New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-13


the children to a servant, with directions 10
abandon them in the forest. The man instead
OF executing the barbarous order was moved TO
leave the helpless babes at the mouth OF a grofto
in which lived venerable hermit The kind
hearted recluse received the children and took
care Of them for seven years. Lothoire return
ing to his realm, the wicked Queen-Fnothcr made
him believe that Elise had borne him seyep
dragons, which had Immediately flown away
Some years afterwards orc Of the seneschalx
Rudcmard, wandering in the forest. CHANGED on
10 the retreat OF the hermit, who gave him enter.
tainn,ent Rudemard the children with Nh.
Golden chains abont their necks, and on his re-
turn TO the palace told the Quecn-mothcr She
dispatched him in all haste 10 the grotto with
orders TO bring back the necklaces This h,
did. but no sooner had the chains been rc,noved
than the children were transformed into swans
The only one who retained her original form wa,
the girl. whose chain, for some reason, had beer
untouched. The six. brothers few of to m,
palace and alighted on the shores OF a small lake
Their sister followed and remained with her
brothers. covering then vita her tears and earess,s
The senescba, seeing her and being filed with
remorse for his share in the wlckedness, went
before the King and related the whole s,ory
Lothairc, who had suspected litIle Of the truth.
sent for his mother and compelled her TO confiss
her crime, and to restore the chains OF gold
These were thrown around the necks Of the swans
who instantly became relieved of their eBchant-
ment One necklace, however, had been de-
stroved. and one Of the brothers remained a swan
lie acted as the steed Of his brother Helms, the
Knight Of the Swan"
The fable of children changed into swans re-
vivcd in the pages Of Radicals, is undoubtedly Of
Germanc origin. The GemanO-Scandiaayian tra-
dition Of the VaIkyrs is especially familiar They
are represented in the ancient Skads as having
not only the power of flying, bat OF swimming
and living under water. Their iayorie meta
morphose was into the form OF swans. Nothing Oi
this kind appears in Greek or Roman mythology,
but is common in all Northern legends. IL
is difficult to determine exactly how
the Salkyr myth became introduced into
the history Of Godfrey OF Bouilon
ana the events of the first CrusIdes Certain it /,
that in the vast collection Of verses composed
during the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth CEN
turies relating 10 the conquest Of Antioch and
Jerusalem, il plays an important pirt. Apparently
il was applied 70 the origin Of Godfrey of DOuill0l
to fill up III graceful manner the sap IN MA
genealOgy 40 u az Scendcut % LOjhde. III y not
an uncommon proceeding Witl hsOOf'hhs-WAed
documentary evidence wanting - sdppiy the
deficiency with m terial Of their own.
Most of the poetry relating 10. the lrst Cru0d'6
drawn more or less from Gcrmanlc sources. lie
first monk ot SAINT Irond ana bus
original poems are lost. ihe second was pass
Of Raymond OF PoitIels, killed BY the Saracens ia
1886. lie was known as Richard The Pilgrim and
his poem, composed during The siege OF Antioch,
contains over 10000 verses. The name OF the
third poet has been lost with most Of his writing.
The fourth one also is unknown, put IL IS certain
that he lived in the last halt Of the fourteenth
! century and was the author OF great eple poem
| on the Knight Of the swan, and Godfrey Of
| Bouil!jon" This poem restored by Baron Reinen.
| berg, was published By the Belgian GovernmeAl
| in is46 There are also eXtaut various ancient
manuscripts relating to the legend. No less than
six different versions of the adventures oil henS
! are given , -.
of the thirteenth century has been TRANSLATED mug
| German English, Spanish, ltalian Flemish, ana
| even in modern Greek, Persian, Hebrew and
| Syriac Hans Audersen's beautiful story 0i Lllss
| and the Swans" is undoubtedly an adaptation OF
| the old legend. In this thirteenth-centnry Yer.
| sion, however, the names are not given. INC nc
characters are simply "a damsel," her motAeTl.-
law-who is a wicked fairy, and the OLD her mn
who received and cared for the children INC
poets of the Crusades naturally made religious aP
| plication OF the legend The necklaces OF golu
| or silver became talismans Of virtue and plety'
There was no fairy in their stories the SoTT,hs
| Queen is noble lady who married hlhg' lne
wicked mother Is called Matabrnne, ana hei 1 TT,
| yonna wife,s name is BeatriY IIeas the hnlSh'
of the Swan. is sometimes represented as oelng Wy
! original form lie was the most beautiful ana
vigorous of them oil. and the old hermit, with
whom he was the favorite had bestowed upon niIi
at baptism his own name. He was the one Whom
his mother had predicted would become the con-
oueror of the Holy City, He cared for his uD-
| happy brothers and sister for six wears ana al
length set out to Lillefort to svenge the injury
| done his mother BeatriX. Matabrune's chanpl9h
and old aocompIice is a wicked knight Macaire wht
boldly offers to establish the guilt Of eatrx In open
combat. OF course he is vanquished by llellas tne
! Oueen-mother is burned alive, and Macalre IS
| hanged Next Heias appears at the court Of
Nimegue. before the Emperor Of Germany, az tns
| moment when the widowed princess OF Bonllilon'
accompanied by her only son, is imploring him. 70
| assist her to regain her realm which Is occupied
by q usurper. The Emperor acknowledges the
Justice Of her cause, but he is not strong enough
to protect her, 20 become her champion men
appears in the distance white boat impelled oy q
| swan and at the same time are heard the bold
notes of the horn of Helias With glistening arm
lance in hand, sword by his side. with his horn
over his shoulder. be alights from the boat enters
salutes the Emperor, accepts the challenge OF The
Saxon usuper, offers TO defend the duchess. whom
he afterward marries. and thus becomes Duke o.
BOullion.