Yvain, the Knight of the Lion

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Yvain, the Knight of the Lion
Anonymous 13th century fresco, depicting a scene from "Iwein" (Rodenegg Castle [it])
Original title	French: Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion
Author(s)	Chrétien de Troyes
Language	Old French
Date	between 1178 and 1181
Provenance	County of Champagne
Genre	Chivalric romance
Verse form	Octosyllable rhyming couplets
Length	6,818 lines
Subject	Arthurian legend

Yvain, the Knight of the Lion (French: Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion) is an Arthurian romance by French poet Chrétien de Troyes. It was written c. 1180 simultaneously with Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, and includes several references to the narrative of that poem. It is a story of knight-errantry, in which the protagonist Yvain is first rejected by his lady for breaking a very important promise, and subsequently performs a number of heroic deeds in order to regain her favour. The poem has been adapted into several other medieval works, including Iwein and Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain.