King Horn
King Horn,the earliest surviving English verse romance, of about 1,500 lines, dating from about 1225 . The story is substantially the same as that of the later Horn Childe , concerning Horn, the son of the king and queen of Suddene, who is turned adrift by invading Saracens and falls in love with Rymenhild, the daughter of the king of Westernesse. Horn's companion Fikenhild betrays the lovers, has Hoorn banished to Ireland, and marries Rymenhild. After spectacular deeds of prowess in Ireland, Horn returns to Westernesse in disguise and makes himself known to Rymenhild. Then, having recovered his land of Suddene, he kills Fikenhild and marries Rymenhild who becomes his queen. The plot is over-elaborate and the style is rudimentary, but the romance is full of life and traditional motifs. Ed. in W. H. French , Essays on King Horn ( 1940 ); the three manuscripts are edited together in J. Hall's edition, King Horn ( 1901 ).
[The entire page is 159 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
