Le rey Artus, texte occitan du xviiie siècle

Abstract

Le Rey Artus is an unpublished verse text in Occitan printed at the very start of the 18th century. The only known copy is preserved in the folders of the sénéchaussée of Lauragais at the departmental archive of Aude. This text is an example of the legendary hunt of king Arthur, also called wild hunt or flying huntsman, with no explicit reference to medieval literature. It is one of the oldest known appearances of this popular belief in the Occitan speaking world. The main body of the text apparently narrates a series of hunts, although it actually plays on the metaphorical association of hunting and sex. The interpretation of the text is still unclear. It seems that it could have been produced by a group of villains and gunmen who may have inspired terror in the area of Castelnaudary, particularly through rape. The quality of the writing is all the more surprising.

Keywords

• poetry
• Occitan
• king Arthur
• trial
• Lauragais
• flying huntsman