Wolfram von Eschenbach's Willehalm and the Old French chanson de geste, La Bataille d'Aliscans, on which it was based, recount the tale of how Guillaume de'Orange eventually defeated the Saracens at the battle of Aliscans. This 1972 book examines Wolfram's use of his source material, concentrating on the episodes in which Rennewart figures. He discusses the theories about the original source of Rainouart in the French chansons de geste, and suggests that the figure sprang from traditional fairy tales, and was incorporated into the courtly cycle, in which he assorts rather oddly with the other characters, threatening to take over centre stage from the primary hero, Guillaume. He indicates the ways in which Wolfram made his poem a more consistent narrative by relegating Rennewart to his proper place, and giving him some of the courtly virtues expected of a hero by his audience. Finally, he considers whether Willehalm is a fragment.

Wolfram von Eschenbach (fl. c. 1195-1225), best known as the author of Parzival, based Willehalm, his epic poem of military prowess and courtly love, on the style and subject matter of an Old French chanson de geste. In it he tells of the love of Willehalm for Giburc, a Saracen woman converted to Christianity, and its consequences. Seeking revenge for the insult to their faith, her relatives initiate a religious war but are finally routed. Wolfram's description of the two battles of Alischanz, with their massive slaughter and loss of heroes, and of the exploits of Willehalm and the quasicomic Rennewart, well displays the violence and courtliness of the medieval knightly ideal. Wolfram flavors his brutal account, however, with tender scenes between the lovers, asides to his audience, sympathetic cameos of his characters—especially the women—and, most unusually for his time, a surprising tolerance for 'pagans'.

Wolfram von Eschenbach's Willehalm (c. 1210-20) is one of the great epic creations of the Middle Ages. Its account of conflict between Christian and Muslim cultures, centering on the warrior-saint Willehalm and his wife Gyburc, a convert from Islam, challenges the ideology of the Crusades. It celebrates the heroism, faith, and family solidarity of the Christians, but also displays the suffering of both sides in the war and questions the justification of all killing. Gyburc, whose abandonment of her Muslim family and conversion to Christianity are the immediate cause of the war, bears a double burden of sorrow, and it is from her that springs a vision of humanity transcending religious differences that is truly remarkable for its time. In Gyburc's heathen brother Rennewart and his love for the French king's daughter, Wolfram also develops a richly comic strand in the narrative, with the outcome left tantalizingly open by the work's probably unfinished conclusion. Long overshadowed by his earlier Parzival, Wolfram's Willehalm is increasingly receiving the recognition it deserves. The fifteen essays in this volume present new interpretations of a wide range of aspects of Willehalm. They place the work in its historical and literary context, promote understanding of its leading figures and themes, and highlight Wolfram's supreme qualities as a story-teller. Martin H. Jones is Senior Lecturer in German at King's College, London. Timothy McFarland is retired as Senior Lecturer in German at University College London.