The Signification and Importance of Nature in the French Songs of the Saint-Jacques Pilgrims: Reality, Fiction, and Morality

Abstract

This paper focuses on nature as subject-matter of the French songs in the Jacobean route. It analyses the role and treatment of nature as determined by the type of composition in which it appears. Three different kind of songs have been established : en route (informative), narrative (entertaining) and moralizing (didactic). In the first category, nature forms part of a collective pilgrimage experience available for future devout travellers. In the second group, nature is a useful resource for the edifying distraction of the pilgrim. Finally, in the compositions that possess a moral aim, nature is a means to express certain notions of Christian life. As a conclusion, we have proved that nature is conceived of as the variable manifestation of the bond between the worship to Santiago and an experiential context including culture and literature that reaches toward the Modern Age but can be traced back at least to the Middle Ages.