Roges, Reynaert en de sprookjestraditie: Maartje Draak revisited

Abstract

This article argues for a reconsideration of the figure Roges in the Middle Dutch ‘Roman van Walewein’. Traditionally, this enchanted, talking fox has been explained as a residue of the folktale said to have served as the source of the romance. This article argues that such a connection is troublesome and ultimately unlikely. A case is made that the extensive backstory of Roges, non-existent in the folktale, invites a different explanation for the character and its function in the romance. To do this, a connection between Roges and the European Reynard tradition is suggested. This connection is explained through its relation to intertextual references made within the romance and through its function within the complete story. This function is to introduce and foreshadow a shift in the thematic center of the romance, in which no longer solely honour but instead the difficult choice between honour and love is emphasized.