| Dinadan | |
|---|---|
| Matter of Britain character | |
 Sir Dinadan in a 1894 issue ofThe Catholic World | |
| First appearance | ProseTristan |
| In-universe information | |
| Title | Sir |
| Occupation | Knight of the Round Table |
| Family | Bruenor le Noir (senior and junior),Daniel |
| Nationality | Cornish |
Dinadan[a] is aCornishKnight of the Round Table in theArthurian legend'schivalric romance tradition. In theProseTristan and its adaptations, Dinadan is a close friend of the protagonistTristan, known for his cynical humor and pragmatism, and also for his severe anti-chivalric attitudes. InThomas Malory's English compilationLe Morte d'Arthur, Dinadan serves as afoil to Tristan in his softened portrayal,[1] appearing in several often comedic episodes until his murder byMordred andAgravain. Despite his relatively minor role, he has become a major subject of Malorian scholarship.[2]
LikePalamedes andLamorak, Dinadan was introduced in the 13th-centuryProseTristan (Tristan en prose), an Old French reimagination of the legend ofTristan and Iseult. Here, Dinadan is a knight fromCornwall and the son ofBruenor senior, also known as the Good Knight Without Fear. His brothers include fellowRound Table knightsBreunor le Noir andDaniel.
Dinadan is introduced to the story to replace the deadKahedin as the heroTristan's new close friend and companion, also functioning as a more reasonable part of Tristan.[3] Unlike many other knights in Arthurian romance, the pragmatic Dinadan tends to avoid fights and viewscourtly love as a futile pursuit, though he displays bravery in battle when necessary. As described byNorris J. Lacy, who called him "one of his most delightful creations" of the ProseTristan,
Dinadan, a pragmatist and a jovial cynic, consistently questions the conventions of chivalry and condemns, for example, the folly of doing battle for no purpose other than to demonstrate valor. He is equally cynical about love, mocking lovers who are tormented by their emotion; he wants no part of a love that brings not joy but suffering. Dinadan serves as the voice of skeptical reason and practicality.[4]
Early parts of the ProseTristan initially feature Dinadan as a more of a typicalknight errant character of Arthurian romance, less sensible and with limited sarcasm as compared to his characterization in other French tellings, such as thePost-Vulgate Cycle—but not to the one inThomas Malory's iconic English Arthurian compilationLe Morte d'Arthur, where his character is both already fully established and markedly toned down compared to the corresponding episodes from Malory's French text sources.[5][6] Dinadan also appears in some other works, such asEscanor and variants ofLes Prophéties de Merlin. In the former, Dinadan's deep skepticism towards women serves as a comedic theme.[7] Conversely, there are versions when his attitudes regarding females are portrayed as unsavoury. These include the ProseTristan manuscript BnF fr. 12599, which depicts Dinadan as a rapist of a young lady, and Micheau Gonnot'sCompilation, where he is a would-be rapist, stopped (and punished) by peasants.[8]
In the ProseTristan, Dinadan outlives the protagonist.[9] A manuscript known as theSuite du Tristan en prose (BnF fr. 24400) is a continuation of the ProseTristan that contains Dinadan's further story and his own death. It was translated to modern French by Richard Trachsler and published asLes Dernières Aventures de Dinadan (The Last Adventures of Dinadan) in 2025.[10]
Based on some variants of the ProseTristan in a highly abridged form, or perhaps a lost English intermediate source, Malory's portrayal of Dinadan (Dynadan) remains a comedic character as he retains some of his French version's cynical humor and inclination towards mockingchivalry, albeit without much of his original ironic commentaries.[7][11][12] Dinadan is often depicted as the most witty among Arthur's knights, both the source and target ofpractical jokes.[13] He is one of the only few able to recognize his fellow knights even when they are wearing full helmets and do not have marked shields, whichHelen Cooper interpreted as a female characteristic.[14]
