Sir Handsome Stranger
Sound Sample

Sir Handsome Stranger presents an unusual hero. He is so young and inexperienced in the ways of the world that he doesn't even know his name, but only his mother's term of
endearment, "Bewfice," from the French for "Pretty Son."  Arthur renames him, also with a French name, and knights him "Sir Lybeaus Desconus." Using Modern French, his name would be "Sir Le Beau Inconnu," and in Modern English "Sir Handsome Stranger."

In a lengthy series of adventures, Sir Handsome Stranger confronts many situations in which he does not understand the terms of interaction. The listener, like the Naif hero, must respond to situations beyond the ordinary. This rendition focuses on two adventures involving magic, where the hero must function in a world filled with the unexpected and unexplained. Here the word "enchantment" takes on its original meaning, in which magic is invoked by chant or singing. As in Orfeo, music is a very powerful force, but here it does not necessarily function for good.