Spiritual metamorphosis in medieval French pious stories: “Robert the Devil” and „Chevalier au barisel”

The subject matter of the present article is a comparative analysis of two pieces dating back to the turn of the 13th century: a short novel Robert the Devil and a short story Chevalier au barisel. They both belong to the category of the so called “pious stories,” which provided believers with a certain model to follow.What is more, they were a lesson that even the worst sinner may obtain God’s mercy and the grace of salvation. The theme of repentance is an essential narrative and ideological element. The protagonists of the stories in question are: Robert − a knight and Devil’s son; and a knight possessed with the Devil. They both undergo a complete metamorphosis reaching sanctity which results from genuine repentance. Nevertheless, their paths are completely different, as unalike are their initial attitudes towards the possibility of penitence. The theme of metamorphosis in both texts consists of the same elements, which are however put in different narrative order. Two models of Christian metamorphosis emerge from these stories: from devilment to sanctity and from bad life to good death