La balada vasca de la muchacha ciervo

Abstract

Oreina bilakatu neska -the Basque ballad, of which only one version has survived, concerning a girl who turns into a deer- shares so many formal and thematic characteristics with the hexasyllabic French Vulgate, that is is not unreasonable to view it as an adaptation or rewriting in Basque of the French text. It may also be regarded as a recent version, despite the contrary opinion held by the Basque scholars who have so far dealt with it.
   This article attempts to establish approximate sources for the ballad, and its relationship with the Pan-European tradition. In the authour's opinion, his study of both these aspects, along with his attempt to establish the text's literal meaning, support Jesus Antonio Cid's hypothesis that a number of semi-professional minstrels existed in the area of Lower Navarre in the 18th and 19th centuries.