HARRY F. WILLIAMS Calderón and Fierabras LTHOUGH SCHOLARS are well aware that the Spanish dramatist Calderón used the story of Fierabras as the basis for his Puente de AMantible, none has apparently demonstrated how the play necessar- ily modifies the Old French epic. Such a study, undertaken here, not only underlines vital elements of the epic but also indicates working methods of the playwright. As noted by its editors, Kroeber and Servois,1 few epics enjoyed the universal and lasting vogue accorded Fierabras. Its oldest surviving form, in assonanced Alexandrine verse, composed in the late twelfth or thir- teenth century,2 first appeared in prose form in 1478 and then was fre- quently reprinted in the fifteenth and following centuries. The legend is also found in early Provençal and in most other European literatures, and found special favor in Spain.3 Not later than 1528 Nicolas de Piamonte published Fierabras in Castilian prose, rendered, so he tells us, without change from a French compilation. His Historia del emperador Carlo- magno y de los doce pares de Francia . was reprinted repeatedly and in- spired, directly or indirectly, Calderón in 1636.4 'Fierabras, Les Anciens Poètes de la France, IV (Paris: Vieweg, 1860; Kraus reprt. 1966). 2Raphael Levy, "Chronologie approximative de la littérature française au moyen âge," Beiheft 98 zur Zeitschrift für romanische Philologie, dates the poem in 1170. However, most scholars feel that the use of assonanced Alexandrine verse, the romantic plot, and the conversion of Fierabras and Floripas suggest the thirteenth century. 3Léon Gautier, Bibliographie des Chansons de geste (Paris; H. Welter, 1897), pp. 97-102. 132 Williams / Calderón and Fierabras / 133 Comparison and contrast of the twelfth-century epic and the seventeenth-century play bespeak a summary of these two forms of Fiera- bras. Our résumés follow the original texts.5 According to the anonymous French author, Fierabras of Alexandria and his father Balan, Emir of Spain, had overcome Rome and carried away Christian relics (especially the crown of thorns, nails from the cross, and precious balm), which Charlemagne later acquired and deposited in the abbey of Saint-Denis. In the valley of Morimonde Charles assembled his army. Aided by ointment with which the body of Christ was embalmed and which he seizes from his adversary, Oliver defeats in single combat Fierabras, who converts promptly to Christianity. However, Saracens surprise the con- queror and take him and four other peers across the Flagot river via the bridge of Mautrible to the city of Aigremore. Floripas, sister of Fierabras, hearing the plaints of the imprisoned Franks, seeks to speak to them. When the jailer Brutamont refuses, she clubs him down, throws him into the water, and enters the prison. With the aid of her chamberlain, Marmouset de Goré, she transfers the prisoners to her own apartment. Since her governess Morabonde intends to reveal this treason, Floripas lures her to a window from which Marmouset throws her into the sea. Then the heroine cures the wounds of Oliver with mandragore, befriends his companions, and reveals her love for Gui, whom she met in Rome. To rescue the five peers Charles sends the remaining seven: Roland, Gui de Bourgogne, Naimes de Bavière, Ogier le Danois, Richart de Nor- mandie, Tierri d'Ardenne, Basin de Genevois. They kill several Saracens whose heads they decide to take to the emir. The Franks pass over the bridge of Mautrible, after promising to pay an exorbitant toll. 4Martín de Riquer, Los cantares de gesta franceses (Madrid: Editorial Gredos, 1952), pp. 241-243; and Kroeber and Servois, Fierabras, p. XVI. The first edition of the text is by Jacobo Cromberger, Sevilla, 1521. 5Edition Kroeber and Servois (Fierabras) and Samuel Gili Gava, Calderón de la Barca, Biblioteca literaria del estudiante, XI (Madrid: Instituto-Escuela, 1923). 134 / Olifant / Vol. 10, No. 3 / Autumn 1983-Summer 1984 At the emir's camp in Aigremore, Naimes boasts of killing fifteen pagans beyond Mautrible. Floripas urges her father to retaliate, but not until after dinner; meanwhile, she installs the new group of Franks in her quarters where she reveals to Roland her love for Gui and where she exhib- its the holy relics. Now arrives her suitor Lucifer de Baudas, whom Naimes throws into the fire for disrespect. Warfare between the Christians and the pagans is long and active. The emir hires Maubrun to steal the magic belt of Floripas which prevents the tower inhabitants from being starved out. When discovered, the thief is cut in two by Gui and thrown into the sea, together with the belt, unfortunately. Out of provisions, Floripas seeks aid in vain from statues of her gods, so she abjures them. When the Franks sally forth for food, Gui fails to re- turn. To discourage assaults on the tower, Floripas bids the Franks to