Velmi utěšená a kratochvílná historie o krásné panně Mageloně, dceři krále z Neapolis, a o jednom rytíři jménem Petrovi, znamenitého hraběte z Provincí synu (The Delightful and Entertaining Story of the Beautiful Young Maiden Maguelone, Daughter of the King of Naples, and of a certain Knight called Peter, the Son of the Distinguished Count of Provence) printed anonymously in Olomouc in 1780, is one of those works into which literary science has hitherto scarcely ever inquired. It is nevertheless a text with a very long and complex genesis. We can follow its development from a medieval French tale of love, via a German adaptation to an early modern Czech popular prose romance. In the story of Maguelone, close attention is paid, as the very title suggests, to the main heroine, which is also a theme which in research into older Czech literature has been hitherto rather neglected. In the present thesis, we focus therefore on the analysis of this character. In particular, we try to show how the way she is portrayed is significantly influenced by the medieval conception of courtly literature, despite the fact that courtly epic literature is not otherwise particularly well documented in literature written in Czech and left no particularly rich tradition behind it. Key words: courtly love, courtly literature,...

This dissertation investigates the links between Chrétien de Troyes’ romance Le Chevalier au lion from the late twelfth century and the Old Swedish text Herr Ivan, written at the behest of Queen Eufemia of Norway at the beginning of the fourteenth century. The study has two parts. The first sets out to determine the sources of the Swedish text: Was Le Chevalier au lion really the source text of Herr Ivan? The second part raises the question of what happened to the courtly ideals that characterize the French romance when they were transferred into Swedish. The analysis of the question concerning the sources of Herr Ivan confirms that Le Chevalier au lion was the translator’s main source, while the Old Norse version Ívens saga, from the middle of the thirteenth century, was used as a secondary source. The relationship between Le Chevalier au lion, Ívens saga and Herr Ivan is examined through a comparison of the three texts: the choice of verse or prose, the role of prologues and epilogues, and the use of the voice of a narrator and of direct and indirect discourse. Four specific passages are compared at a micro-level. By comparing Herr Ivan to its sources, it becomes clear that the Swedish translator wanted to stress certain courtly ideals by presenting a distinct and coherent interpretation of what Chrétien de Troyes refers to as courtoisie. This indicates that the function of the text was to present a set of ideological and aesthetic values. The analysis of the transmission of courtly ideals takes its point of departure in the uses of the French word courtois and the Swedish equivalent hövisker. As a next step, three elements intimately linked to courtliness are examined: aventure, gaieté and honneur. Also the different roles played by the lion are highlighted. Finally, it is shown how the courtly ideals of Herr Ivan can be read in the light of the other Old Swedish texts written at the behest of Queen Eufemia: Hertig Fredrik av Normandie and Flores och Blanzeflor.