“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant…” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4
“Troylus sat beside Zelandin’s sister Zellandine. She offered him a goblet filled with a special, spice filled drink, but he declined, saying ‘I’ve vowed to drink nothing but water until I enter the noble state that doubles a knight’s strength and prowess [i.e. love].’ As the beautiful young maiden looked at the strong and handsome Troylus she was much taken with him and said: ‘Troylus – for so I heard you called – I pray our god will cut short your penance, for you’re a man well worthy of the noble state you mention! I don’t think you’ll have to suffer penance long unless pride gets in the way.’ Troylus, very struck by the maiden’s beauty, declared himself innocent of all pride, and she asked him to carry in the tournament a shield that she’d made. It was such, she said, that ‘If the knight who bears it in the tourney is ever unfaithful in love, any feat of prowess he attempts will end in shame and dishonor. That’s why I can’t find any knight who’ll accept it!’” ~ Troylus and Zellandine[1]
Zellandine has been waiting patiently for someone to be worthy of her love. Yes, she is “much taken” with Troylus; but she does not give him her heart. Rather, she gives Troylus the opportunity to pursue her: will he offer to take the shield, the symbol of her love? Or will he fall back on his pride, like all the others?
Paul points out the dichotomy between love and pride in 1 Corinthians 13. Simply put, pride is selfishly placing your desires before another’s needs. Certainly there must be a give and take in a relationship; but a prideful person only knows how to take, and has trouble giving.
This is the opposite of love, especially agape love. Agape compelled Christ to go to the cross. He submitted His own desires to the Father, and put our needs first. Why? Because when pride is absent, another’s needs and desires become your needs and desires. It’s the way love works.
Zellandine knows this – and she has been patiently waiting for someone to love her the way she deserves. Paul uses the Greek word makrothymeō for “patient.” It means “to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart,” “to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles,” and “to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others.”[2]
Zellandine will exhibit all of those definitions, but here she exemplifies the first. She has not lost heart. She is hopeful that Troylus will be “the one,” but she has not committed her heart to him yet.
Troylus accepts the challenge. Over the course of a day (filled with events highlighting Zellandine’s cleverness!), Troylus gives his heart over to love. He proves himself worthy of the shield – and the shield giver! – and wins great acclaim at the tournament.
But more importantly, he wins the love Zellandine.
A final note: Zellandine made the shield. It’s most likely a remnant of Brunhild’s story (Brunhild was a Valkyrie, a deity in charge of warriors’ fates); but it also tells us that Zellandine is not a “normal” woman. After all, a “normal” woman spins and weaves, something Zellandine seems not to have done…
Sources
[1] Bryant, Perceforest, p. 241-242
[2] http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3114&t=NASB
