Griffon and horned horse in Lyon and Florent (Lyon, Martin Havard, 1500)

The Romanz d’Othevien, written in octosyllables probably in the years 1229–1244, had a prose rewrite, entitled Lyon et Florent, which was handed down only in early printings. Through an analytical comparison between the medieval novel and the princeps edition (Lyon, Martin Havard, 1500) of this—still unpublished—prose setting, the present article considers the treatment of merveille in episodes involving a griffin and a horned horse (a medieval avatar of Bucephalus). The study of the representation of these extraordinary animals and their symbolic function within the two texts takes into account the medieval tradition of bestiaries and draws on a corpus of narrative works, more specifically epic works, in which griffins and mythical horses take part in the action. © 2023 De Boeck Superieur. All rights reserved.