An old lady and a widow, Oisille is regarded as the most devout of the group of travelers. In an interesting contrast to the male clergy running the abbey, Oisille becomes their spiritual leader, organizing and guiding their morning Scripture readings, while endeavoring to keep the group discussions on track. Her name resembles and could be an anagram for “oisel” in Old French, or “bird,” suggesting spiritual flight.

Identified by most scholars as Marguerite de Navarre herself, Parlamente’s name could be broken down to “parle amante” or “to speak of love.” Parlamente is married to Hircan, and her longtime “serviteur” is identified as Simontaut. She displays a certain level of authority in the group and is widely seen as the most intelligent and knowledgeable storyteller.

Longarine is a recently widowed young woman, as her husband is killed during the Prologue. She has an unknown serviteur in the group who could possibly be Dagoucin or Saffredent. Her name suggests “langue orine” or “golden tongue” in French.