Tristan et le démon de midi
Tristan and the Noonday Demon

Summary/Abstract: The paper analyses medieval Tristan romances by Béroul and Thomas of Britain in the light of Evagrius of Pontus’ doctrine of acedia. The starting point is the concept of ‘Noonday Demon’: understood by Evagrius as the devil tempting the monk into acedia – a state of listlessness and spiritual torpor. It is used today to describe a ‘midlife crisis’ affecting married men in their erotic and sexual behaviour. The analysis tends to prove that the confusion between these two meanings can be traced back to the medieval Tristan legend, especially in Thomas’ version: in fact, Tristan’s supposed melancholy resembles acedia as defined by Evagrius, with its essential characteristics: instability, inconstancy, desire of novelty and perpetual dissatisfaction.

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