Strange Tales

Here are two snippets that are somewhat related (as analogues) to one of the romances that I'm working on now. I tried my hand at translating the Latin, so that I could get a clearer sense of how these analogues compare to the work that I'm working on. The Latin excerpts are from a relatively dated article (written in the 1940s) and yes, in those days, articles would quote in a 'foreign' language at length without translation or even setting up the context properly, assuming that anyone bothering to read the article would be fluent in a range of languages.

From Gilles Le Muisit's Chronique et Annales, recording an event of 1337:
Miraculum autem tale fuit: rex predictus habebat plures concubinas; fuit autem inter eas una, quam rex pre aliis diligebat, que erat christinana; dictus autem rex plries precibus, minis et terroribus requisivit ut christianitatem abnegaret et legi, quam tenebat, se subderet; illa autem semper restitit et fidem christianam obsevavit. Accidit vero quod rex eam cognovit et illa, concipiens puerum, edidit masculinum; fuit autem illa creatura a latere dextro alba et a sinistro latere nigra nimis; et rex, hoc cognito et visa creatura, fecit expellere, precipiens ut nunquam compareret; mater autem per interpositas personas rogavit regem ut de infante suam posset facere voluntatem; habita autem super hoc a rege licentia, fecit illum baptizari et incontinenti post baptima nulla nigredo comparuit. Rex autem, ut audivit et vidit miraculum, citius quam potuit fecit se baptizare.

My clumsy translation:
Moreover, such a great miracle occurred: the aforementioned King had many concubines; however, it happened that one among these, whom the King esteemed above the others, was a Christian. While the King commanded with many requests, threats, terrors, and laws, which she was placed under, seeking that she give up Christianity, this concubine always stood firm and observed the Christian faith. In truth, it came to pass that the King came to know [in the Biblical sense ...] her and she conceived a child and gave birth to a boy; however, it happened that that creature was white on its right side and exceedingly dark on its left flank. When the King became aware of this and saw the creature, he disowned it, and warned that at no time should it come into his sight; however, the mother intervened and asked the King that she be allowed to make a good wish regarding the infant. During the time which the King thought over the matter, she had the child baptized and after the baptism no blackness was in sight. Meanwhile, the King, on hearing and seeing the miracle, had himself baptized as quickly as he could.

And here's another similar tale ...

Miraculum de flilio cujusdam Tarari
Eodem anno, Rex Tartarorum ab urbe Ierosolomitana expulit Sarracenos. Frater hujus Regis Tartarorem ex filia Regis Armeniæ genuit filim hispidum et pilosum; quem cum pater cremari juberet, mater sibi dari infantem petiit; quem fecit illico a presbyteris baptizari. Quo baptizato, cecidit statim tota villositas, et puer ille apparuit levis et pulcher. Quod miraculum cum pater vidisset, credidit ipse, et domus ejus tota.

Again, my translation ...
A miracle concerning the child of one of the Tartars
In the same year [supposedly 1299], the King of the Tartars expelled the Saracens from the city of Jerusalem. The brother of this King of the Tatars and the daughter of the King of Armenia gave birth to a hairy and shaggy son; who the father, on seeing it, commanded it to be burnt, but the mother herself begged to dedicate the child, and immediately brought it to a priest to be baptized. Being baptized, all the tufts of hair immediately fell from the child, and that boy appeared smooth and beautiful. As soon as the father saw this miracle, he himself believed, and so did all their household.

With all that recent food blogging, I figured I had to raise the cultural dignity of this blog by a teeny bit. I guess miracles of translation fit the bill ...