Nuns Priests Tale

1. Medieval Fables Chanticleer and the fox

2. What are fables? • A fable is a narrative featuring a animals or objects that behave and speak as humans in order to tell readers a moral lesson. • Morals are often woven into the story and explicitly told to the reader at the end of the story. • Read the article on Aesop's Fables to learn more about the history of fables. • What famous fables can you remember?

3. How old are fables? • Fables are ancient and date back to 400 BCE • They were common in Greece and Rome among well-known poets and philosophers like Horace, Plutarch, and Lucian. • They spread throughout Europe during the Roman invasion and were popular among the Celts, Gauls, and Germanic tribes.

4. Medieval Folklore • During the Middle Ages, folklore and tales of mythical animals became highly popular. • Many of the stories came from the Near East and Asia via the Silk Road, which was a trade network connecting the European cities with the empires of China and India. • Folklore was often told orally and was rarely written down until much later in the Middle Ages. • Many of the folklore included animal tales which later became fables.

5. Folklore Continued • Many of the folklore tales included fantastical creatures which did not necessarily exist, such as a unicorn or dragon. • Read the article Bizzare Creatures from Medieval Folklore to learn more about these fantastical creatures. • Why do you think they would use mythical creatures in their folktales?

6. Medieval Fables • Fables flourished as a form of entertainment during the Middle Ages, especially when outdoor theater was popular in urban cities. • The “beast epic” became highly popular and featured lengthy animal tales which were a satirical description of human society. • Chaucer used the “beast epic” in the Nun’s Priest’s Tale which recounts the story of the rooster Chanticleer and a sly fox. • Head to the link Beast Fable Genre to learn more about different beast fable examples.

7. Nun’s Priest’s Tale • The nun’s priest is not a character who appears with a description in the prologue of the Canterbury Tales. He is mentioned as being one of the nun’s companions. • The Nun’s Priest’s Tale recounts a well-known fable of Chanticleer, a beautiful and intelligent rooster who is famous for his singing voice and perfect timing. • Watch Chanticleer and the Fox Kids Book to see an illustrated version of the famous fable.

8. History of Chanticleer tales • Chanticleer appears in several Medieval beast tales and is used to satirize human society. • The fables about Chanticleer were very well-known throughout England and Chanticleer would have been a household name to those in Medieval England. • In the tale, Chanticleer is pursued by the sly fox who also killed Chanticleer’s mother and father. • Chanticleer falls victim to human emotions and weaknesses such as vanity and pride.

9. Characters in the Nun’s Priest’s Tale • Chanticleer- The beautiful and vain rooster who is well-known for his beautiful singing voice. • Pertelote- Beautiful hen who is Chanticleer’s wife • Sir Russell- Sly fox who lays in wait to attack Chanticleer • Widow and Daughters- The unnamed humans who own the farm where Chanticleer and Pertelote live

10. Literary Devices in the Tale • Personification- Attribution of human characteristics to something which is nonhuman • Allegory- Story which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, such as a moral or political meaning • Allusion- Referencing of something without mentioning it outright in the story • Mock Epic- Parody or satirizing of well-known epic stories