Introducing the Lovely Zellandine

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” ~ Genesis 50:20

The first Sleeping Beloved we’ll cover is Zellandine, whose story is just a small part of a larger saga called Perceforest: The Prehistory of King Arthur’s Britain.

The entire work is an anachronism.  It’s “a veritable encyclopaedia of 14th century chivalry,”^[1] but the stories describe events after Alexander the Great’s (fictitious) conquering of Britain and his naming of Perceforest as king of England.  Despite its supposedly pagan setting, characters repeatedly make reference to “the Sovereign God” and there are many allusions to Christ.

Which made me wonder: is our anonymous author trying to trace God in our stories, too?  Perhaps it’s fanciful, but I’d like to think I’ve found a kindred spirit who lived 700 years ago.  It’s an appropriate whimsy for such a work as Perceforest, so it’s one I’ll stick with. 

I fell in love with Zellandine of Zeeland (a modern day province of the Netherlands).  She’s clever and spunky, and she chooses to be a survivor in the midst of heartbreaking circumstances.  Zellandine may be a 1st century BC woman living in a world of 14th century AD ideals, but her feelings and her reactions transcend time.  A modern woman can easily relate to her. 

Perhaps our author knew what he was doing after all. 

Interestingly, Zellandine’s story barely mentions “the Sovereign God.”  Venus makes an appearance, as does a demon.  But not God.  So where is He?

If we’re honest, we’d say that sometimes we can’t see God in our stories.  We can see other “gods” – lust, money, wealth, etc. – and maybe we can pinpoint forces of pure evil.  But God?  Sometimes the pain is too great, the heartache too overwhelming, and the tears too many to see Him. 

But like our lovely Zellandine, we can choose to press on.  Then, after some time has passed and we have the courage to look back, we see where God was working despite all we endured.  We see how what others meant for evil, “God meant for good, to preserve many people alive.”

And I’m convinced many people were encouraged to keep their hearts alive because of Zellandine’s story. 

We’re going to linger on our Zellandine for several more posts.  It’s a poignant tale, and there is much she can teach us.  Besides, it’s not as well-known as the others, and I want the story to unfold slowly so that you may enjoy it and anticipate it.

One last parting thought: I smile as I think of how gracious God is.  He knows full well that if literary analyses were available in English for Perceforest, this blog would never see another post.  They are mostly in French, however, and since I can only say one unhelpfully silly sentence in French, I am forced to stick to my own thoughts on the matter. 

Sources

[1] Nigel Bryant, p. 1, taken from Jacques Barchilon, “L’histoire de la Belle au bois dormant dans le Perceforest,” Fabula vol. 31, issues 1-2 (1990), p. 17-23