The Horn
of Roland and the Flute of Ushiwaka
A display by Judy Shoaf as part of the exhibit
Media
in the Middle Ages and the Middle Ages in the Media
March 14-April 17, 2005
Thomas Center Gallery
Sponsored by
Gainesville Department of Cultural Affairs
University of Florida Medieval
and Early Modern Studies
I have a brief catalogue of the objects displayed.
These pages include some of the links I used to compile this display:
Two medieval heroes who got more than their 15 minutes of fame, on opposite sides of the globe, are Roland and Minamoto no Yoshitsune. The similarities and differences in the evolution of the two stories are striking. Both men served more powerful relatives, and died young through treachery. Yoshitsune's actual deeds mark the transition from Japan's classical period to a feudal Middle Ages, and the desire to portray key scenes in his life inspired new kinds of theater. Roland's story is more important than his deeds, but the Song of Roland helps us to examine the transition from the early Middle Ages to the period of chivalry and crusades, and from Latin-language media to more popular works for a general audience. Both men still inspire artists and storytellers.The historical Roland was a Frankish count who died in 778 AD in an ambush at Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees mountains, after a not very successful attempt by his lord, Charlemagne, to conquer Spain. By the time the epic poem Song of Roland was written down three hundred years later, though, his legend was well known to pilgrims passing through Roncesvalles on their way to visit Santiago (St. James) of Compostella. In this poem Roland is Charlemagne's nephew, a youthful tragic champion of Christendom and of France; his death was due to a combination of family treachery and "Pagan" (Moslem!) sneakiness. Roland, commanding the army's rearguard, fights alongside his friend Olivier, Archbishop Turpin, and the rest of the twelve Paladins or Peers, and only at the last moment blows his horn to call Charlemagne back to wreak vengeance on the Saracen armies. Through the centuries that followed Roland was a beloved hero in Europe; his image protected churches and towns, decorated histories, and finally hit the world of modern media in the 16th century, through the best-selling book by the Italian poet Ariosto, Orlando Furioso. He still inspires comic-book artists and the Sicilian Puppet Theater, declared by UNESCO a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity."
Minamoto no Yoshitsune was the brilliant young general who defeated the powerful Heike family on land and sea in 1181-85, establishing his own clan, the Minamoto, as pre-eminent in military power. When Yoshitsune accepted royal rank from the imperial court without the permission of his elder half-brother Yoritomo, the administrative head of the Minamoto clan, the relationship between the brothers deteriorated. Yoritomo sent assassins after him and let it be known he would be grateful for his brother's death. The hero died in 1189, at about the age of 30, probably in an act of ritual suicide (seppuku) while under attack from a man sworn to protect him. Within about 250 years his biography (Gikeiki) had been written, including stories of his companion the gigantic warrior monk Mushashibo Benkei, his mistress the clever and beautiful dancer Shizuka Gozen, and his own deeds as warrior, musician, man of religion, lover, and outlaw. Legends multiplied and then were condensed into Kowakamai narrative dances, Noh plays, Joruri puppet plays, Kabuki plays, and artistic depictions of all kinds including woodblock prints, dolls, and clockwork scenes of his life displayed as part of annual festivals. 2004 saw the release of a new mini-series on Japanese TV and a Playstation video game.