Lohengrin, the Knight with the Swan
Lohengrin, the Knight with the Swan, is a significant figure in the lore surrounding King Arthur and the broader European mythos. Originating from German folklore, the story depicts Lohengrin as a chivalrous knight who mysteriously arrives to rescue Elsa, a woman in distress, and subsequently marries her under the condition that she never inquire about his origins. This tale intertwines themes of love, faith, and the complexities of human relationships, as Lohengrin ultimately leaves Elsa when she cannot restrain her curiosity about his lineage. The narrative has been shaped by various literary figures, notably Wolfram von Eschenbach in the thirteenth century, who identified Lohengrin as a knight from King Arthur's court. Over time, the legend evolved, gaining prominence through the works of the Brothers Grimm and eventually inspiring operatic adaptations. Lohengrin embodies ideals of purity and heroism, often interpreted as a Christlike figure, and his story reflects a timeless struggle between faith and doubt. As Elsa grapples with her own insecurities, the tale resonates with themes of loss and longing, making it a rich subject for exploration in literature and performance.
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Subject Terms
Lohengrin, the Knight with the Swan
Author: Jacob Grimm; Wilhelm Grimm
Time Period: 1001 CE–1500 CE
Country or Culture: Germany
Genre: Legend
Overview
The literature surrounding the legendary British ruler King Arthur is expansive, with the mythologies of the individual warriors and knights of his Round Table and the Council of the Holy Grail all having developed over centuries of storytelling. While rooted firmly in the history of Britain, these stories extended throughout Europe, so that in legend, the holy and just knights travel throughout the world, righting wrongs and championing chivalry.
The story of Lohengrin, the knight with the swan, is one example of the Arthurian legends combining with regional folktales and mythologies. In Germany, variations of a legend about the knight of the swan had circulated for centuries, becoming especially popular in medieval times. These legends tell of a knight mysteriously arriving to save a woman in need. The knight falls in love with the woman and marries her but insists she never ask about his true origin. When she inevitably does so, he leaves as mysteriously as he came. While these folk stories rarely explain who the knight actually is, in the thirteenth century, German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach rewrote the knight of the swan narrative, clarifying that the mysterious white knight is actually summoned from King Arthur’s holy court. In Eschenbach’s poem Parzival, a much longer narrative of the quest for the Holy Grail, he expanded the Lohengrin myth enough so that it caught the attention of later writers. From then on, the legend remained relatively popular, eventually being recorded by famous folklorists Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The version analyzed here is from mythologist Otto Rank’s discussion of the Grimms’ tale.
From the brief narrative of the knight of the swan, the story of Lohengrin became a much more complex one. Lohengrin himself became a figure of purity and holy chivalry, representing the faith of Christianity as exemplified by the Holy Grail and the order of knights set to protect it. The woman he rescues is named Elsa, a troubled and castigated woman in her society who ultimately succumbs to the temptation of others and asks her husband to explain his origin to her. Through these expansions, the legend becomes an exploration of love and faith. Lohengrin is an impossibly idealized hero figure, and while Elsa connects with him both romantically and spiritually, that connection is short lived, brought to an end by Elsa’s own doubts and imperfect nature. Lohengrin himself even becomes a Christlike character, saving Elsa as well as the people of Brabant but ultimately needing to depart for a more holy land (the Council of the Grail) when Elsa’s imperfect fate becomes evident. This narration of salvation and faith, however, does not rest on familiar moral grounds but instead is inseparable from the romantic and erotic attraction between Elsa and Lohengrin. It is this component of the legend that caught the interest of subsequent generations of writers and allowed the character of Lohengrin to find a second life in the world of modern opera, the romantic and spiritual struggle between faith and doubt proving itself to be the type of timeless narrative that thrives on the stage as much as in myth.
Summary
The Duke of Brabant has no male heirs, only an unmarried daughter, Elsa. Hoping to secure some sort of future for his name, the duke suggests that a warrior in his service, Friedrich, might make a good husband for his daughter. After the duke dies, Friedrich falsely claims that Elsa has been promised to him. Elsa denies this, so Friedrich complains to the emperor, who declares the matter should be settled in battle. Elsa is given the opportunity to select any man to go to battle on her behalf against Friedrich in divine combat. According to the tenets of divine combat, the victor of the battle would be the one whom God has decided is in the right.
