The Magic Balm
"A whirlwind broke loose in him brain, so violent that he went insane, and clawed himself, tore off his clothes, and fled across the fields and rows."
- Yvain, lines 2637 - 2640 "I have a magic balm. Morgan the Wise said it would calm and cure the worst insanity the day she sent this salve to me."
- Yvain, lines 2773 - 2776
After Yvain rides off with Sir Gawain to fight at tournaments for over a year, a messenger arrives. This messenger from Lady Landuc tells Yvain that because he overstayed his year at the tournaments, she no longer loves him. At this he goes insane, and ends up living in the wild, using the bow and five arrows he stole from a boy to hunt animals. It is only when the Lady of Norison finds him and rubs the magic balm on his body that he is able to begin the healing process.
Yvain's insanity is a fundamental change in the direction of the plot. Up to that point, Chretien De Troyes used the various scenes in the story to show what an excellent a knight Yvain was. His insanity was his lowest point, acquired when he chose tournament fame over love. It was used as a reminder to the audience that no matter how good a knight he was, he was still a fallible human being.
The magic balm represented a turning point in Yvain's life, in essence a second chance. In addition to curing his insanity, it also helped him to push his lost love out of the forefront of his mind. He was free to live his life without having to be in everlasting torment about never seeing the Lady of Landuc again. Yvain still wanted to prove himself worthy to her, but he was at least able to adventure in fairly high spirits.
In terms of symbolism, the magic balm represented one aspect of love - love of the self. Yvain had lost much of the love he had for himself due to self-reproach and guilt at having participated in the tournament for such a long time, neglecting his wife. When the news came from the messenger as he suspected it might, he was enraged more at himself than at the Lady of Landuc. He lost the love and respect that he had for himself, he hated himself to such a degree that he couldn't consciously live with himself, and so he decided to go insane. This can be seen from the following excerpt: "He hated himself above all else. Although he was near death, he did not know one soul to comfort him. Yvain began to want to be insane, because he could not find a way to hurt himself and so to pay for having lost his happiness".
- Yvain, lines 2618 - 2625
The magic balm is also a symbol of the healing properties associated with women. In medieval romance, women are many times portrayed as healers and men as conquerors. The magic balm represents healing in that it was made by a woman, Morgan, and administered by the Lady of Norison. Although the Lady of Landuc apparently violates this convention, Chretien De Troyes uses her anger to give Yvain's motivation for his seemingly endless quest to prove himself worthy of her. In the end, the Lady of Landuc completes Yvain's healing by once again giving her love to him.
In summation, the magic balm is a symbol of one aspect of love, self love, and signifies the major turning point in Yvain. It allows him to heal and to learn compasion. It also gives him the opportunity to prove to himself and to the Lady of Landuc that he is a heroic knight worthy of her love. Without the magic balm, Yvain would have lived out his life as a wildman, and never have remained self-absorbed and compasionless. It gave him the compasion to save the lion from the snake, and gain a powerful ally. This encounter was the second act of compasion that Yvain performed, the first being capturing Count Alier. With his self love returned through the magic balm, Yvain was able to win back his lady's love and complete his journey with a fairy tale ending.
Timeless Apothecary Pure Essential Oils & Aromatherapy
Healing Touch - Hands, Hearts, Intentions
Landmarks in Psychology - the Bicetre Asylum
Washingtonpost.com: The Insanity Defense: A Closer Look
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