Glove/Gauntlet

Charlemagne has a man purse: his glove. Technically, he doesn't carry anything in his glove, but since we're in the "Symbols" category that's what's important here. This glove is symbolically stuffed with the most important thing floating around the Frankish kingdom: power.

But why should gloves be linked with power? As early as the 10th century, and maybe earlier, French bishops wore blinged-up gloves during their consecration ceremonies as an overall outfit enhancer. Eventually this custom took on symbolic significance: when a priest was made into a bishop, his new powers were symbolized by this ceremonial pair of gloves, as beautiful and clean as his heart (hopefully). Once the French kings borrowed the ceremony for their coronations, they started re-gifting gloves to their own followers.

Charlemagne usually keeps his glove with him at all times but grants it to people who are invested with some critical task. Remember when he gives Ganelon a glove right before he heads down to chat up Marsile and your response was, "Why would Ganelon need a freaking mitten for his trip?"

Sure, a Lonely Planet Guide to Spain would probably be more helpful, but the conferring of the glove is all about the symbolic delegation of power, from Charlemagne to someone who's going to act in Charlemagne's name.

When this glove-giving ceremony goes wrong, disaster can result. Isn't it weird when Ganelon drops the glove and the Franks collectively gasp, as if he had just dropped his pants instead? The problem is not that he might have damaged or desecrated the glove itself; the very act of dropping it carries bad symbolic weight, giving off majorly uncomfortable ceremonial vibes. It is a bad omen that foreshadows all the tragedy and treachery that is to come:

The French say: "God! What does this mean?
We will suffer a great loss because of this message." (25.334-35)

For the Emir (yes, he has a man purse, too), giving a glove is more about demonstrating than conferring power. After declaring his intention to revenge Charlemagne for making seven years of trouble in Spain, Baligant "slaps his knee with his right gauntlet," emphasizing his commitment and his power to make good on it (192.2664). Similarly, when he sends a glove to Marsile, it is a token of Baligant's power over him, intended to remind Marsile that he is Baligant's faithful vassal and that Baligant will protect him (193).

As you might expect, for the very Christian Franks, gloves are also tied to heavenly power. In the deeply religious world of the Song of Roland, the earthly power of a king is merely a smaller and weaker version of the heavenly power of God. He is the one who is really wielding power. In a metaphorical sense, he gives the kings their gloves, in the same way a king gives a knight a glove, granting them the specific task of ruling over a kingdom.

But just as Ganelon's envoy-task was a temporary duty, ruling a kingdom can't last forever. Not to get grim here, but everybody dies, including kings. That's why Roland gives his glove back to God when he dies.

In a reverse of Ganelon's glove-giving ceremony, Roland gives up his earthly power and returns it to God. (Roland was actually given Charlemagne's bow when he was appointed to the rearguard (61), but by the time he's dying on the hill, the bow has weirdly morphed into a glove). If Charlemagne had been with him on his hill of death, Roland might have given it to him, but ultimately he must return it to God because God is the fount of all power.