King's Cross

Old French Tales from Brittany

Marie de France: The Story of Guigemar

12th century, Old French: British Library, Bibliothèque Nationale Paris.

The deer lay very badly hurt; but incredibly, the arrow bounced off the deer’s skull, flew back through the air as though from another bow and transfixed Guigemar through the thigh.

'Guigemar returned to Brittany for a few weeks, to visit his parents and his sister, and the desire came upon him one day to go hunting. Knights were gathered and they all went off into the forest where they were very soon able to unleash their dogs at a large deer. In the ensuing tumult, Guigemar found himself left behind when suddenly, he came across a snow-white hind in a thicket. Letting the rest of the hunt go on ahead, he shot an arrow towards the animal as it bolted, having been startled from its refuge. The shaft flew through the air and hit the creature on the front of the head, knocking it to the forest floor where it lay very badly hurt; but incredibly, the arrow bounced off the deer’s skull, flew back through the air as though from another bow and transfixed Guigemar through the thigh, pinning his leg to his horse. Guigemar dismounted and, bleeding profusely, limped and fell beside the creature which lay fatally injured on the ground.'

'There must be a good reason why the arrow that Guigemar shot at the deer ends up turning around a hundred and eighty degrees and wounding him,' said Miranda. 'It doesn't sound like the sort of thing that would be written into a story like this without a reason.'

'Maybe in some strange sort of way the deer and Guigemar are to be taken to be one and the same,' replied Quintin. 'Perhaps it is the deer that dies from this wound and Guigemar who returns to this district from an Otherworld later in the story, returns from the harbour of the lady who heals him of this wound. Returns in the same black boat that carried him to her, one bearing only a bed draped in silk and with lighted candles at its prow.'