Chapter 61 [part 5 of 5]

[How, in the heat of battle, Amadis broke his sword and discovered that Ardan’s sword rightly belonged to him.]

[Detail of Mâlain Castle, Burgundy, France. Photo by Christophe.Finot.] 

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When Oriana saw Amadis injured and bleeding, her heart could stand no more. She left the window in great anguish, sat on the floor, and beat her face with her hands, believing that her beloved was close to death. Mabilia’s heart was heavy to see her hurt herself, and she made Oriana return to the window, angrily telling her how at this hour and in this danger she could not forsake her beloved. Since Oriana could not bear to watch him in such dire straits, Mabilia had her turn her back so that her beloved could gain courage and spirit by seeing her beautiful hair.

At this time, one of the judges, Brandoivas, said:

“I feel very worried about Amadis, for I see that his arms and shield are failing him.”

“So it seems to me,” said Sir Grumedan, “which gives me great sorrow.”

“My lords,” Cuadragante said, “I tested Amadis when he fought with me and found him to be so valiant and with such fire that it always seemed that his strength kept doubling. Of all the knights I have seen, he is the one who knows best how to pace himself and has the most endurance. I see him now with all his strength intact, but not so with Ardan Canileo, who is growing steadily weaker. If there is one thing that hurts Amadis, it is not Canileo but his haste, for if he waited, he would make his opponent follow him and Canileo’s great weight would tire him, but Amadis’s great spirit will not let him rest.”

Oriana and Mabilia, who heard this, felt greatly comforted. But Amadis, who had seen his lady leave the window and then had not seen her again, thought that she had left mourning for him, and he went with great fury at Ardan Canileo. He held his sword tight in his hand and struck with all his strength on the top of his head. The mighty blow left Ardan stunned, and he dropped one knee to the ground. But because the blow was so great and the helmet so strong, Amadis’s sword broke into three parts, and the smallest piece remained in his hand. Then the fear of death entered him and all those who watched.

When Ardan Canileo saw this, he stepped back in the field, took his shield by its handles, waved his sword, and said to Amadis, shouting loud enough for all to hear:

“Thou seest here the very good sword that to thy harm thou hadst won. Look well at this, for by it thou shalt die.” Then he shouted, “Come out, come out to the window, my lady Madasima, and see the beautiful vengeance that I shall give you, and how I have won it by my prowess in a way that no other man who loved you could have done.”

When Madasima heard this, she was forlorn and threw herself at the feet of the Queen to ask her for mercy and to defend her from him, which she did for good reason, for Ardan had promised to kill or defeat Amadis before a man could walk half a league, and if he did not do so, she should never grant him her love. By that time more than four hours had passed, as she could see.

The Queen told her:

“I hear what ye say and shall do what is just.”

Amadis, when he realized that his armor was in pieces and he had no sword, remembered what Urganda had said, that he would give half the world, if it were his, to have his sword thrown into a lake. He looked at the window where Oriana was, and saw her back, he understood that his ill fortune had caused her to turn away. Great courage grew in him and he put his entire life at risk, preferring to die than to fail to do all he could.

He came at Ardan Canileo as if he meant to attack. Ardan raised the sword and waited for him. When Amadis neared, Ardan tried to strike him, but Amadis dodged and made him miss. Then Amadis came close, and before Ardan could raise his sword halfway up, he grabbed the central boss of his shield so hard that he pulled it from his arm and threw him on the ground.

Amadis stepped back, put the shield on his arm, and picked up the piece of an iron-tipped lance from the ground in front of him. He then faced Ardan, protected by his shield. Ardan, furious at having lost his shield, charged at him and tried to strike him on the top of his helmet. Amadis raised the shield and took the blow with it, and although it was very strong and of fine steel, the sword sunk through its center fully three fingers deep.

