Nida and Carlo Martello: The Padua Manuscript of Huon d’Auvergne (Ms. 32 of the Biblioteca del Seminario Vescovile, 45^R-49^V)

Abstract

Huon d’Auvergne, in Italian Ugone d’Alvernia, is one of the few remaining unedited Franco-Italian texts. There are three manuscript witnesses, a manuscript fragment, and a later Italian prose version. These versions contain different plot episodes and the language of the texts is italianized to varying degrees. Certain episodes have aroused greater interest within the scholarly community; for example, Huon’s trip through hell has been analyzed and transcribed in its various versions. However, one complete episode, generally ignored and even maligned, has never been published, though it presents a great interest for the modern-day reader: that of Nida and her confrontation with Charles Martel.