Author: Sharon Rowley, Department of English, Christopher Newport University - Academia.edu

Abstract: »This essay examines patterns involving challenge, single combat, substitutions, paternity, sovereignty, tree symbolism and raptus in the Middle English Breton lays Sir Orfeo and Sir Degaré, through the lens of Frazer's The Golden Bough, and specifically his account of the cult of Diana Nemorensis. Re-examining these much-studied motifs in the context of the 'rite of Nemi', this paper sheds new light on some lingering puzzles such as the ympe-tre, Heurodis' name and abduction, along with the king's exile and restoration in Sir Orfeo, and the forest grove(s), challenges, violence and substitutions in Sir Degaré,. In these poems, elements of the paradigm repeat and vary in compelling ways, suggesting that this symbolic web of literary and narrative elements was symbolically meaningful and structurally effective for Middle English poets exploring themes of identity, sovereignty, sexuality, and death.« (Source: Études Épistémè)

Wikipedia: History of Europe: History of England / England in the Late Middle Ages | Literature: English literature / Middle English literature | Literature: Rape in fiction / Sir Degaré, Sir Orfeo | Sex and the law: Rape / History of rape