Malcreatiure: The Monster & Human

We encountered more monsters in this third section we read for class! On page two-hundred-sixty-three Gawan encounters Malcreatiure, Cundrie’s brother. Similar to Cundrie, Malcreatiure has ‘two fangs like a wild boar,’ and enters with a reproach, only he directs his criticism to Gawan for leaving with Orgeluse. We’ve encountered a new kind of monster here with Malcreatiure. Yes, Malcreatiure fits out definition of the monstrous in physicality, but I think he pushes it in a number of ways in the short passage where he appears.

There is an interesting tension between Malcreatiure’s human and monstrous qualities. Malcreatiure is established as human when Wolframs states ‘he was the splitting image of Cundrie, except he was a man.’ Here, Malcreaiture quite literally is established as a human, and his role as a ‘squire,’ also seems to reinforce this, for it establishes him as insider within Gawan’s world. The monsters we’ve encountered in the previous novels/poems we’ve read, all appear to be outsiders from an ‘unknown world,’ and Malcreatiure’s status as a ‘squire’ lends a new dimension to what we’ve defined as the ‘monstrous,’ for it gives him a place within this dominating society. It is also interesting how a squire’s role is to attend to or escort a woman, can act as a judge, and is ranked below a knight in the feudal hierarchy; this not only reinforces Malcreaiure’s position within dominating society, but I think lends him certain characteristics associated with knighthood, such as protecting those in need. In this case, it seems that Malcreatiure is ‘protecting’ Orgeluse, and if we do consider him ‘monstrous,’ this is a quality we’ve never seen in the monsters we’ve encountered. In light of this though, Malcreatiure asserts, “You (Gawan) strike me as a fool…You will have high praise if you can fend off the correction in store for you.’ Malcreatiure’s words also seem to invoke a warning for Gawan, and in the same instance, foreshadows what comes next; strangely, in warning Gawan, Malcreatiure could be seen as protecting him. Wolfram seems to repeatedly blur the line between humanness and monstrous both physically, and I would say psychologically, to the point where Malcreatiure’s seems to be pushed outside of the ‘monstrous’ realm, and exhibits humanness. As ‘frightful’ as his appearance is, he holds the position of a ‘squire,’ and unlike Grendel or Grendel’s mother, talks, engages in conversation; he also adheres to a form of conduct (‘If you are a knight you might in decency have refrained!’). Yet, these are not the only characteristics that push Malcreatiure away from the monstrous.

After Gawan flings Malcreatiure to the ground, Malcreatiure is described as a ‘sapient,’ wise and discerning, squire that ‘looks up timidly.’ Yet, this image is quickly contrasted with Malcreatiure’s physical monstrousness, his ‘hedgehog bristles. An interesting thing happens in the fight between Gawan and Malcreatiure. One may argue that Malcreatiure’s ‘timidness,’ seems to readily invoke not only his defeat, but works to victimize him; the reader, in my case, sympathizes with Malcreatiure because the description of him ‘looking up most timidly,’ illustrates him as weak, almost fragile, fearful and hesitant; this paired with the fact that he is established as an ‘insider,’ as well as someone who adheres to a mode of conduct like Gawan’s, makes us further sympathize with him, something we could never do with for example, Grendel’s Mother, who could be seen as justified in avenging her son’s death. The image of Malcreatiure as ‘timid’ is quickly contrasted with vengeance (‘Yet his hedgehog bristles avenged him, cutting Gawan), and ultimately it is his monstrous physicality that ensures him protection from Gawan. Like Siegfried who after bathing in the Dragon’s blood, had ‘skin that grew horny so that no weapon should bite,’ it is Malcreatiure’s monsterous physicality, his hedgehog bristles, that protect him; in this instance he seems to mirror Siegfried, and exists as both a human and monster. In addition to this, in this part of the passage (‘Yet, his hedgehog bristles avenged him…) it is a little ambiguous whether or not Malcreatiure intended to hurt Gawan and avenge himself. Malcreatiure quickly disappears from the story, and we’re not given any information indicating that he was motivated by ‘rage,’ a characteristic associated with the monstrous, and whether he intended to cut Gawan. But the passage could be read that when Malcreatiure looks up ‘most timidly,’ he is almost putting on a show, as if manipulating an expression of weakness in order to later inflict his vengeance; this is probable because of the human qualities that have previously been established within him. In light of this, Malcreatiure’s intent is never concretely established, and I think this speaks to how Wolfram is conscious of manipulating human and monsterous qualities in order to carve out a new kind of monster, one that is both human and monster, and may be even said necessary. Like the beast in, “The Good Book,” Malcreatiure can be seen as a monster unleashed, that acts as warning. After the fight, Gawan is forced to face a number of ‘ordeals,’ and Malcreatiure’s words, ‘You will win high praise if you can fend off the correction in store for you,’ echo in the pages that follow.

The monsters in “Parzival,” specifically Cundrie and Malcreatiure seem to have a different purpose then Grendel or even the Green Giant; they appear as both human and monster, but do not epitomize the Christian idea of ‘hell’ or ‘evil doers.’ Also, they are not outsiders, nor can they truly be seen as negative characters, or better said, ‘enemies.’ In addition to this, they seem to have an agency that I don’t believe we’ve really seen in any of the monsters that have appeared in class. It is hard to determine exactly what Cundrie or Malcreatiure are ‘aiding’ or facilitating in the story, but they both seem to be characters that ‘warn,’ and foreshadow turning points. With Cundrie and Malcreatiure the line between monstrous and human is blurred to such a degree that they are ‘othered,’ for they only really fulfill the monstrous in physicality, are human, and have a place and agency within dominating society.

