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Malgven, or Malgwen(n), is a character introduced in the legend of the city of Ys at the end of the 19th century by Édouard Schuré, possibly based on a local legend from the Cap Sizun. She was made famous by Charles Guyot (Géo-Charles) at the beginning of the 20th century, in his literary adaptation of the legend of Ys. A valkyrie and queen of the "North", Malgven rules over the lands with her ageing husband, King Harold. She meets King Gradlon while on an outing and falls in love with him. She persuades him to kill her husband and to run away with her on her horse Morvarc'h, towards Gradlon's lands in Brittany. The journey last a year, during which time she gives birth to a daughter, Dahut. Malgven dies in childbirth.
Although she may not be an authentic feature in the legend of the city of Ys, Malgven provides her daughter Dahut with a magical origin story and contributes to the dramatic and romantic element of this legend. This character has been represented in a number of more recent productions, notably novels, a play and a comic book.
Etymology
[edit]The spelling "Malgven" may be most common, but some recent texts use the spelling "Malgwen"[1] or "Malgwenn"[2]. Françoise Le Roux and Christian-J. Guyonvarc'h do not explain the etymology, but clarify that for them, the name is "neither breton, nor scandinavian"[3].
Description
[edit]
Often named as the wife of King Gradlon, and therefore the mother of the princess Dahut, in the legend of the city of Ys, Malgven was popularised in this role by Géo-Charles at the beginning of the 20th century.
Origin
[edit]The original legend of Dahut does not mention his mother[4]. Her genealogy is also not described. For Le Roux and Guyonvarc'h, she represents a celtic figure
with no age and no origin
[5], Malgven is therefore a later addition to the legend of the town of Ys.
Matthieu Boyd identifies the oldest known mention of Malgven in the essay The Great Legends of France by Édouard Schuré, in 1892[6] (however, Schuré's text was pre-published in the academic journal Revue des deux Mondes the previous year[7]). Schuré vaguely makes reference to sources from oral tradition recorded near Cap Sizun, according to which the King Gradlon was looking for a princess of Hibernia (Ireland). This story is slightly similar to the legend of Tristan and Iseut, and could give Malgven a more authentic origin, as Schuré kept numerous correspondences with his colleagues in order to gather legends[8]. Malgven was then mentioned by name in a play on 18th December, as the mother of Dahut[9]. Her name also appeared in an English publication in 1906[10].
Boyd therefore disagrees with the conclusion that Maglven is a pure literary invention of Charles Guyot, although he remains cautious as to a possible origin in Breton mythology, as Schuré did not give precise sources[8]. Le lai of Graelent-Meur, collected by La Villemarqué, mentions a relationship between the Kind Gradlon (however, the identification of this character as the kind from the legend of Ys remains controversial, as does the authenticity of this text) and a woman from the Otherworld[11]. Based on this lai, Jean Markale — whose theories are strongly criticised by Le Roux et Guyonvarc'h[3] — developed the hypothesis that after meeting the woman from the Otherworld, the "knight Gradlon" returned with Dahut, "a small girl with long hair"[12]. There are no sources confirming that this women from the Otherworld is related to Dahut, or that she is Malgven, but in Celtic tradition, these women bring good fortune to their husbands and are capable of having children with them, which could provide clues[13].
For Françoise Le Roux et Christian-J. Guyonvarc'h (2000), Malgven and the horse Morvarc'h are literary inventions by Charles Guyot, for his version of the legend of Ys[4]. It is this version involving Malgven and Morvarc'h which has been recognised as the "canon version" of the town of Ys since the mid 20th century, notably by Jean Markale.
Physical appearance and kingdom
[edit]Je suis la fée Malgven, reine du Nord et maîtresse de ce château. C'est moi qui ai dirigé la lutte contre tes guerriers qui l'assaillaient, car le roi mon époux n'est qu'un incapable dont le glaive se rouille, pendu à un clou[14]
Malgven is often described as the "queen of the North". The country over which she reigns could be Ireland[15], Norway, or Denmark. Malgven is thus considered a "dannite," or Danish, in some texts from the late 19th century[10],, but Charles Guyot portrays her as a Norwegian valkyrie[3]. Édouard Schuré gives the following description of her:
formidable and beautiful was the queen of the North, with her golden diadem, her corset of steel chainmail, from which emerge arms as white as snow, and and the golden ringlets of her hair, which fall upon her deep blue armour, less blue and less shimmering than her eyes
(1908). He describes her as a red haired woman in other versions[6], like that of Florian Le Roy (1928) :
In the moonlight, her chainmail and her armour flowing with brightness, a woman with red hair spread out widely. She was as beautiful as a goddess of War. A water of enchantment shone in her eyes. It was Malgven, queen of the North
[16]. Pascal Bancourt sees her as a "fairy of the North" with the appearance of a warrior woman, with curly hair[17]. The most well-known version renders her as the wife of the ageing Nordic king Harold. Malgven falls in love with King Gradlon, and persuades him to kill her husband[1].
