Bisclavret Marie de France

Garwaf is obviously related etymologically to werewolf. Belief in such creatures was widespread in the Middle Ages. Note that they are prone to dwell in forests, routinely considered dangerous and frightening places. The insatiably curious wife who worms out her husband's secret only to use it against him may be modeled on the Biblical example of Delilah and Samson. Why is tearing the wife's nose off considered a particularly terrible punishment? Torture was used routinely in criminal investigations. In fact, the testimony of witnesses was often considered untrustworthy unless it was confirmed under torture; but its use against a nobleman's wife would be most unusual unless there were grounds for suspecting her of a crime. Medieval Europeans, like many of the world's people, believed in the inheritance of acquired characteristics. Few women can be expected to marry werewolves, but what lessons might this story have been trying to convey to its female readers?

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/love-in-the-arts/marie.html

"Bisclaveret" ("The Werewolf")
A nobleman is married to a lovely lady; he is in the habit of disappearing for three days every week which greatly distresses his wife; she wants to know what he does but he refuses to tell her; she insists; he gives in and reveals to her that he is a werewolf and spends time in the woods hunting in the form of a wolf; in order to return to his human shape, he needs his clothes; the lady extracts from him the secret of where he hides the clothes; she then plans to get rid of him and takes a lover to help her in the task; she sends her lover to steal her husband's clothes so he has to remain in the forests as a wolf; the lady marries her lover; after a year the king goes hunting and has mercy on a wolf he is about to kill; the wolf follows the king; one day at court the wolf sees his former wife's new husband and attacks him; the man is saved but everyone is very suprised by the animal's behavior; on another occasion, the wolf's former wife comes to the king and the wolf sees and attacks her also, tearing off her nose; the king arrests the wife and her husband and tortures them until they reveal the truth about the wolf; the clothes are brought to the wolf who changes back to his human shape; the lady and her husband are exiled to a faraway place where they have many noseless children.

http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/marie/lais.htm

1 quant de lais faire m'entremet,

2 ne voil ublïer Bisclavret:

3 Bisclavret ad nun en bretan,

4 garwaf l'apelent li Norman.

5 jadis le poeit hume oïr

6 e sovent suleit avenir,

7 humes plusurs garual devindrent

8 e es boscages meisun tindrent.

9 Garualf, c[eo] est beste salvage:

10 tant cum il est en cele rage,

11 hummes devure, grant mal fait,

12 es granz forez converse e vait.

13 cest afere les ore ester;

14 del Bisclavret [vus] voil cunter.

15 en Bretaine maneit un ber,

16 merveille l'ai oï loër;

17 beaus chevalers e bons esteit

18 e noblement se cunteneit.

19 de sun seinur esteit privez

20 e de tuz ses veisins amez.

21 femme ot espuse mut vailant

22 e que mut feseit beu semblant.

23 il amot li e ele lui;

24 mes d'une chose ert grant ennui,

25 que en la semeine le perdeit

26 treis jurs entiers, que el ne saveit

27 u deveneit në u alout,

28 ne nul des soens nïent n'en sout.

29 une feiz esteit repeirez

30 a sa meisun joius e liez;

31 demandé li ad e enquis.

32 «sire,» fait el, «beau duz amis,

33 une chose vus demandasse

34 mut volenters, si jeo osasse;

35 mes jeo creim tant vostre curuz,

36 que nule rien tant ne redut.»

37 quant il l'oï, si l'acola,

38 vers lui la traist, si la beisa.

39 «dame,» fait il, «[or] demandez!

40 ja cele chose ne querrez,

41 si jo la sai, ne la vus die.»

42 «par fei,» fet ele, «ore sui garie!

43 sire, jeo sui en tel effrei

44 les jurs quant vus partez de mei,

45 el quor en ai mut grant dolur

46 e de vus perdre tel poür,

47 si jeo n'en ai hastif cunfort,

48 bien tost en puis aver la mort.

49 kar me dites u vus alez,

50 u vus estes, u conversez!

51 mun escïent que vus amez,

52 e si si est, vus meserrez.»

53 «dame,» fet il, «pur Deu, merci!

54 mal m'en vendra, si jol vus di,

55 kar de m'amur vus partirai

56 e mei meïsmes en perdrai.»