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TheKnights of the Round Table (Welsh:Marchogion y Ford Gron,Cornish:Marghogyon an Moos Krenn,Breton:Marc'hegien an Daol Grenn) are the legendaryknights of the fellowship ofKing Arthur that first appeared in theMatter of Britain literature in the mid-12th century. The Knights are achivalric order dedicated to ensuring the peace of Arthur's kingdom following an early warring period, entrusted in later years to undergo a mystical quest for theHoly Grail. TheRound Table at which they meet is a symbol of the equality of its members, who range from sovereign royals to minor nobles.
The various Round Table stories present an assortment of knights from all overGreat Britain and abroad, some of whom are even from outside of Europe. Their ranks often includeArthur's close and distant relatives, such asAgravain,Gaheris andYvain, as well as his reconciled former enemies, likeGalehaut,Pellinore andLot. Several of the most notable Knights of the Round Table, among themBedivere,Gawain andKay, are based on older characters from a host of great warriors associated with Arthur in the early Welsh tales. Some, such asLancelot,Perceval andTristan, feature in the roles of a protagonist or eponymous hero in various works ofchivalric romance. Other well-known members of the Round Table include the holy knightGalahad, replacing Perceval as the main Grail Knight in the later stories, and Arthur's traitorous son and nemesisMordred.
By the end of Arthurian prose cycles (including the seminalLe Morte d'Arthur), the Round Table splits up into groups of warring factions following the revelation of Lancelot's adultery with King Arthur's wife,Queen Guinevere. In the same tradition, Guinevere is featured with her own personal order of young knights, known as theQueen's Knights. Some of these romances retell the story of theKnights of the Old Table, led by Arthur's father,Uther Pendragon, whilst other tales focus on the members of the 'Grail Table'; these were the followers of ancient ChristianJoseph of Arimathea, with his Grail Table later serving as the inspiration for Uther and Arthur's subsequent Round Tables.
The number of the Knights of the Round Table (includingKing Arthur) and their names vary greatly between the versions published by different writers. The figure may range from a dozen to as many as potentially 1,600 (the number of seats at the table), the latter claimed byLayamon in hisBrut.[1] Most commonly,[2] however, there are between about 100 and 300 seats at the table, often withone seat usually permanently empty. The number of three hundred was also chosen by KingEdward III of England when he decided to create his own real-life Order of the Round Table atWindsor Castle in 1344.[3]
In many chivalric romances there are over 100 members of Arthur's Round Table, as with either 140 or 150 according toThomas Malory's popularLe Morte d'Arthur,[4][5] and about 140 according toErec byHartmann von Aue.[6] Some sources offer much smaller numbers, such as 13 in the DidotPerceval and 60 in the count byJean d'Outremeuse in hisLy Myreur des Histors.[7][8] Others yet give higher numbers, as with 250 in theProseMerlin,[9] and 366 in bothLi Chevaliers as Deus Espees[8] andPerlesvaus (where this is their peak number that nevertheless had dwindled to only about 25 at the time when the story begins[10]).
