He approaches Elegast and suggests they plunder the untold riches hidden away in the great Charlemagne’s castle. The king, disguised as a lone thief, wanders the woods and comes across Elegast, who he instantly recognises. The heavenly vision told him to go thieving late the next night. One night, Charlemagne is visited by a messenger of God in his dream. His name suggests that he was elven, and indeed he was able to wield magic to help him rob others: he could speak to animals, put people into a magical slumber and cause locks to spring open with a single touch. Elegast lived deep in the woods in the region around Charlemagne’s castle in Ingelheim, robbing from the rich and assisting the poor. He was once a friend of the great king but was disgraced and exiled from the king’s court. Karel ende Elegast begins with Elegast, a knight of Charlemagne’s ( Karel’s) court. The original poem was probably written at the end of the 12th century and recounts the story of Elegast and Charlemagne the Great and how they discovered a plot to kill the king. This time we are looking at Elegast, the hero from the Dutch epic poem Karel ende Elegast. This week we are going to delve into the wondrous journey that is Dutch Folklore yet again.
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