Amadis struck Ardan with the piece of the lance on the right arm just above his hand and thrust half the iron between the two long bones. This made Ardan lose his strength so that he could not pull the sword from the shield, and Amadis took it away with the shield. Whether this made Amadis happy and content is not to be questioned or said. Then he threw the piece of the lance very far away and took the sword from the shield, praising God for the mercy He had done.

Mabilia, who was watching, took Oriana by the hands and made her turn to see her beloved win a great victory and overcome the great danger he had been in. Amadis charged at Ardan Canileo, who felt weak to see his death approaching. He thought he could find no refuge or help, so he tried to take the shield from Amadis in the same way Amadis had done. But Amadis, when he saw him close, struck a blow on his right shoulder that cut through his armor and sank deeply into his flesh and bones.

When Ardan saw that he had lost the use of his arm, he fled across the field in terror of the sword. But Amadis chased him and saw that he was tired and confused. He grabbed his helmet so roughly that he made Ardan fall at his feet and pulled the helmet from his head. Amadis came over him while he was kneeling and cut off his head.

This brought great joy to all, especially King Arban of North Wales and Angriote d’Estravaus, who had suffered great anguish and pain when they saw Amadis in difficulty, as ye have heard.

When this was done, Amadis took the head and threw it outside of the field, then dragged the body to a peak and cast it into the sea. He cleaned the blood from his sword and put it in his scabbard. The King immediately ordered him to be given a horse, on which he rode to his lodging, having suffered many wounds and lost much blood, and he was accompanied by many knights.

But first he had King Arban of North Wales and Angriote d’Estravaus released from their cruel imprisonment, and he took them with him. He sent King Arban of North Wales to Queen Brisena, his aunt, who had left a request for him at his lodging. Both he and his loyal friend Angriote were given medical treatment, Amadis for his wounds and Angriote for the whippings and other injuries he had suffered in prison.

There they were visited by the knights and the ladies and damsels of court with much love, and Amadis by his cousin Mabilia, who brought the true medicine with which his heart could be strengthened and send the other smaller injures the health that they needed.
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Chapter 61 [part 4 of 5]

[How Amadis prepared and the battle began, but his sword was no match Ardan Canileo’s.] 

[A relic on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s Ecclesiastical Treasury in Vienna. In real medieval life, reliquaries and magic weapons were prohibited in fights like these. Photo by Sue Burke.] 
 
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Amadis took the King aside, away from the other knights, and said:

“My lord, know that I have lost my sword, which I did not discover until now, and only the scabbard remains.”

The King was very troubled by that and told him:

“Although I have promised and upheld never to give my sword to any knight in my court who was fighting one-on-one, I shall give you it now, in consideration of the great confrontations that ye have been placed in while in my service.”

“My lord,” Amadis said, “may it not please God that I, who must support and keep your pledge, make ye break it, for ye have made that promise before many noblemen.”

Tears came to the King’s eyes, and he said:

“Ye are such that ye maintain all that is just and loyal. But what shall ye do, if ye cannot have that fine sword?”

“I have the sword with which I was launched into the sea,” he said, “which Sir Guilan brought here and the Queen ordered to be kept. With it and with your prayers to our Lord, which will be worth much before Him, I shall be aided.”

Then he tried the other sword in the scabbard and it fit well, although a little smaller. The King was pleased by that because Amadis could bring the scabbard with him, which had the virtue of protecting him from great heat and cold because it was made from dragons’ bones, although that sword was nowhere near as good as the other one.

And so they spent the day until it was time to sleep, and all those knights of whom ye have heard placed their arms around the King’s bed.

But I tell you that in Ardan Canileo’s tents that night, he and all his people held a party and danced and sang, playing many kinds of musical instruments, and at the end of the songs, they all shouted:

“Come, morning, come and bring the bright day, because Ardan Canileo shall fulfill his promise to the very beautiful Madasima.”

But fortune was contrary to this in a different way than they thought.

Amadis lay that night in the King’s bed, but sleep did not come to his aid, and so at midnight he got up without saying a word and went to the chapel, woke the chaplain, and confessed all his sins. They both prayed before the altar of the Virgin Mary, asking Her to be his advocate in the battle.

When dawn came, the King arose as did the knights whom ye have heard tell of, and they heard Mass. Knights who knew the task well armed Amadis. But before he put on his chain mail, Mabilia came and put some relics in gold cases around his neck, saying that his mother, the Queen, had sent them with the Damsel of Denmark. But that was not so, for Queen Elisena had given them to Amadis when she learned he was her son, and he had given them to Oriana when he rescued her from Arcalaus and the men who were carrying her away.

When he was armed, they brought him a handsome horse that Corisanda had sent to Sir Florestan with other gifts. Sir Florestan carried his lance, Sir Guilan his shield, and Sir Bruneo his helmet. The King came on a fine horse with his scepter in his hand.

And know that all the people of the court and the town were around the field to watch the battle, and the ladies and damsels were in the windows, and the beautiful Oriana and Mabilia stood in a window of their chamber, and Briolanja and Madasima and other princesses were with the Queen.

When Amadis arrived at the field, they raised a chain. He entered and took his arms, and when he had to put on his helmet, he looked at his lady Oriana, and such great courage came to him that it seemed that nothing in the world could help him with equal strength. Then the judges entered the field who had to be arbiters for each knight. There were three of them: the fine old Sir Grumedan, who knew much about such things, and Sir Cuadragante, who was a vassal of the King, and Brandoivas.

Then Ardan Canileo arrived, well-armed on a fine horse, wearing very thick mail and carrying a shield and helmet of such clean bright steel that they shone like a sparkling mirror. He wore Amadis’s very good sword, which the damsel had stolen, and carrying a thick lance, waving it so hard that it seemed as if he wanted to break it. That was how he came onto the field.

When Oriana saw this, she said with great sorrow:

“Oh, my friends, how angry and fearsome comes my death, if God in his great mercy does not help him!”

“My lady,” Mabilia said, “leave that and put on a good face, because with it ye shall give strength to your beloved.”

Then Grumedon took Amadis and placed him at one end of the field, and Brandoivas put Ardan Canileo at the other, with their horses facing each other. Sir Cuadragante waited in the middle with a bugle in his hand, and the knights could charge when he played it.

Amadis, looking at his lady, shouted:

“What is Cuadragante doing that he does not sound the bugle?”

Cuadragante immediately played it, and the knights had their horses gallop, and they struck their lances on each others’ shields so bravely that they were immediately broken. They ran into each other, and Ardan Canileo’s horse fell over its neck and immediately died. Amadis’s had a shoulder broken and could not arise.

But Amadis, with his very spirited heart, got up immediately, although with difficulty, because a bit of the lance had passed through his shield and up the sleeve of his chain mail without touching his flesh. He took it out, put his hand on his sword, and went at Ardan Canileo, who had gotten up with great effort and was straightening his helmet. When he saw his situation, he put his hand on his sword and went to attack so bravely that no man who saw them was not very frightened, for his blows were so fierce and so fast that the sparks flying from the helmets and the swords made them seem to be on fire.

Even more like fire was the shield of Ardan Canileo, for it was steel and the blows of Amadis were so hard that the shield and his arm seemed to be burning in live flames. But its great strength protected Ardan’s flesh from being cut. This was to Amadis’ mortal peril, for his armor was not as strong and Ardan had one of the best swords in the world, so he struck no blow that did not cut armor and flesh. In many places Amadis’s armor was stained with blood and his shield was almost ruined.

Meanwhile Amadis’s sword could not cut through Ardan Canileo’s armor, which was very strong, but while his chain mail was thick and heavy, it had been cut in more than ten places, and from each one of them blood flowed fast. What helped Amadis the most at that time was the great agility with which he dodged most of his opponents blows, although Ardan had much experience in fighting and knew well how to attack with his sword.

In that peril as ye hear, they continued, delivering many great and harsh blows until the third hour of the day, toiling with their arms and hands so fiercely that Ardan became very afraid, for he had never found a knight so strong nor a giant so brave that they could resist his valor. And what made this battle harder was that he found his enemy growing more agile and stronger than he had been at the beginning, while he was growing more tired and weak and covered with blood.

Then Madasima realized he would fail in what he had promised, and Amadis would win in less time than it would take to walk a half-league. This did not trouble her, nor that Ardan Canileo would lose his head there, because at this point she thought she would rather lose all her lands than find herself yoked to that man in marriage.

The knights attacked with many great and powerful blows on all sides where they could do the most harm, and each one tried to bring the other to death. With his great agility and endurance, if Amadis had borne a better sword, the other knight could not have maintained himself in the field. Yet Amadis did everything he could and labored as hard as he could, for he was fighting a mighty and elusive knight at arms. By then all his armor was broken and his shield destroyed, and his flesh cut in many places from which blood flowed freely.
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Chapter 61 [part 2 of 5]

[How Amadis lost his sword, and what the knight Ardan Canileo was like.] 

[Entrance to the home of the Marquis of Quintana in Segovia, Spain, 15th century. Carvings of fifteen helmets surround the doorway, and above it is the shield of the Heredia-Peralta family, held by two wild men. The building is currently the Segovia Conservatory of Music. Photo by Sue Burke.] 

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When this was done, Amadis brought the damsel to his lodging, which he should not have done even in exchange for the best castle his father had. To do her more honor, he placed her and her two squires in a room where Gandalin kept all his arms and armor and finery. The damsel, looking around, saw Amadis’s sword, which seemed very unusual, and she told her squires and the others who were there to leave and let her be alone for a moment.

Thinking that she wished to do some necessity of nature that could not be avoided, they left her. She closed the door, took the sword, and left the sheath and belt arranged so that it would not seem like it was missing, then put it beneath a thick fur that she had brought that was unusually long. She opened the door, and the squires entered, and she put the sword beneath one of their cloaks and ordered him to take it by stealth to their launch, and told him:

“Bring me my drinking cup, and they will think that ye are going for that.”

The squire did so. Then Amadis and Branfil entered the room and had her sit on an estrado, and Amadis told her:

“My lady, tell us when Madasima will arrive tomorrow, if ye please.”

“She shall come before dinner,” she said, “but why do ye ask?”

“Good lady,” he said, “because we will to go meet her and provide her every possible pleasure and service, for if she has received some affront from me, I shall try to make amends by doing what she may wish.”

“If ye do not go back on what ye have promised,” she said, “and Ardan Canileo is the same as he has always been since he took up arms, ye can make amends by giving her your head, since anything else would not be worth much.”

“I will avoid this if I can, but if I can please her any other way, I shall gladly do that to achieve her pardon, but someone else would need to arrange it who wishes it more than ye do.”

With that they left and let Enil and others serve her. But she was so eager to leave that all the many delicacies they brought only annoyed her, and as soon as the tablecloths were raised, she rose and said to Enil:

“Knight, tell Amadis that I am leaving, and he should know that everything he did for me was wasted.”

“May God help me,” Enil said, “the way ye are, I think that anything done to please you would be wasted.”

“Be that as it may,” she said, “I am little taken by you and less by him.”

“Ye may be sure,” Enil said, “that being such a discourteous damsel as ye are, neither he nor I nor anyone else could make you content.”

With these words the damsel left, and she went to the ship feeling very happy because she had the sword. There, she told Ardan Canileo and Madasima that their message had been delivered, the time of the battle had been set, and she brought guarantees from the King so they could land without any concern.

Ardan Canileo thanked her sincerely for what she had done, and said to Madasima:

“My lady, do not consider me a knight if ye do not leave here with honor and with your land free. If I do not give you Amadis’s head before a man, no matter how fast, could walk half a league, do not give me your love.”

