La chasse aux têtes dans quelques romans arthuriens en vers du xiiie siècle : vers une amplification de la violence ?

Abstract

Since the Joy of the Court of Erec and Enide, the motif of knight’s heads cut off and displayed on stakes appears regularly in theversified novels in the thirteenth century. Men’s heads, always cut by another knight, most often at the request of a lady or young lady to punish an offence, sexual fault or bankruptcy, or to prove to a lover her virile and martial value. But to this detour of the courteous love/prouess dyad are added beheadings without apparent motive, collections of heads initiated by men, or damsels who decapitate their prey themselves. What is the meaning of this motif in the Arthurian verse literature ? Is it still reminiscent of courtesy codes, or is it necessary to look for another definition ?

Keywords

• head
• headhunting
• violence
• versified novel
• knight
• lady