DOON DE MAYENCE

hero baron of the medieval epic poems in Old French known as chansons de geste, which together form the core of the Charlemagne legends. Doon's story is told in a chanson belonging to a cycle called Geste de Doon de Mayence. This cycle tells of Charlemagne's rebellious barons and contains the stories of heroes such as Girart de Roussillon, Raoul de Cambrai, Renaud de Montauban, and Ogier the Dane, all of whom are represented as opposing Charlemagne (though the emperor's name is probably often used to stand for his weaker successor, Louis). The chanson dealing with Doon himself first gives a romantic account of his childhood; the second half, describing his wars in Saxony, may have a historical basis.