Jean Bodel (c. 1165 – c. 1210), also spelled Jehan Bodel, was an

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

poet who wrote a number of '' chansons de geste'' as well as many fabliaux">chanson de geste">chansons de geste'' as well as many fabliaux. He lived in Arras">fabliaux.html" ;"title="chanson de geste">chansons de geste'' as well as many fabliaux">chanson de geste">chansons de geste'' as well as many fabliaux. He lived in Arras.

Writings

Bodel wrote ("Song of the Saxons") about the war of King

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

with the Saxon people, Saxons and their leader Widukind, whom Bodel calls ''Guiteclin''. He also wrote a miracle play called the '':fr:Le Jeu de saint Nicolas, Le Jeu de saint Nicolas'' ("The Play of Saint Nicolas"), which was probably first performed in

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

on 5 December 1200. Set in the middle of an epic battle between Christians and Muslims, the play tells the story of a good Christian who escapes the battle and is found praying to a statue of Saint Nicolas by the Muslim forces. The Muslim leader decides to test the saint by unlocking the doors to his treasury and leaving the statue as a guardian, stipulating that if anything were stolen the Christian would forfeit his life. Three thieves attempt to steal the treasure, but Saint Nicolas stops them. As a result, the Muslim ruler and his entire army convert to Christianity. Like another French miracle play from the same time period, '' Le Miracle de Théophile'', ''Le Jeu de saint Nicolas'' contains an invocation to the Devil in an unknown language:Discussed in: Grillot de Givry, ''Witchcraft, Magic & Alchemy'', Courier Dover Publications, 1971, p. 109. ::''Palas aron ozinomas'' ::''Baske bano tudan donas'' ::''Geheamel cla orlay'' ::''Berec hé pantaras tay'' Bodel was the first person of record to classify the legendary themes and literary cycles known to

medieval literature Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages (that is, the one thousand years from the fall of the Western Roman Empire ca. AD 500 to the beginning of t ...

into the "Three Matters". His epic La Chanson de Saisnes ("Song of the Saxons") contains the line: ''Ne sont que III matières à nul home antandant,'' ''De France et de Bretaigne et de Rome la grant.'' "There are but three matters for the understanding man: Of France, and of Britain, and of great Rome." *the " Matter of Rome", or retellings of stories from

classical antiquity Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural History of Europe, European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the inter ...

*the "

Matter of Britain The Matter of Britain (; ; ; ) is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the list of legendary kings of Britain, legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Art ...

", concerning

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

and related topics *the " Matter of France", concerning

and his paladins Bodel contracted

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

in 1202 or 1205, and entered a

leprosarium A leper colony, also known by #Names, many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy. ''Mycobacterium leprae, M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believ ...

. He then wrote a long farewell, ''"Les Congés"'', his most personal and touching work.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bodel, Jean 1160s births 1210 deaths People from Arras 12th-century French poets French male poets