The Tristan Legend: A Study in Sources

Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Iseult) remains one of the most popular romances ever written. Although the tale was believed to have originated in Germany, bards in France and Britain composed their own versions of the story, a tale of adultery, betrayal, mistaken identity, and thwarted love. In The Tristan Legend, Sigmund Eisner offers a study of the sources of the Tristan romance, tracing them through the various versions of the legend. He makes the original claim that the story was first written in North Britain during the seventh century, that it involves people who actually lived in the area, and that its writer wove in motifs from various classical legends to the tale of the two lovers.