Артуровский аңызындағы "Керемет Белгісіз" жайында

Character in Arthurian legend

Gingalain Gingelein or Sir Gyngalyn/Gingalin (, Guinglan, Giglan , Wigalois, etc. ), also known as Le Bel Inconnu, or The Fair Unknown, is a character from Arthurian legend whose exploits are recorded in numerous versions of a popular medieval romance. He was not even told his name, and unbeknownst to him, he is son of Sir Gawain and the fay Blanchemal. The nameless youth arrives King Arthur's Court, and is granted a boon to be knighted. He earns the nickname "Fair Unknown", then accepts his main quest, to save the Princess/Queen of Gales (Wales), brought by the Welsh maidservant Hélie. He undergoes a number of side quests, including his succoring of the Maid of the White Hands, (, aka the enchantress of the Ile d'Or) who becomes his mistress, but he leaves abruptly in un chivalric manner to return to his main quest (at the city of Snowdon). He defeats the enchanter Mabon and accomplishes the "Fearsome Kiss" upon a serpent to dispel the transformation of the princess of Wales, after which a voice reveals to him his name, Guinglain, and his parentage. The princess discloses her name as Blonde Esmeree; she is Princess/Queen of Wales, and wishes to marry the hero. The Fair Unknown has a chance of reunion with White Hands, but when Arthur calls a tournament to entice him back, she helps by magically sending him to the joust, and he takes this to be a rejection. He is then married to Blonde Esmeree. His nickname differs depending on the version and language; he is known in Middle English as Libeaus Desconus.

The Old French form is actually Li Biaus Descouneüs compared with the Middle English poem's name "Libeaus Desconus". While "The Fair Unknown" may be the modern English translation of Li Biaus Descouneüs (modern ),

Guinglain is the later revealed Baptised name Schofield, whose works was most influential, also felt that a version of the Perceval/Peredur tale has been blended in. That BI had borrowed material from Erec et Enide as suggested by Mennung, and later extensively demonstrated by Schofield, is a point that is affirmed by recent authorities. The king sends out to discover the youth's name, but the youth cannot provide what he does not know, and he is given the nickname "Fair Unknown".). No knight seems willing, when the youth requests that his promised bonn be permission to accept this adventure. Arthur at first tries to dissuade, fearing it may be too dangerous, but relents, after enlisting the youth as a knights of his court. Helie however is unhappy with the choice of an unproven knight, "the worst rather than best". In the Middle English version, the messenger named Elene (Elaine) also complains that a child has been assigned to the task.

But the youth will have the chance to prove himself in a number of adversarial encounters and adventures before arriving at the main quest in Wales. In the journey, he will be accompanied by Helie, her dwarf, and the squire named Robert assigned to Bel Inconnu by the king. In his first enemy encounter, Bel Inconnu defeats the knight Blioblïeris who defends the Perillous Ford (Gue Perilleus), after which he is challenged by Blioblïeris's two (or three) cronies, including "Willaume de Salebrant". Refn|Brandsma gives "two cronies".

But the most significant of the side quests is his aiding The Maiden of the White Hands , foiling the plans of her unwanted suitor Malgier le Gris ("Malgier the Grey") by defeating and killing him. The victory earns him the title to this kingdom and claim to wed the Maid himself, and they are enamored of each other. Bel Inconnu overspends his time here in leisurely amorous idleness (recreantise), but leaves abruptly upon remembering his main quest/adventure, to complete his obligation to the Welsh princess. The Maiden of the White Hands is also called at one point "Lady of the White Hands" , whom he had succored earlier

After completing his main quest, he will have a chance to revisit the Pucelle to apologise for his abrupt departure after their initial acquaintance, and she will then reveal she had been aiding him all along using her magical powers.

Arriving in Wales, Bel Inconnu accomplishes the "Fearsome Kiss", namely, the ordeal of breaking an evil enchanter's spell by exchanging a "Kiss" with a serpent and causing it to transform back into a woman's form. This dispelling of the snake woman's curse is common to BI and LD, and also occurs in the second cantare of Carduino. In BI, the serpent or rather guivre (cog. wyvern) draws near and kisses him. who had been transformed by two magicians into the shape of a serpent with a woman's face. the hero's amour, Lady of the White Hands, aka Fairy of the Ile d'Or (cf. ), later reveals it was actually her own voice that informed him of his name, after he despatched the enchanter Mabon (cf. ). This is vaguely paralleled in the German Wig. version, according to some commentators, where the hero after fighting a dragon (unconnected with the enchanter), wakes from unconsciousness, finding himself stripped naked by robbers and not knowing his whereabouts, but is able to verify his own presence of mind, being able to recall that his mother was Queen Floriê of Syria and his father Gâwein. However, this he already knew, and this was not the moment of revelation.

The names of the female messengers and the enchanters imprisoning the ladies are also similar. The acceptance of the ordeal of the "Fearsome Kiss" is beseeched at the beginning of the tale by a female messenger arriving at Arthur's court, namely Hélie, the lady in waiting serving the princess Blonde Esmerée in BI the female messenger is named Elene in LD, and in both works she is accompanied by a dwarf. There are two men with power to cast and remove the serpent enchantment; in the BI, an elder brother named Mabon , and the younger, a knight named Evrain the Cruel (Evrains li Fier). In LD, the captors are named Mabon and Irain.

When Bel Inconnu rescues the princess and out of gratitude, she offers herself to him in marriage. But he had already been proposed marriage by the Maiden of the White Hands. Bel Inconnu is having his reunion with the Pucelle à Blanches Mains when King Arthur holds a tournament with the intent to lure Gingalain back to court—and to steer his decision of marriage more towards the newly crowned Queen of Wales. In joining the tournament, Gingalain would have to forfeit his love for Pucelle and never see her again. He decides to join the tournament regardless of the sacrifices he would have to make. Pucelle altruistically offers to aid him with her powers; she transports him out of her castle with a horse, a squire, and armour to be able to join the tournament. This magical send off by Blanches Mains is regarded by Bel Inconnu to be a gesture of final break up and rejection, and he winds up marrying Blonde Esmeree, as was arranged for him to do.

Although both women are enamored with the hero, the Fair Unknown's heart lies with Blanches Mains and he is only tepidly interested in Blonde Esmerée. But circumstances conspire otherwise. The Fair Unknown, having abruptly left Blanches Mains's company to tackle his main quest rescuing Blond Esmeree, is later reunited with Blanches Mains and is forgiven; but when Blanches Mains helps him with her magic to attend Arthur's tournament (cf. ), he interprets this as her jilting him, and accepts Arthur's design to keep him at his court, relenting to his matchmaking with Esmeree the Queen of Gales as wife. Yet the readership's expectation to grant Fair Unknown his requited love for the enchantress is addressed by the poet in the very end, in a tantalizing and frustrating manner, for he quip that he would be willing to compose such a sequel, if only his Fair Lady were to grant him with a "favorable glance (bel sanblant)". This "naughty ending" has disappointed modern critics, who even accused him of flippancy on a sober romantic theme. As for the Libeaus desconus, Schofield categorically pronounced "[LD] marries the disenchanted lady gladly. He has no desire for anyone else. Contrarily however, modern commentating explains that Chestre's Libeaus Desconus also dilly dallies (recreantiseRefn|name="recreantise"|Applied to Middle English LD by Price,

The heraldic device of Le Bel Inconnu is described as lion of ermine on field of azure colour, and this is observed to be an appropriation of the author's own Beaujeu (Bâgé) family coat of arms.