The chess: shield and weapon in Chrétien de Troyes,
an article for the next congress of the CCI to Troyes.

    Chrétien de Troyes it is a poet medieval in oïl language and composer of loving songs. Is known, above all, for five novels chivalrous, written between 1160 and 1190: : Lancelot ou Chevalier a la charrete; Erec et Enide; Perceval le Gallois ou Conte du Graal; Yvain ou Chevalier au lion; Cligès.
    In the Percival the chess part is amazing indeed and has been reassumed in the title.
    In the story, the rider Gauvain fights inside the tower against the assailants. It has to defend himself and the Dame.
    Gauvain takes a chessboard as shield and tells the Dame: - My friend, is useless that endeavors me another shield, this it will be enough for me.

(Gauvain prit un échiquier en guise de bouclier et déclara: - Mon Amie, il est inutile que vous alliez me chercher un autre écu, celui-là me suffira).

    Then it throws to floor the pieces of the chess: they is ten times bigger than the normal pieces and they is made of hard ivory.

(Il renversa sur le sol les pièces du jeu d'échec: elle étaient dix fois plus grosses que les pièces habituelles, et faites d'un ivoire plus dur).

    Gauvain thinks by now about being, by now, able to defend the entry of the tower. He has Excalibur, the best sword that has ever existed, able to cut the iron as if it dealt with wood. (Désormais Gauvain pensait être capable de défendre la porte de la tour contre quiconque, car il avait à son côté Escalibor, la meilleure épée qui eut jamais existé; elle tranchait le fer aussi facilement que le bois).
    With the magic sword, the shield (the chessboard) and the pieces of the chess he has all the weapons to be able to defend the entry of the tower.
    Gauvain fights against the assailants that break down it brings to hits of ax (Les assaillants démolissaient la porte à grand coups de haches ... mais Gauvain ... il la défendait bien. Le premier à entrer fut honoré d'un si bon coup d'épée que ceux qui suivaient, terrorisés, n'osérent avancer).
    The Dame, with great anger, it threw on the assailants the pieces of the chess..

(La demoiselle, dans une grande colère, jetait sur eux les pièces du jeu d'échec, qu'elle ramassait sur le dallage).

    Gauvain and the Dame defend him of well in better, throwing on the assailants the big pieces of the chess. Quite a lot assailants withdrew in hurry, not could bear the bruises that the chess pieces inflicted them.

(Gauvain et sa compagne se défendirent de mieux en mieux en jetant sur les assaillants les grosses pièces du jeu des échec. Plusieurs reculèrent en hâte, ne pouvant supporter les contusions que les échecs leur infligeant).

    You imagine the rider Gauvain, armed with the magic Excalibur, that fights to hits of sword against the assailants while in the hand left palaces the shield and with that it mends him from the hits. A shield that is not anything else other than a chessboard. Not the hawk is represented on that shield but an alternation of white and black squares.
    You imagine the Dame that launches from the tower - first alone and then together with Gauvain - the great and heavy pieces of the chess.

(From Scacchi, Dame e Cavalieri by Carmelo Coco).

    An image and such a powerful scene that it deserves to be recalled in a reconstruction that we are studying. For then to insert the film on our site.
    In Sicily they there was room for the castles and the towers, it is not difficult to have the permissions to turn some brief scenes.
    The collaboration of willing participants is needed only.
    From this powerful scene (and from the others of my book Chess, Dames and Riders) I want to make a splendid volume of comic strips.
    If some good draftsman of comic strips wants to collaborate with me you don't hesitate to write me.

Carmelo Coco. San Gregorio (CT) - 03/07/2007  Copyright

---