Yvain, the Knight of the Lion is romance poem written by the French writer Chretien de Troyes. Though the exact dates of when it was written are unknown, it is written presumably written in the 1170s along with Lancelot because there are a lot of references to the plot of that poem. Another poem telling the story of knight-errantry, a knight wandering around to prove his worthiness and chivalric values in duels and courtly love.
The protagonist is Yvain, who is a knight going off to avenge his cousin Calogrenant who was defeated by Esclados, another knight who has otherworldly skills. Yvain defeats Esclados and take his wife, Laudine, with the help of Lunete. Laudine allows Yvain to go off on another adventure under the condition that he will come back after one year; he fails to do so. He is at first rejected by her because he broke that promise, but after he completes some heroic tasks including gaining the loyal companionship of a lion and saving Lunete’s life, he regains her favor.
