Le cheval volant dans Cléomadès et Méliacin De la merveille orientale au prodige mécanique

Around 1285, Adenet le Roi in Cleomadés and Girart d’Amiens in Méliacin both developed the plot of “The Enchanted Horse”, a tale from the Arabian Nights. While there is scarcely any discussion of the mechanics of the flying horse in the Arabic version, Adenet and Girart pay particular attention to the description of the machine, and the marvel of the magical horse is eclipsed by the extraordinary mechanics of the automat. They thus render a marvellous Oriental theme more banal in order to integrate it into the imaginary of their time.