Literary evolution
[edit]The earliest known version, that of Édouard Schuré, depicts Malgven as a sorceress,
an Irish druid or a Scandinavian goddess who killed her first owner, to follow the Armorican leader
Gradlon. But he has hardly become king of Cornouaille before she suddenly dies. Gradlon falls into sadness, wine and debauchery, unable to forget her[15]. He sees his wife in his daughter Dahut, as he watches her grow up[18].
Malgven in Charles Guyot's novel
[edit]At the beginning of the 20th century, Charles Guyot published The Legend of the City of Ys According to the Ancient Texts with H. Piazza Editions, a work which saw remarkable success, since its eleventh edition appeared in 1926[19]. It was regularly republished throughout the 20th century, notably in 1987, 1998 and 1999 (with Groupe Flammarion), and was also translated into English in 1979[20].
Malgven apparaît essentiellement dans le premier chapitre, intitulé « Le deuil de Gradlon ». Gradlon, roi de Cornouaille, part guerroyer en Norvège[3] à la tête d’une flotte considérable. Après une longue et harassante navigation, il arrive aux frontières du royaume du Nord. Les Bretons livrent une première bataille, un carnage qui ne donne l’avantage à aucun des deux camps. L’histoire se répète le lendemain, semblable bataille et même tuerie, mais cette fois Malgven prend part aux combats. Le roi de Cornouaille assiège vainement une forteresse nichée au fond d’un fjord, mais à l’approche de l’hiver, l’armée refuse de rester et embarque pour l’Armorique, laissant le roi seul. Chaque nuit, il cherche le moyen de pénétrer dans la place. Un soir, une femme l’attend au pied des remparts. Elle lui dit qu’il est impossible de prendre la cité et son trésor sans son aide. Elle lui propose de le faire entrer, mais il doit tuer le roi, un homme vieux, cupide et infidèle dont l’épée est rouillée. Dans la citadelle, Gradlon tue l’époux de la reine, pendant que celui-ci dort d’un sommeil aviné. Tous deux s’enfuient avec le trésor en chevauchant Morvarc'h (« le cheval de la mer »), un animal capable de courir sur l'eau. Le cheval s’élance sur la mer et rejoint le bateau de Gradlon, le voyage de retour dure un an. Des amours entre Malgven et Gradlon naît une fille, Dahut. La reine meurt durant l’accouchement[21]. Gradlon ne peut se consoler de la mort de son amante et reporte toute son affection sur sa fille, qui ressemble à Malgven et suit la religion des Celtes[22].
- ^ a b Hascoët 2012
- ^ Boyd 2006
- ^ a b c d Le Roux & Guyonvarc'h 2000
- ^ a b Le Roux & Guyonvarc'h 2000
- ^ Le Roux & Guyonvarc'h 2000
- ^ a b Matthieu Boyd, citant Édouard Schuré (1892). Les grandes légendes de France. Didier. p. 217-219.
- ^ Édouard Schuré (1891). "Paysages historiques de France: III. Les légendes de la Bretagne et le génie celtique". Revue des deux Mondes (106): 422-423.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b Boyd 2006
- ^ Matthieu Boyd, citant Léon Michaud d'Humiac (1903). Le roi Grallon : tragédie en cinq actes et sept tableaux, en vers. Librairie Molière.
- ^ a b Lord Frederick Hamilton, Sidney Daryl, George Roland Halkett et Charles Robert Morley (1906). "résultat de rech. « Malgven »". The Pall Mall Magazine. 38. George Routledge & Sons, Limited.
{{cite journal}}: no-break space character in|title=at position 20 (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Varin 1982
- ^ Jean Markale (1975). La tradition celtique en Bretagne armoricaine. Paris. p. 69.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Varin 1982
- ^ Yann Brékilien (1998). Les mythes traditionnels de Bretagne (in French). Paris. p. 23. ISBN 2-268-02946-8.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|isbn2=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|total_pages=ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Schuré 1908
- ^ Florian Le Roy (30 juillet 1928). "La ville d'Ys, nouvelle Atlantide, a-t-elle été engloutie par les eaux ?". L'Ouest-Éclair: 1.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Bancourt 2003
- ^ Schuré 1908
- ^ Le Roux & Guyonvarc'h 2000
- ^ Charles Guyot (1979). The legend of the City of Ys. Nottinghamshire County Council. p. 88. ISBN 0-87023-264-9.
- ^ Guyot 1926
- ^ Guyot 1926
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