Erec and Enide (French: Érec et Énide) is the first of Chrétien de Troyes' five romance poems, completed around 1170.

Consisting of about 7000 lines of Old French, the poem is one of the earliest known Arthurian romances in any language, predated only by the Welsh prose narrative Culhwch and Olwen.

Erec refuses to accept gifts of new clothes for Enide and takes her to Arthur's court in her ragged chemise.

In spite of her appearance, the courtiers recognize Enide's inherent nobility and Queen Guinevere dresses her in one of her own richly embroidered gowns.

The central half of the poem begins some time later when rumors spread that Erec has come to neglect his knightly duties due to his overwhelming love for Enide and his desire to be with her.

The last quarter of the poem adds another episode, referred to as the "Joy of the Court," in which Erec frees King Evrain's nephew Maboagrain from an oath to his lover that had prevented him from leaving the forest until defeated in combat.

[3] Erec and Enide displays the themes of love and chivalry that Chrétien de Troyes continues in his later work.

Erec's testing of Enide is not condemned in the fictive context of the story, especially when his behaviour is contrasted with some of the more despicable characters, such as Oringle of Limors.

However, in Erec and Enide, Chrétien addressed the less conventionally romantic (for the time period) concept of love within marriage.

Erec and Enide marry before even a quarter of the story is over, and their marriage and its consequences are actually the catalysts for the adventures that comprise the rest of the poem.

Enide does not lose her lover or commit suicide but many connections can be shown between Erec's gradual maturing process throughout the story and Aeneas's similar progress.