throw down her father's treasure; while the pagans kill each other for the gold, the Franks can freely forage. Floripas urges contact with Charles. Richart claims and secures the honor of going on the mission. Before he reaches the bridge of Mautrible, an emissary of the emir reproaches Agolaffre for letting Franks across it. Richart opts to cross the river instead of the bridge, a dangerous feat ac- complished with the aid of a white stag. On the advice of Ganelon, Charles is returning to France when Ric- hart arrives. Next day the emperor's forces start for the bridge, preceded by Richart disguised as a cloth merchant. A fight breaks out and Charles is summoned by horn. The giant defender is killed, the bridge is seized and the town besieged. Learning that Charles killed her husband Effraon, Am- iette rushes Charles but is felled by his arrow; her newborn twins are bap- tized Roland and Oliver, but survive only two months. The emperor pro- ceeds toward the emir's city. Despite an intervening pagan army, the Franks traverse the valley of Jossué and come to the plain of Aigremore. Fighting with Charles, Fierabras kills many pagans, as now do the tower defenders. The Franks finally triumph over tremendous odds. Williams / Calderón and Fierabras / 135 Since Balan refuses baptism, his head is cut off. Floripas is baptized and married to GUI. Then Charles divides the emir's empire between Gui and Fierabras, and Floripas gives Charles the relics, which he takes to Saint-Denis. Gui and Fierabras accompany him as far as the bridge of Mautrible. Three years later, the author notes, occurred the expedition to Spain where Ganelon betrayed Roland. Calderón's play presents Guido de Borgoña, vassal of Charles, as peace emissary to the Muslim leader Fierabras. There Guido inspires love in his opponent's sister Floripes. When peace overtures fail, the armies clash and the Franks flee, but four peers remain prisoners of the enemy. Beyond the bridge of Mantible, the Franks are enclosed in an old tower built by a magician. Now Floripes and her companions, Arminda and Irene, come to a forest tower to see her imprisoned lover Guido. With a dagger, she kills the jailer Brutamonte, throws him into the sea and then sees Ricane, Guari- nos, Oliveros, and finally Guido ascending, one by one, a ladder from their prison cave. She has a magic ointment to cure Guido's wounds, and weapons for the other peers. When Fierabras comes to the tower gate, Guido defies him. Meanwhile, at Mantible Roldán and Guarín are challenged by the de- fender Galafre. Pretending to be a stone merchant from India who seeks Fierabras's inspection, Roldán crosses the bridge after promising to pay the required toll. Fierabras mounts a siege at the tower and taunts the Franks with food. Oliveros proposes a foraging sortie. Roldán arrives, demands the prisoners and, when refused, is preparing to attack when the other peers issue forth. Floripes has Irene sing to guide all the peers back after their skirmishes. Pronouncing the password "amor," all these Franks except Guido enter the tower. Floripes laments his capture; Roldán and Oliveros go out to seek him, after Fierabras parades Guido before the tower. The peers go out to fight the pagans. During the combat, the three women, Floripes, Arminda, and Irene, are able to direct Guido back to the tower. Roldán informs the others that Charles, at Aguas Muertas, dares not cross the bridge of Mantible for fear of reprisals on the prisoners, and 136 / Olifant / Vol. 10, No. 3 / Autumn 1983 - Summer 1984 that he needs to know the situation at the tower. Floripes suggests drawing of lots — Guido wins the honor of going. As Charles is preparing to set out in order to avenge the captives whom he now believes dead, Guido arrives and reports. The armies of Fi- erabras and Charles then fight on the bridge; Fierabras addresses the Franks as "knights of the Round Table." Floripes wishes to lead Arminda and Irene away from the bridge when her brother Fierabras falls wounded nearby. Charles orders his care, then offers his services to Guido, and fi- nally orders the burning of the bridge of Mantible (which had been hind- ering passage into "Africa"). -o-oOo-o- The title of the epic reflects only one of the several unifying threads of the narrative: the relics, Charles and Balan, Fierabras, Gui and Floripas, the bridge, Christianity and Mohammedanism. A better title would be Ba- lan, which Gaston Paris called the lost epic of which Fierabras is probably the rehandling and continuation, or else Rome sauvée, which Bédier sug- gested.6 Gui et Floripas has much to recommend it, as does Floripas alone, or else Fierabras et Floripas. But from a dramatic point of view, the best ti- tle is Calderón's Puente de Mantible, a dominant feature of the story, sepa- rating and at the same time connecting, as it does, the opposing armies.