Who is Oberon?
Oberon is the king of the fairies in European folklore and literature. He is known worldwide for appearing as the husband of Titania, queen of the fairies, in Shakespeare‘s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The dwarf king of medieval France
Oberon’s origins go back to the French chanson de geste Huon of Bordeaux, from around the 13th century. In this story, Oberon appears as the king of the little people living in an enchanted forest; though only as tall as a child, he has a face as beautiful as an angel’s, and with his powerful magic he helps the hero, the knight Huon. The name Oberon is thought to share its origin with Alberich, the dwarf king of German folklore.
The fairy king of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (c. 1595), Oberon quarrels with his wife Titania and orders the mischievous fairy Puck to use a love potion on her. On the other hand, he also shows a generous side, trying to resolve the tangled loves of the young couples who have wandered into the forest. He was also the subject of the composer Carl Maria von Weber’s opera Oberon (1826), and Oberon, a moon of Uranus discovered in 1787, bears his name.
