it weaves together elements of popular English legends and folklore using dramatic themes....
, The Bridal of Triermain was published anonymously. Scott attempted with his poetry to convince readers that the work was that of his friend William Erskine
William Erskine
William Erskine was a Scottish orientalist and historian.The son of David Erskine and his wife Jean Melvin, he was born in Edinburgh. He attended the Royal High School, received a doctorate in law from Edinburgh University, and went to Bombay India in 1804 where he was master in equity in the...
, even convincing Erskine to provide the preface.
External links
- The Bridal of Triermain, full text at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- The Bridal of Triermain, audiobook at LibriVoxLibriVoxLibriVox is an online digital library of free public domain audiobooks, read by volunteers and is probably, since 2007, the world's most prolific audiobook publisher...