Chrétien de Troyes suggested around 500 knights in his early romanceErec and Enide.[11] In the same work, Chrétien catalogued many of Arthur's top knights in a series of long hierarchical lists of names. These rankings are different in each of the surviving manuscripts, none of which is believed to be the author's original version.[12]
While not mentioning the Round Table as such, one of the lateWelsh Triads lists 24 extraordinary knights permanently living in Arthur's court,[13] mixing romance characters with several Arthur's warriors from a largely lost Welsh tradition considered to originate in old Celtic folklore. Companions of Arthur numbering 24 also appear in the Welsh tale ofPeredur son of Efrawg.[14]
Some of the more notable knights include the following:
| Name | Other names | Introduction | Other medieval works | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accolon | Sir Accolon of Gaul | Post-Vulgate Cycle, c. 13th century | Le Morte d'Arthur | Loved byMorgan le Fay, accidentally killed in a duel with King Arthur. |
| Aglovale | Agloval, Sir Aglovale de Galis | The Life of Sir Aglovale de Galis | King Pellinore's eldest son. | |
| Agravain | Agravaine | Lancelot-Grail,Le Morte d'Arthur | Second son ofKing Lot (of eitherLothian orOrkney) and Arthur's sisterMorgause. | |
| Arthur | Arthur Pendragon, Arturus, King Arthur | Y Gododdin, c. 6th century | Many | High King of Britain, ruler ofLogres and lord ofCamelot. |
| Bagdemagus | Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, 1170s | Meleagant's father and ruler of Gorre. | ||
| Bedivere | (Welsh:Bedwyr, French:Bédoier) Bedevere | Pa Gur yv y Porthaur, c. 10th century | Vita Cadoc,Culhwch and Olwen,Stanzas of the Graves,Welsh Triads,Historia Regum Britanniae,Le Morte d'Arthur, numerous others | ReturnsExcalibur to theLady of the Lake; brother to Lucan. |
| Bors the Younger | Son of Bors the Elder, father of Elyan the White; Arthur's successor in some versions. | |||
| Brunor | Breunor le Noir,La Cote Mal Taillée ("The Badly-shaped Coat") | Knight who wears his murdered father's coat; brother of Dinadan and Daniel. | ||
| Cador | (Latin:Cadorius) | Historia Regum Britanniae,The Dream of Rhonabwy | RaisedGuinevere as her ward, father toConstantine; described in some works as Arthur's cousin. | |
| Calogrenant | Colgrevance | Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, 1170s | Le Morte d'Arthur | Cousin to Sir Yvain. |
| Caradoc | (Latin:Caractacus) (Welsh:Caradog Freichfras, meaning Caradoc Strong Arm) (French:Carados Briefbras) (English: Carados of Scotland) | Perceval, the Story of the Grail, theMabinogion | Rebelled against Arthur when he first became king, but later supported him. Sometimes two characters: Caradoc the Elder (a king) and Caradoc the Younger (a knight). | |
| Claudin | Lancelot-Grail,Le Morte d'Arthur | Virtuous son of the villain kingClaudas. | ||
| Constantine | Historia Regum Britanniae, c. 1136 | Le Morte d'Arthur | Arthur's cousin and successor to his throne; Cador's son. | |
| Dagonet | Arthur'scourt jester. | |||
| Daniel von Blumenthal | Daniel von Blumenthal, 1220 | Knight found in an early German offshoot of Arthurian legend. | ||
| Dinadan | ProseTristan, 1230s | Le Morte d'Arthur | Son of Sir Brunor the Senior. | |
| Ector | Hector, Antor, Ectorius | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | Le Morte d'Arthur | Raises Arthur according toMerlin's command; father to Kay. |
| Elyan the White | (French:Helyan le Blanc) | Son of Bors | ||
| Erec | Unclear; first literary appearance as Erec inErec and Enide, c. 1170 | SeeGeraint and Enid | Son of King Lac. | |
| Esclabor | Exiled Saracen king; father of Palamedes, Safir, and Segwarides. | |||
| Feirefiz | Wolfram von Eschenbach'sParzival, early 13th century | Half-brother to Percival; Arthur's nephew. | ||
| Gaheris | Le Morte d'Arthur | Son ofKing Lot andMorgause, brother to Gawain, Agravaine, and Gareth, and half-brother to Mordred. | ||
| Galahad | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | Post-Vulgate Cycle,Le Morte d'Arthur | Bastard son of Sir Lancelot andElaine of Corbenic; the main achiever of the Holy Grail. | |
