Abstract: The good Saracen is at the heart of the medieval romance, presiding over it and to some extent explaining its very existence. This sparkling figure illuminates a medieval poetics of alterity and, at the same time, sense of tolerance. It intersects with the aesthetic, social, and theological aspects of the medieval imaginary.
Keyword: Littérature du MoyenÂge, histoire du MoyenÂge, roman français, roman allemand, altérité, chevalerie, conversion, matières littéraires, héraldique, sarrasins, païens, Graal.