Libeaus Desconus is a 14th-century Middle English version of the popular "Fair Unknown" story, running to about around 2,200 lines, attributed to Thomas Chestre.[2][3] It is a version or an adaptation of Renaut de Beaujeu's Le Bel Inconnu (6,266 lines)[4] though comparatively much shorter.
The story matter displays strong parallels to that of ; both versions describe the adventures of Gingalain, the son of King Arthur's knight Gawain and a fay who raises him ignorant of his parentage and his name. As a young man, he visits Arthur's court to be knighted, and receives his nickname; in this case Sir Libeaus Desconus, before setting forth on a series of adventures which consolidate his new position in society. He eventually discovers who his father is, and marries a powerful lady.
Other versions of the story include the Middle High German romance Wigalois (c. 1204–1210) by Wirnt von Gravenberc and the 14th-century Italian epic Carduino. The "Fair Unknown" story has parallels in the tale of La Cote Male Taile, Chrétien de Troyes's Conte du Graal, and Sir Thomas Malory's Tale of Sir Gareth from Le Morte d'Arthur.
- ^ Weston tr. (1902).
- ^ Mills ed. (1969) Lybeaus Desconus. Oxford University Press for the Early English Text Society. 302 pp.
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