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- Jordain de Blaivies (sometimes modernised Jourdain de Blaye) is an Old French chanson de geste written in decasyllables around 1200. It is an adventure story, largely inspired by the ancient story of Apollonius of Tyre. It survives in a single manuscript. The original was never popular, but it was reworked into a different metre and also adapted into prose in the 15th century. The prose version was printed with illustrations in 1520. The chanson tells the story of how Jordain, rescued by his godparents as an infant, enacts revenge on the evil lord Fromont, who killed his father. His first effort fails when he kills the son of Charlemagne in battle and is forced to flee by sea. Shipwrecked, he is rescued by a fisherman, enters the service of King Mark, defeats a Saracen attack and marries the princess Oriabel. Going in search of his godparents, he and his wife are separated. He subsequently leaves behind his infant daughter to search for his wife, winds up fighting more Saracens and stumbles upon his godfather. Jordain with his wife and godfather returns to pick up his daughter, but she has been sent away to Constantinople by a jealous queen. When Jordain finds her, he arranges her marriage to a prince. He is then restored to Charlemagne's favour and goes to take back Blaye from Fromont. He captures and executes the villain. His daughter and her husband then inherit Constantinople, while Jordain succeeds King Mark and gives Blaye to his godfather. (en)
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