Unfortunately, Elsa cannot find any knight to take her position in battle. Despondent, she prays to God, pleading for him to send a noble person to protect her honor. As she prays, a small bell rings in the Council of the Grail. The Council is held a great distance away from Brabant, and it is there that the legendary knights of King Arthur meet to discuss their business and to honor the sanctity of the Holy Grail itself. Hearing the bell, they know that their divine assistance is needed, and Lohengrin agrees to rescue whoever is in need. Lohengrin then gathers his supplies and loads up his horse. However, before he can depart, a swan pulling a skiff comes down the nearby River Scheldt. Lohengrin takes this as a divine sign and instead boards the skiff, not even bringing with him food, as he knows that God will provide on the trip. He then floats down the river for days, the swan occasionally plucking fish out of the water to feed him.
Elsa has gathered her council together to seek advice when, seemingly out of nowhere, Lohengrin arrives on the bank of the river, pulled there by the great white bird. Lohengrin climbs out of the skiff with his armor and sword, and the swan immediately departs. Elsa quickly tells Lohengrin of the wrong that has been done to her by Friedrich, and Lohengrin agrees at once to be her champion in battle, knowing that hers must be the cause that he has come to defend. In little time, Friedrich is summoned so that he and Lohengrin can meet in combat in front of the emperor. Lohengrin, with the skill of a knight of the Holy Grail, quickly defeats Friedrich, who confesses his lie and is therefore executed at the emperor’s orders. Elsa is then given over to Lohengrin in marriage, a condition the knight gladly accepts, as they have already fallen in love; he insists only that she never ask about his ancestry or his previous home. If she ever does, he says, he will leave her at once, never to return.
Lohengrin lives happily for some time as a champion of his new emperor and a dutiful husband to Elsa. He goes to battle to defend their land against invaders and treats his people with kindness. This is all interrupted, however, when he one day triumphs over the Duke of Cleve in a friendly jousting competition, upsetting the duke from his horse with a javelin. The Duchess of Cleve, embarrassed by her husband’s defeat, begins to disparage Lohengrin in public, saying that he is obviously a good Christian but that his lack of noble ancestry is unfortunate, implying that he might not be a proper fit for the Duchess of Brabant. Elsa, although she knows better, is deeply troubled by the duchess’s words. Eventually, unable to contain herself, she asks Lohengrin where he is from while the two lie in bed together. She tells him that she knows in her heart that he must be a noble person, but for the good of her children, she needs to know it for sure. For two nights, Lohengrin ignores her questions; at last, on the third night, he agrees to give her an answer in the morning.
“The hero of the Grail defeated Friedrich, who confessed having lied to the duchess, and was executed with the axe. Elsa was awarded to Lohengrin, they having long been lovers; but he secretly insisted upon her avoiding all questions as to his ancestry, or whence he had come, saying that otherwise he would have to leave her instantaneously and she would never see him again.”“Lohengrin”
The next day, Lohengrin gathers his people and publicly declares that he had come from the Council of the Grail and that his father was the famous knight Parsifal. He then bends to his knee and kisses his two children, born of Elsa, before declaring that it is time for him to depart. The swan appears again and takes Lohengrin back to the Grail. While Elsa spends the rest of her years in grief over the loss of her husband, her son, also named Lohengrin, is taken in by the empress and raised as one of her own.
Bibliography
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DiGaetani, John Louis. Wagner outside the Ring: Essays on the Operas, Their Performances, and Their Connections with Other Arts. Jefferson: McFarland, 2009. Print.
Gurewitsch, Matthew. “Her Brother’s Keeper.” Opera News 62.13 (1998): 24. Print.
“Lohengrin.” Opera News 70.10 (2006): 54. Print.
Rank, Otto. “Lohengrin.” The Myth of the Birth of the Hero and Other Writings. New York: Vintage, 1959. 59–64. Print.
Turzynski, Linda J., and Walter E. Meyers. “Parzival.” Masterplots. Ed. Laurence W. Mazzeno. 4th ed. Vol. 8. Pasadena: Salem, 2011. 4315–18. Print.
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