Lion de Bourges: Folios 101 – 110 (lines 19495-21444*)

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Due to misnumbering in Kipler edition, folio 101ra begins with 19494

After his victories, Lion organizes a reception for all who participated or helped with the tournament. Alis, Florie, Herpin and many others are present. When Alis gives Lion the golden crown, she cannot help but comment on the resemblance between Lion and her lord Herpin. During the conversation, Lion learns that Alis is his mother and that Herpin is his father. Lion tells them of his childhood, his stay in the den of the lioness, his youth at Monclin, and so forth. The tears flow everywhere, and to celebrate this reunion, all three spend the night in a large bed.

After a stay of four months with his parents at Haut-Lieu, Lion decides to leave in order to recover his rights at Bourges. From Magloire, he travels to Cyprus with the king Herpin, and then he sails to Coblence. From there, he travels through Germany, then the forest of Ardennes in which he finds a powerful castle. In this area, a hunchbacked dwarf takes down Lion, and as soon as the attack is finished, he takes refuge in the castle. Then, there is a giant that Lion must confront and whom he defeats. This giant is none other than Aubéron who had first attacked Lion as the hunchbacked dwarf. Aubéron invites Lion to stay in the enchanted castle, and it is there that our hero is comforted by Morgan la Fay, her brother Arthur as well as by the beautiful Gloriande.

Six years pass faster than six days and Lion forgets Bourges, Florantine and his kingdom of Sicily. It is the White Knight that intervenes to put Lion back on the track of Bourges. Before reaching the capital of Berry, he comes through Brabant, Hainaut and the town of Liège, and Paris where he finds Charlemagne who is tormented by the loss of his beautiful wife Honnorée, daughter of Guitequine de Dortmund. It is the magician Gombaut de Cologne that had taken her away from Charlemagne. At the same time, he also avenged himself of the defeat inflicted by Lion during the tournament, by killing Herpin de Bourges.

Before entering the city of Bourges, Lion is told who is currently ruling there: Fouqueret, representative of Charlemagne at Bourges, is practicing terrible acts on the inhabitants of Bourges. A spy alerts Fouqueret that a stranger, who speaks of Herpin, is in the city.

Fouqueret goes in person to the inn where Lion is staying and commands him to surrender in the name of the emperor. Lion defeats him in the name of Herpin de Bourges, and slaughters him with one blow of the sword as well as six of his men. The inhabitants of Bourges rush toward the unknown man, but the good Hermer and his fourteen sons stop them. Hermer lodges Lion and recalls the good times of the duke Herpin. Lion can no longer hide his origin and the reason for his arrival in Bourges.


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