Family images and identities in a medieval jewish version of Shooting at Father's Corpse (Tubach 1272): A comparative study

Researchers who have dealt with the tale type Shooting at Father's Corpse (Tubach 1272) have pointed to its origin in the Babylonian Talmud and have centred on a test of paternity in the tale, i.e. on blood ties and father-son relations. This article focuses on a medieval version from thirteenth-century northern France which is still unpublished. It is studied in its medieval cultural context, and in comparison to its Talmudic origin and to parallels in Western Europe. The paternity test is elucidated against a background of family images in the tale which establish, in their totality, experiences of belonging - family identities. This emphasis will throw light on new aspects of the tale's medieval versions, Jewish and Christian, which are conflicting but also mutual.