Stair Fortibrais ‘The story of Fortibras (Fierabras)’

  • Early Modern Irish
  • Medieval Irish literary adaptations
Irish adaptation of Fierabras, an Old French chanson de geste on a Saracen giant who chooses to become a Christian knight in the service of Charlemagne.
Title
Stair Fortibrais
‘The story of Fortibras (Fierabras)’

The manuscripts give no title, although the colophon at the end of the text calls it ‘sdair Serluis moir ag lenmainn coroinne Crist ⁊ taissi na naemh’ (“The story of Charlemagne following the crown of Christ and the relics of the saints”).(1)n. 1 Whitley Stokes, ‘The Irish version of Fierabras’, Revue Celtique 19 (1898): 380. The title Stair Fortibrais is a modern invention by Whitley Stokes, who used it in his edition of the text (details below).

Manuscripts
ff. 2r–18v
pp. 435b–456
A leaf is lost after p. 453; p. 456 is illegible.
Fragments, corresponding to §§ 117-136 and §§ 206-228 of Stokes' edition.
Language
  • Early Modern Irish
Date
14th or 15th century (Stokes)
Textual relationships
For another Irish adaptation belonging to the Charlemagne cycle, see Gabháltus Séarluis Mhóir (‘Charlemagne's conquest’).
Related: Gabháltus Séarluis MhóirGabháltus Séarluis Mhóir

Classification

Medieval Irish literary adaptationsMedieval Irish literary adaptations
...

Sources

Notes

Whitley Stokes, ‘The Irish version of Fierabras’, Revue Celtique 19 (1898): 380.

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[ed.] [tr.] Stokes, Whitley [ed. and tr.], “The Irish version of Fierabras”, Revue Celtique 19 (1898): 14–57, 118–167, 252–291, 364–393.
Internet Archive – 14: <link>, <link> Internet Archive – 118: <link>, <link> Internet Archive – 252: <link>, <link> Internet Archive – 364: <link>, <link>
Based on Egerton 1781, with variants from Laud Misc. 610 and TCD 1298.
Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen
Page created
April 2012, last updated: June 2024