A white bear named Blanchart appears several times in Renart la Nouvel, the satirical continuation of the Roman de Renart that Jacquemart Gielée wrote around 1288. The behavioral characteristics that Gielée attributes to his animal character, and from which he skillfully deals throughout his story, strike by their zoological truth: like a real polar bear, Blanchart feeds mainly on “sea fish” and he knows how to dive as well as swimming underwater. We review the sources that may have been those of the author of Renart Le Nouvel. If the polar bear is absent from ancient texts as medieval bestiaries and it is confined to the Scandinavia only until the 12th century, it then made a remarkable appearance in 13th century Europe: it is found so much in the encyclopedias of Alexandre Nequam, of Thomas de Cantimpré, of Barthélémy the English and Albert the Great II, Henri III of England and Philippe le Bel whose animals, probably of Greenlandic origin, constitute diplomatic gifts from Norwegian sovereigns. - [Abstract]

Language: French

DOI: 10.1075/REIN.27.12VAS