Erec and Enide

Erec and Enide is a book-length poem written by French poet Chrétien de Troyes around the year 1170. The poem is one of Chrétien’s series of so-called Arthurian romances—a genre of poem in the Middle Ages that told the stories of the individuals associated with King Arthur’s court. His poems are among the earliest to refer to King Arthur and his knights, and Erec and Enide focuses on the adventures of the knight Erec. This guide follows Ruth Harwood Cline’s translation of Erec and Enide published by University of Georgia Press in 2000.

Plot Summary

Erec and Enide opens with King Arthur announcing a ceremonial hunt of a white stag on Easter. During the hunt, the knight Erec accompanies Queen Guinevere and her maiden, and the party encounters a mysterious knight in the woods. Erec leaves the queen to pursue the knight, following him to a far-off castle. There, Erec is hosted by a poor nobleman who has a beautiful daughter, known as Enide. The nobleman tells Erec that the unknown knight is visiting the town to participate in a challenge for a prized sparrow hawk. Erec vows to challenge the unknown knight in the name of the nobleman’s beautiful daughter.