A fragmentary chanson de geste, dating from the end of the 11th c. The surviving 661 octosyllabic lines relate, in parallel laisses punctuated by refrain-like quatrains generating an incantatory rhythm, the attempts of vassals of Louis to kill the pagan king, Gormont. Victory is achieved by the emperor himself at the cost of his own life, and interest then passes to the fate of the renegade Isembart, who repents when fatally wounded. This extremely archaic poem evokes the Viking invasions (Gormont, ‘King of Cirencester’, fights on foot) and exploits such folk motifs as the magical dwarf and the father-son duel. The 13th-c. Chronique rimée of Philippe Mousket assimilates the poem to the Revolt Cycle [see Doon de Mayence].
[Philip Bennett]
