ABSTRACT
The Chanson des Chétifs is an intriguing text which sits at the heart of the Old French Crusade Cycle. It follows immediately after the (relatively) realistic account of the siege and battle of Antioch in the Chanson d’Antioche, and leads to the similar rigours recounted in the Chanson de Jérusalem. In contrast to its companion texts it tells a fanciful tale featuring a dragon inhabited by a devil, a lubricious Saracen lady not in the first flush of youth, a child kidnapped by wild animals then robbers, and more besides. The heroes are the band of knights taken prisoner at the start of the Crusade at Civetot in the disastrous defeat of Peter the Hermit’s army. The story undoubtedly provides some fantasy and light relief in the midst of slaughter, siege and starvation. But there is more to it than meets the eye.
