Forest as inspiration for literature created at the court of Henry II Plantagenet
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Abstract
Forest as inspiration for literature created at the court of Henry II Plantagenet
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the ambivalent attitude of courtly poets attached to the court of Henry II Plantagenet, towards the symbolism of the forest. Their fascination with Celtic myths and legends emphasizing the otherwordly, pre-Christian nature of the woods, results in their conscious effort to turn the forest into a kind of antithesis for the orderly world of courtly culture. Thus, the forest, inhabited by devilish fairies, and various half-human, half-animal creatures, serves as a refuge for old, pagan cults. Elements of Celtic beliefs, however, intermingle with early Christian tradition presenting wilderness as desert, creating in effect, an interesting synthesis of both Christian and pre-Christian motifs. Thus, the forest is also presented as a shelter for hermits who seek solitude to fight with the fiend and to regain that devilish territory for God. Finally, one cannot forget about the role of the forest as a structural device of the chivalric adventure story, and about its role as a place of refuge for unhappy lovers.