During his visit to the court ofCornwall in search of his friend, the young hero Tristan (Tristram), Dinadan shares supper with QueenIseult (La Beale Isoud), revealing his deliberate choice to have no lady-love or paramour to inspire his noble deeds. In one escapade, he is caught off guard and defeated in ajoust byLancelot, who cleverly wears a dress over his armor and later dresses his unconscious opponent in it, across-dressing episode corresponding go the one in the Version IV of the ProseTristan (and theProphecies de Merlin) in which men sent by Lancelot andGalehaut forcibly dress Dinadan in a lady's gown as a joke forQueen Guinevere.[15][16][17] Albeit reluctantly, Dinadan is also still capable of heroic deeds on an occasion, such as when he helps Tristan to fight off 30 knights ofQueen Morgan all at once.[18]
InLe Morte d'Arthur, his end after returning from Cornwall, hoping to persuadeKing Arthur to reverse his ruling that had reinstated the villainousKing Mark on the throne. However, while wounded from his encounter with the evil knight Brehu the Merciless, Dinadan is ambushed and murdered by two other Knights of the Round Table, the treacherous half-brothersMordred andAgravain, who hate him for his association with their enemy Lamorak from the rival clan ofKing Pellinore. Lancelot's half-brotherHector de Maris discovers Dinadan mortally wounded and brings him toCamelot, where he dies in Lancelot's arms and is buried by Palamedes in Camelot.
According to Joyce Coleman, "Margaret Schlauch praises the 'courtly realism' depicted in Sir Thomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur, especially highlighting 'the comically realistic Sir Dinadan', whose humorous remarks about his fear of jousting leave his audience laughing so hard they can barely stay seated. 'Sir Dinadan, the realist' [Elizabeth Edwards], described as the 'rational moralist' governed by a 'pragmatic creed' [Donald Hoffman], remains a central figure in Malorian analysis."[2] Conversely, other scholars such asEugène Vinaver and Harold Livermore view the humor of Malory's Dinadan as inferior to that found in his French source material, where Dinadan's jokes are seen as more offensive and subversive, even addressing taboo subjects like religion.[19]
InLa Tavola Ritonda, a late medieval Italian rewrite of the ProseTristan, the villain Brehu/Bruce the Merciless (Breus sanz Pietà) is uniquely turned into Dinadan's cousin.[12] Compared to the ProseTristan, the author expanded on Dinadan's character, giving him a wider range of attitudes, some perhaps reflecting his own perceptions.[20]
Unlike his more usual portrayals, this version of Dinadan (Dinadano) is depicted as a violent misogynist who harbors deep animosity towards women, including his dear friend Tristan's beloved, whom he openly insults as a "whore".[21][22] Tristan, unsuccessfully, tries to trick him into loving a woman twice.[12] The only time Dinadan does fall in love with a woman is during his brief affair with the evil Losanna of the Ancient Tower (Losanna della Torre Antica) in an episode based on the Short Version of the ProseTristan. This affair causes him to turn against Tristan, who fights to save Losanna's rival Tessina (whom Dinadan also disparagingly calls a "whore"). His typically-hostile attitude towards women earns him friendly mockery from Tristan, including a comical episode where Tristan, after Dinadan refuses to marry a daughter of Espinogres (here portrayed as a king; in Malory's version he is a knight companion of Tristan and Dinadan), enters Dinadan's room at night pretending to be the daughter, madly in love with him. Late in the book, Dinadan attempts to murder the captured King Mark in revenge for the death of Tristan.
Dinadan has appeared in a number of modern works, including the musicalCamelot in which he was portrayed byJohn Cullum in the original 1960 Broadway production whileAnthony Rogers played the role in the 1967 film version. He is the main character inGerald Morris' 2003 novelThe Ballad of Sir Dinadan,[23] and is featured in the chapter "Sir Dinadan the Humorist" inMark Twain's 1890 novelA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.[24] InLev Grossman's 2024 novelThe Bright Sword, Dinadan is portrayed as atransgender man who uses knight armor to hide his breasts and female genitals, acclaimed byThe New York Times reviewer (and fellow modern Arthurian author)Kiersten White as "one of the best knights to come out of modern Arthurian tales".[25]