Back to "The Hunt" Mainpage
In this version of the Tristan story, Tristrant's dog Utant figures prominently. King Mark wants to hang the dog in Tristrant's stead, and when Tristrant is absent, it is Utant who receives Isalde's pets. He is a figure of loyalty, and offers a bridge between humans with a common bond of love.
A hound named Utant, which Tristrant liked more than any other dog, was tied up there, and it began to struggle fiercely to get loose. The king asked a squire who was standing by whose dog that it was barking so. he replied that it belonged to Tristrant. At this, the king told the squire to go quickly and hang the dog. He would lose his eyes if he let it live. The squire took Utant and rode away from the road. he was truly sorry to have to hang it, and, because he liked Tristrant, he thought he would rather leave the country than do so. He turned the dog loose instead of doing as the king ordered, but he was right in letting it live. The squire then returned. The hound came to the very place from which Tristrant had ridden away and followed the scent far into the forest. his master heard him baying and spoke to Kurneval: "Listen! What should we do? We may soon be dead. I hear my hound. They are tracking us down with it. I don't know where we can go. We'll give them a good battle right here, for we can't escape either by horse or on foot. But we'll sell our lives so dearly that their wives at home will lament our death. They won't profit by having been so eager to pursue us. the one who leads the chase will probably be in a rage. I'll charge him when he comes trotting up." So spoke the bold warrior. Kurneval, however, replied, "Sir, that won't help us, we can't fight with them for there are too many of them and they are good warriors. If we confront them in a battle, we shall all be killed. I alone shall die while you ride on to safety. I'll take good take that the hound on our trail does not follow you any further than here." He entreated his lord to ride off with the lady at once and save their lives: "I'll die with honor here." So, with great pain and sorrow, Tristrant and the lady started away. Kurneval looked back to see how close the dog was and took on the aspect of one who was about to give his life to kill it. Grimly he waited in ambushed behind a tree and carefully watched the place where he heard the dog. he though he would like to render the same service to the dog's handler as it so that his deed might be the more praiseworthy. then the good dog came racing up alone-- as I told you before, it had no handler. Kurneval was very happy to see that, I fancy, and quickly rode on. He spoke to the dog, which was pleased to have fund him. his cares and fears gone, the squire joyfully rode after Sir Tristrant, following his tracks. When he had ridden for a short time, hardly half a league, he lost the trail, so he put the now-silent dog down on the ground and ordered it to lead him to his master, but not to bark. The dog therefore eagerly hunted down game that was not wild: a man and a woman. Kurneval was gladhearted when he found Tristrant and the queen, and his lord was too. he asked Kurneval how he had gotten the dog and was told that it was following their scent alone. No one could describe their joy....
-- Eilhard, von Oberge, 12th c. Tristrant. J.W. Thomas, ed. (Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, 1978). p97-99.