Reynard is a trickster character in a series of beast epics known as Le Roman De Renart, which dates from around 1175.

The Le Roman de Renart or Romance of Reynard originated as a series of old french poems by a varied assortment of authors, who were kept usually anonymous. The stories can be traced to a number of older texts which were the direct inspiration for the first stories.

These stories are among the little political satire from the Middle ages that still survive. The various animals were represented as various members of the artistocracy and clergy; human characters were often conceived as peasants.

Since the Reynard stories were not written by one person, and various parts of the stories were written without any collaboration, the character of Reynard shifts from a Robin Hood type hero to a villainous rogue.

Reynard is known to be a noble in the animal court. He lives in a structure sometimes referred to as a den, and sometimes in a castle known as Malperdy with his wife Hermeline and his three sons. He is a trickster, first and foremost, and his relationship with his uncle, Isengrim the Wolf, is at the core of the story. Though they were once partners in crime, they have since become bitter rivals when Reynard repeatedly tries to fool the less savvy Isengrim.

The beginning of the story is usually a meeting of the animal court. Various animals accuse Reynard of crimes, though most vocal are Isengrim the wolf and Chanticleer the rooster. These two charge Reynard with adultery and murder, and it is decided that Reynard needs to be hanged.

Various animals are sent to collect Reynard, but only Grimbert the Badger, who is Reynard’s nephew, is able to convince Reynard to defend himself at court while avoiding one of Reynards tricks. Reynard appears at court, and is able to trick King Noble the Lion into letting him go.

Eventually, Reynard murders a rabbit, forcing Grimbert to summon his uncle to court yet again. Reynard once again tricks the king, but this time, Isengrim challenges him to duel. Reynard is able to win the duel through trickery, and is given a high status in the court. Eventually, Isengrim is able to challenge Reynard once again, this time to a game of chess. However, Reynard gets overconfident and drunk, and loses the game. He also loses a bet giving Isengrim claim to any part of his body that Isengrim would choose.

Isengrim ends up wounding Reynard after his loss, and Reynard is thought dead. His funeral is held, and his old enemies come out to eulogize him. However, Reynard is revived, only to be attacked by Chanticleer, who seems to kill him in a nearby river. In fact, Reynard only pretends to be dead and ends up returning to his wife and children at Malperdy while everyone thinks of him as deceased, inspiring the most quoted line in the epic: “Yet Reynard lives on”.

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