The Bovo-Bukh ("Bovo Bukh," Yiddish : בָּבָא-בּוּך, בּאָבאָ-בּוּך ; German transliteration : Baba Buch ), also known as Buovo d'Antona ( בָּבָא דְאַנְטוֹנָא ), is a Yiddish chivalric romance written by Elia Levita from 1507 to 1508. Sol Liptzin described it as "the most outstanding poetic work in Old Yiddish ."
6-657: The Bovo-Bukh gained prominence in the late 18th century under the name Bovo-mayse (literally "Bovo's tale"). This name later evolved into Bubbe meise, meaning " old wives' tale ". The story, derived from the Anglo-Norman romance of Bevis of Hampton, tells the tale of Bovo and Druzane. Despite having no basis in Jewish reality, it differentiates itself from other chivalric romances by using subdued Christian symbols and incorporating Jewish customs . The narrative begins with Bovo's young mother plotting to have her elderly husband,
12-469: A forest where Druzane gives birth to twins. Bovo sets off to find a way back to Flanders but is presumed dead after an encounter with a lion. Druzane returns to Flanders with the twins. Bovo, upon his return, discovers their absence and believes them lost. In despair, he joins an army against Antona, kills his stepfather, and claims his rightful crown. Eventually, he reunites with Druzane, who becomes his queen. Old wives%27 tale An " old wives' tale "
18-486: Is a colloquial expression referring to spurious or superstitious claims. They can be said sometimes to be a type of urban legend , said to be passed down by older women to a younger generation. Such tales are considered superstition , folklore or unverified claims with exaggerated and/or inaccurate details. Old wives' tales often centre on women's traditional concerns, such as pregnancy , puberty , social relations , health , herbalism and nutrition . In this context,
24-460: The king refuses, war ensues. Bovo, riding the magical horse Pumele and wielding the magic sword Rundele, defeats the sultan's army and kills Lucifer. He is promised Druzane's hand but is later imprisoned in Babylonia for a year. Believing Bovo to be dead, Druzane agrees to marry a knight named Macabron. On their wedding day, Bovo, disguised as a beggar, appears and flees with Druzane. They hide in
30-427: The king, killed during a hunt. Following his death, she marries the murderer. The couple attempts to poison Bovo, fearing he will seek revenge, but he escapes to Flanders, where he becomes a stable boy for a king. The king's daughter, Druzane, falls in love with him. A heathen sultan of Babylonia then arrives with an army of ten thousand warriors, demanding Druzane’s hand in marriage for his ugly son, Lucifer . When
36-672: The word wife means "woman" rather than "married woman". This usage stems from Old English wif ("woman") and is akin to the German Weib (also meaning "woman"). This sense of the word is still used in Modern English in constructions such as midwife and fishwife . Old wives' tales are often invoked to discourage certain behaviours, usually of children, or to share knowledge of folk cures for ailments ranging from toothaches to dysentery . The concept of old wives' tales has existed for centuries. In 1611,
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