She was quiet and said nothing, for however much she wished to get avenge her father’s and brother’s deaths on he who had killed them, by no way in the world could she see herself united with Ardan Canileo, for she was beautiful and noble, and he was more ugly and disfigured and repugnant than anyone she had ever seen. It was her mother’s wish and not her own to have Ardan Canileo defend their land, and it was her mother’s wish that if he avenged the death of her husband and son, she would have him marry Madasima and would leave him all her land.

Since this Ardan Canileo was a noteworthy knight of great worldly fame for his deeds at arms, this story should tell you where he was from, and of the appearance of his body and face, and other things about him. Know that he was born in a province called Canileo and was of giants’ blood, for there were more giants there than in other places, and while his body was not unusually large, he was taller than any other man who was not a giant.

He had heavy limbs, broad shoulders, and a thick neck, and his hands and legs were in proportion. His face was large with a flat, canine-like nose, and for that resemblance he was called Canileo. His nose was flat, wide, reddish, and covered with thick black freckles, which were also sown on his face, hands, and neck, and he had a rough appearance somewhat like a lion. His lips were thick and turned, and his hair and beard so curly they could hardly be combed.

He was thirty-five years old and since he was twenty-five, he had never found a knight or giant, no matter how strong they were, who could defeat him hand-to-hand or in any other test of courage. But he was so big-boned and so heavy that hardly any horse could be found that could carry him. This is what that knight looked like.

And when, as ye have heard, he promised the head of Amadis to the beautiful Madasima, the giant damsel told him:

“My lord, we should rightly place our hope on you in this battle, since fortune shows itself to be on your side and not on your enemy’s. Ye see here that I bring you his precious sword, and it is no mystery that nothing could be a greater advantage to you and greater disadvantage to him.”

Then she put it in his hand and told him how she got it. Ardan took it and said:

“I thank you deeply for the gift that ye bring me, more for the good means by which ye have gotten it than out of any fear that I have in fighting one lone knight.”

Then he ordered tents to be taken from the ship and had them erected in a field alongside the town, where they all went with their horses and palfreys, bringing the arms of Ardan Canileo and expecting that the next day they would be before King Lisuarte and Queen Brisena, his wife. There Ardan felt very happy to have the battle arranged for two reasons: first, because without any doubt he expected to take the head of Amadis, who was so renowned in the world, and all his glory would become Canileo’s; second, because with Amadis’s death he would win the beautiful Madasima, whom he loved so much, and that made him proud and lofty and fearless. And thus they waited in their tents for word from the King.

Amadis, in turn, was in his lodging with many knights of high means that were always with him, and all them greatly dreaded the battle, which they considered so dangerous that they feared he might lose. At this time Agrajes, Sir Florestan, Galvanes the Landless, and Sir Guilan the Pensive arrived, who knew nothing about this because they had been out hunting in the forest. When they learned the battle had been set, they complained because more knights would not be involved so that they could enter it. The one most passionate about it was Sir Guilan, who had heard it said many times that this Ardan Canileo was stronger and mightier than anyone else in the world. Sir Guilan was sorry because he believed that in no way could Amadis survive in a one-on-one fight, and he deeply wished he could be in that battle with Amadis if it were possible and have the same fate as him.

Sir Florestan, who burned with anger, said:

“May God save me, my lord brother, ye must hold me as nothing, nor as a knight, nor love me, for ye did not think of me, and ye show that ye do not think I can protect you, for ye have left me out of this danger.”

Agrajes and Sir Galvanes also complained bitterly.

“My lords,” Amadis said, “do not complain nor feel hurt and blame me over this, because only I was called for in this battle and because of me it was sought, and so I could not respond in any other fashion without showing weakness other than accepting it. If there were some other way, who would I have to help me and aid me except you? Your great courage always encourages me when I am put in danger.”

And so as ye hear those knights forgave Amadis, and he told them:

“It would be good if we mounted before the King leaves and receive Madasima, who is much esteemed by all who know her.”

And so they passed that night speaking about what they enjoyed most.
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