Zephir forces Troylus to leave Zellandine when her father and aunt come to check on her. Her aunt continues to care for the sleeping Zellandine as she grows great with child, and in due time Zellandine gives birth to a son. As the babe is searching for milk, he begins to suck on her little finger – the finger with the splinter of flax.
Out comes the flax, and the curse is lifted…
…And Zellandine weeps…
Sin is accomplished, and has brought forth death. For rape is as death to a woman (Deut. 22:26). Themis caused Zellandine’s body to fall asleep; but it is this act that truly destroys Zellandine’s heart.
We want Troylus to be noble. We want him to be worthy of Zellandine’s love. We want the “happy ending.” How can that happen now, when Troylus has done something unspeakably savage?…
After arriving in Zeeland only to forget and then remember his identity (a plot twist inspired by Brunhild’s story), Troylus is finally on his way to Zellandine.
He goes to the temple of the three goddesses and prays to Venus – his first mistake. Yes, it’s the 1st century BC; but the author has made it clear that Troylus knows of and acknowledges the Sovereign God…yet he goes to the temple of the goddess of “love” looking for answers. He has opened the door to lust, and as James 1:15 points out, sin and death will follow…
Zellandine’s tale began with the importance of pure love, agape. The love between a man and woman is meant as an allegory of God’s agape for us (this is true regardless of whether the lovers are believers in Christ). So, when Troylus and Zellandine fall in love, it is an allegory of God’s love for His Beloved.
But we live in a fallen world. The feelings of eros – desire (which is a fancy word for lust) – can be confused with agape. Although Zellandine’s story begins with agape, eros is quick to take hold, as shown through Venus’ involvement in her story…
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…
Troylus is not in love – and in Perceforest this is a dangerous thing. For a man can only be a truly great knight if he is inspired by love. Only love can cause a knight to fight boldly, honorably, and with great prowess. If a man has no love, his deeds will fade away…
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,” but the stories describe events after Alexander the Great’s (fictitious) conquering of Britain and his naming of Perceforest as king of England…