A New Origin of Monsters

Though we have discussed in class the lack of obvious monsters in this text, I want to address a certain paragraph that appears to shed some light on the idea of monsters and where they can be found. Though the Saracens in Baghdad are not depicted as the monstrous, it appears the label has been placed on another distant ethnic group. It is an easy to overlook the account where one reads of where Malcreatiure is from, but in the description, there is a good amount of information that depicts the monstrousity of people in a foreign land.

In Wolfram’s explanation of Malcreatiure, he begins with the story of creation in which Adam advises the women to “avoid numerous herbs that would deform human offspring and so dishonour his race” (263). In this background of Malcreatiure, we receive interesting news: Feirefiz has traveled to India where he has won land. Here in India, there are “many such people […] whose appearance was deformed and no denying it – wild, outlandish features did they display” (263)!

It is interesting to note that the Saracens in Baghdad are civilized courtly people, but there still exists people that appear monstrous – they are just in Southeast Asia. Though we have this integration of other races in this story, we find another realm where people appear deformed. Wolfram’s integration of the Biblical story of Adam helps to reinforce religious reasoning for their appearance, making the deformed heathens in the wrong.

The Queen of Secundille (leader in India) also lacks religion and instead, is extremely wealthy and does not appear to be in need. However, her attempts for further information on Anfortas and the Gral sends a multitude of gifts his way, including Cundrie and her brother, Malcreatiure. In this passage, we understand the origin of these two “human wonders” who are monstrous. It appears our main ‘monsters’ in this story actually come from India, and they are not scarce.

I want to also quickly note that Feirefiz, though he is the eldest son of Gahmuret and the genuine king, travels to ‘othered’ lands such as India for conquest. Though Feirefiz does travel to Europe later, it appears that Feirefiz’s outward appearance does not give him the right to claim his lands his father left. Instead, he must conquer his own place, and he has found a land that he can gain control. Of course, the land he conquers, India, is a land filled with deformed people.

Though I agree that Wolfram is trying to allow for a more encompassing text here in terms of race, he appears to still be confined by the attitudes of certain ‘others’ in his vision. Feirefiz is able to conquer a kingdom, but it is a land with many deformed and considered monstrous people. Is this because Feirefiz is a heathen and that’s the best he will be able to conquer? How will he fare when faced with a European like Parzival? I guess that’s for our next reading…

What Women Want, Or Why Marrying A Dentist Is A Good Thing in Some Cultures

As I mentioned in class the other day, I have been enjoying the parallels between the women of Parzival and in the Gawain myths, particularly Dame Ragnelle. While these ideas are not as fully fleshed out as I would like, I am hoping that this post will encourage commentary on the women who have been (intentionally) left out of this comparison.
We begin with Dame Ragnelle before the transformation, who was "so fowlle and horyble/ she had two tethe on every syde/ as borys tuskes, I wolle nott hyde,/ of lengthe a large handfulle/ the one tusk went up and the other doun" (Ln. 547-551). This description of a woman with tusks is remarkably similar to the description of Cundrie, "her nose was like a dog's and to the length of several spans a pair of tusks jutted from her jaws" (163). What is remarkable here is not that medieval women apparently were predisposed to having faces like walruses, but that in both of these cases the tusks were simply not enough. As Professor W mentioned, they were a span, a hand length, at least in length, Ragnelle's a large handful and Cundrie's several hand spans. I began to wonder what the purpose of the demonization of these women in this way was, and all I could determine was that to have tusks would impair the use of one's mouths, distort the ability to eat, to speak and to kiss, all things that the average lady would be expected to do with grace. Tusks would definitely prevent that.
After Dame Ragnelle was transformed, there is little to be said of her. We know that she becomes a beautiful as she before was ugly, but what the author notes is that her personality seems to change. As she is now beautiful, it is easier to see that instead of being confrontational, as she was with Arthur, she becomes the paragon of femininity. She is described at "the fayrest Lady of alle Englond," which puts here even above Queen G (Ln. 826). She only has a few years with Gawain before she dies, but during that time "in her lyfe she grevyd hym nevere; therfor was nevere woman to hym lever," which is part of what makes her the fairest of them all (Ln. 823-4). Her devotion to him, her ability to keep him happy, her loving spirit and ideal femininity all are a part of what makes her the pinnacle of women in the Gawain cycle, the one that assures that while "Gawen was weddyd oft in his days; butt so welle he nevere lovyd woman always" (Ln.832-3).
Queen Belacane gets a brief amount of time with her wandering knight as well, before he leaves her. In doing so, Gahmuret achieves what the storyteller of Dame Ragnelle does, preserves her in the mind of the hero (and the readers) as she last was , young and beautiful. Belacane represents the ideal woman as the story begins, her only flaw being her faith. But she is described by Gahmuret as "although she was an infidel, a more affectionate spirit of womanliness had never stolen over a woman's heart...her modest ways were a pure baptism, as was the rain that fell on her--the flood descending from her eyes down to her sabled breast...her pleasures in life were devotion to sorrow and grief's true doctrine" (27). Though she is an infidel, though her breast is sable, she is still the pinnacle of femininity in the eyes of young Gahmuret, and while he may leave her, and while he may find plenty of other women, we hope that he always longs for her as Gawain does for Ragnelle.