Introduction

Preserved in just one manuscript (S), Tyolet is one of five Arthurian lays in this collection, the others being Cor, Mantel, Melion and Trot.

Tyolet is a youth who has spent his life in a forest with his mother. A fairy-type figure has taught him to whistle in such a way that he can catch as many beasts as he desires. One day he spots a large, plump stag, but the animal fails to respond to him; instead, it leads him to a dangerous stretch of water. Suddenly a roebuck appears and this time he does catch the animal. Meanwhile, the stag he had been pursuing is transformed into a knight on horseback. Tyolet becomes confused and calls him a ‘knightbeast’. He asks him a series of questions and thus learns about knighthood. When he returns home, his mother reluctantly equips him with the armour that had belonged to his dead father and advises him to go to King Arthur's court. Shortly after his arrival there, the daughter of the King of Logres arrives and offers her love to the man who can bring her the white foot of the stag that lives in the forest and is guarded by seven lions; her dog will act as a guide. Several knights attempt the feat, unsuccessfully. A major obstacle is a broad and dangerous river, but Tyolet follows the dog into the river and manages to reach the other side. His whistle attracts the stag and he removes its foot, but the animal's cries attract the lions. Tyolet kills them all, but collapses beside them. An unknown knight arrives, and on being told what has happened he makes his way to Arthur's court with the stag's foot in order to claim the maiden's hand. Sensing that something is not right, Arthur imposes a week's delay. When the maiden's dog returns, Gauvain follows it and discovers the injured Tyolet, who is taken to a doctor. Gauvain returns to court where, after the week's delay, the false claimant demands his prize and denies Gauvain's accusation that he is boasting of another man's achievements.