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Rhine Sagas , as they have been told in Germany throughout
history:
The first in a series.
Lohengrin, The Swan Knight of Kleve
Once upon a time Elsa, daughter of a deceased Duke lived in
the castle called Kleve, sometimes called the "Swan Castle".
Elsa had barely come of age when both of her parents died, and
her younger brother followed them after a short illness.
Frederick of Telramund was respected and feared as the strongest
knight in the land but he begrudged Elsa her wealth. Being already
married to Ortrud, he was able to present himself as a suitor
for Elsa, and yet he desired her castle. In a plot to acquire
this castle and the Brabant Duke's crown, Frederick accused Elsa
falsely, before the German King's throne, of fratricide. Though
horrified, how was Elsa to prove otherwise? In vain, she repeatedly
implored her knights to help and support her, but fear of a duel
with Telramund was was stronger than their desire to help. The
king commanded Elsa to prove her innocence within three days,
or to put up a knight, who would defend her honour against Telramund.
Should she not succeed in either of these things, her guilt would
be proven.
A deliverer appeared to Elsa in a dream and
she was full of hope, but on the third day her hopes dwindled.
No knight appeared. The Herald had already challenged someone
three times to defend her guiltlessness. Soon the sun would set.
Count Telramund was already triumphant; the Duke's cloak was
as good as his . Desperate, Elsa cried and prayed.One of Elsa's
tears was carried on the wind to the place where help awaits
those in distress. In a holy place, twelve knight-errants encircle
the Grail, a cup of pure gold and crystal, which once caught
the blood of Christ the Redeemer on the cross. It is the duty
of one of these twelve knights in turn to hasten anonymously
on the wings of the wind, to the place where an innocent person
is asking for help. A drop of grief shows the deliverer the way.
And so it happened, that at the first stroke of six in the
evening, two of the appointed judges saw a strange team on the
water. A snow-white swan was harnessed to a golden boat. In the
middle stood a young knight in silver armour; on his head a helmet
with the symbol of a swan. Both hands on his sword, he stepped
ashore on the stroke of six and greeted Elsa by kneeling before
her.She did not dare to look at him, but managed to offer him
her trembling hand. Telramund went pale. He acted decisively
and drew out his sword to attack his unexpected opponent. The
latter paried the blow with ease and Telramund recognized the
unknown opponent wearing the helmet adorned by a swan, as a match
for him.
The two now demonstrated the full range of their sword-fighting
skills. Telramund attacked time and time again. Waiting for his
opportunity, the swan knight let himself be forced back into
defense. It came when Telramund advanced much too close. The
swan knight knocked the blade clean out of his hand and threw
him, with the umbo of his shield, onto the ground. Then he placed
the point of his sword at Telramund's throat and demanded: "Confess
that you lied!". Clearly defeated, Telramund admitted that
his accusation was unjust. Elsa was cleared of guilt and the
king banished Telramund from Barbant.
Elsa, full of gratitude, began to kneel before her deliverer,
but he would not have that. As he grasped her arm to prevent
her, a completely new feeling overtook her with tremendous force.
Gazing in each other's eyes, they knew that they were meant for
each other. The swan knight kissed her hair, and they pledged
ever-lasting loyalty to each other. Yet she did not even know
his name! Before she could even inquire, he asked her to take
an oath by all that was dear to her, never to ask about his name
or his origins. She swore to him by all that is holy. When the
pair soon afterward appeared before the altar, the bridegroom's
name remained anonymous.
The couple lived harmoniously for many years in their castle.
Elsa bore the swan knight three sons. Though she wondered what
she would say should her sons inquire about their father's name,
Elsa did not dare to ask him.
Ortrud, wife of the banisched Telramund, saw her opportunity
for revenge. In front of the castle chapel, disguised as a nun,
she took the swan knight's eldest, six-year-old son by the hand,
and asked him his name. He answerd that easily, so Ortrud then
asked him the names of his mother and father. The child named
his mother Elsa right away, but his father's name did not pass
between his lips. The the nun began to lament bitterly: "Such
a nice, clever child! But he has no father!". The boy stared
at her in horror and ran to his mother begging to know his father's
name. Elsa could not tell him. Ortrud, in various disguises,
repeated this deceitful trick many times.
And thus was Elsa's unquenched thirst to know awakened. It
grew with her sympathy for the predicament in which her confused
sons found themselves. And still Elsa remained loyal to her oath.
Ortrud's envy of Elsa's happiness remained unappeased and
she further developed her plan of revenge. This time disguised
as a market woman, she broke out into evil laughter when neither
of the eldest sons could name their father. "Your father
is such a worthless scoundrel, that you mother won't even give
away his name" she accused. The children came crying to
their mother and it broke her heart.
After a sleepless night, Elsa confronted her husband with
the oath-breaking question: "In the name of out sons - what
do you call yourself? And from where do you come?" He stared
at her clutching his heart: "Such happiness and now it is
in shreds! You should never have asked that question, as you
well know. I shall answer you, but then I must leave you!"
Elsa implored him not to say such a thing, but he continued:
"Know this: in a far-off land, inaccessible
to you all, there stands a castle, called Montsalwatsch. In the
center gleams a glittering house of God, more splendid than any
ever built on earth. And this house contains the most precious
thing in existence: the Holy Grail. Twelve brave heroes were
selected to protect it. They are also available to come to the
assistance of innocent people who ask for help. King Percival
is the leader and all who serve him recieve strength from the
Grail. But no one is allowed to ask their names or who sent them.
They have to leave anyone who discovers their identity."
Elsa cried out at this declaration but the the swan knight voice
continued as though it were coming from another world: "I
was sent here from the Grail. My father is King Percival. I,
his knight-errant, am named Lohengrin!"
As he spoke these words, the swan came gliding by, still harnessed
to the golden boat as it was so many years ago. It barely touched
the bank and Lohengrin was already inside. As the swan and the
boat moved off, Lohengrin did not glace back. Desperately, Elsa
followed along the bank, but she could not catch him. Heart-broken
she returned to the castle and she never again saw Lohengrin,
no matter how often she visited the banks in the vain hope of
finding him. Her three sons remained her only friends. They developed
great chivalrous virtues, and they passed on their strength and
wisdom to many a later generation. They all bore the swan in
their coat of arms, and proudly called themselves the "Swan
Knights of Kleve".
Rhine Sagas 2: Siegfried and Kriemhilde
Rhine Sagas 3: Siegfriend's Contest on
the Drachenfels (Dragon Rock)
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