Sir Orfeo
A king of Winchester who is the finest harper alive sleeps out under a grafted tree at noon and is warned by a crowned rider that his queen will be taken from that spot in a day, whatever guard he sets. He hands his kingdom to his steward, walks into the wilderness with only his harp, and after ten years sees a hunting party crossing the heath. The Greek story relocated to an English forest and a Celtic fairy court, in the Breton lay form Marie de France had made current.
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Lineage
- retells ↑ Orpheus and Eurydice
- influenced by ↑ The Lais of Marie de France
Attributes
Archetype (Jung / Campbell)
Hero's Journey (Campbell)
Emotional arc (story shape)
Quest object (Greimas)
ATU tale type
Symbol / motif
Conflict
Culture / tradition
Closest analogues
- 45% · 12 shared
- 44% · 15 shared
- 44% · 12 shared
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- 41% · 12 shared