| Galehault | Galehalt, Galehaut | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | A half-giant foreign king, a former enemy of Arthur who becomes close to Lancelot. | |
| Galeschin | Galeshin | TheVulgate Cycle | Son ofElaine of Garlot andKing Nentres; nephew of Arthur. | |
| Gareth | Beaumains | Le Morte d'Arthur,Idylls of the King | Also a son ofKing Lot andMorgause; in love withLyonesse. | |
| Gawain | (Latin:Walwanus, Welsh:Gwalchmai, Irish:Balbhuaidh) | Culhwch and Olwen, c. 11th century | Conte du Graal,Lancelot-Grail cycle,ProseTristan,Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,Le Morte d'Arthur and many short Middle English romances | Another son ofKing Lot andMorgause; father of Gingalain. |
| Geraint | Geraint and Enid | Enid's lover. | ||
| Gingalain | Guinglain, Gingalin, Gliglois, Wigalois, etc., alsoLe Bel Inconnu, or The Fair Unknown | Le Bel Inconnu | Gawain's son. | |
| Gornemant | Gurnemanz | Perceval, the Story of the Grail | Parzival | Mentor of Perceval. |
| Griflet | Girflet, Jaufre | Jaufré | A cousin to Lucan and Bedivere. | |
| Hector de Maris | Ector de Maris | Quest du Saint Graal (Vulgate Cycle) | Half-brother of Lancelot, son ofKing Ban; Bors and Lionel are his cousins. | |
| Hoel | (Welsh:Howel,Hywel) | The Dream of Rhonabwy,Geraint and Enid | Son of KingBudic of Brittany; father toSt. Tudwal. | |
| Kay | (Welsh:Cai, Latin:Caius) | Pa Gur yv y porthaur? 10th century | Many | Ector's son, foster brother to Arthur. |
| Lamorak | ProseTristan, c. 1235 | Lancelot-Grail Cycle | Son of King Pellinore, brother to Tor, Aglovale, Percival, and Dindrane; lover ofMorgause. | |
| Lancelot | Lancelot du Lac, Lancelot of the Lake, Launcelot | Erec and Enide, c. 1170 | Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart,Lancelot-Grail, many others | Son ofKing Ban from France, most famous for his affair withQueen Guinevere, father of Galahad, most prominent Knight of the Round Table in later romances |
| Lanval | Landevale, Launfal, Lambewell | Marie de France'sLanval, late 12th century | Sir Landevale,Sir Launfal,Sir Lambewell | Enemy ofGuinevere. |
| Leodegrance | Leondegrance | Guinevere's father, King ofCameliard, and the holder of the Round Table during the period between the death of Uther and the reign of Arthur. | ||
| Lionel | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | Son ofKing Bors of Gaunnes (orGaul) and brother of Bors the Younger. | ||
| Lucan | Sir Lucan the Butler | Le Morte d'Arthur | Servant to King Arthur; Bedivere's brother, Griflet's cousin. | |
| Maleagant | Malagant, Meleagant, perhaps Melwas | Unclear, a similar character named "Melwas" appears in the 12th centuryLife of Gildas | Lancelot-Grail,Post-Vulgate Cycle,Le Morte d'Arthur | Abductor ofGuinevere. |
| Mordred | Modred (Welsh:Medrawd, Latin:Medraut) | Annales Cambriae, c. 970 | Many | In the Round Table stories, Arthur's illegitimate son throughMorgause. |
| Morholt | Marhalt, Morold, Marhaus | Tristan poems ofBéroul andThomas of Britain, 12th century | Tristan poems ofEilhart von Oberge,Gottfried von Strassburg,ProseTristan,Post-Vulgate Cycle,Le Morte d'Arthur | Irish knight, rival of Tristan and uncle ofIseult. |
| Morien | Moriaen | Dutch romanceMorien, 13th century | Half-Moorish son of Aglovale. | |
| Palamedes | ProseTristan, 13th century | Saracen, Son of King Esclabor, brother of Safir and Segwarides. | ||
| Pelleas | Pellias | Post-Vulgate Cycle, 1230s | Le Morte d'Arthur | In love with Ettarre, later lover ofNimue. |
| Pellinore | Lancelot-Grail,Post-Vulgate Cycle | King of Listenoise and friend to Arthur. | ||
| Percival | (Welsh:Peredur) Perceval, Parzifal | As Percival,Erec and Enide, c. 1170 | Perceval, the Story of the Grail,Lancelot-Grail, many | Achiever of theHoly Grail; King Pellinore's son in some tales. |
| Safir | Thomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur,ProseTristan | Son to King Esclabor; brother of Segwarides and Palamedes. | ||
| Sagramore | Sagramor | Lancelot-Grail,Post-Vulgate Cycle,ProseTristan,Le Morte d'Arthur | Ubiquitous Knight of the Round Table; various stories and origins are given for him. | |
| Segwarides | Le Morte d'Arthur,ProseTristan | Son of Esclabor; brother of Safir and Palamedes. | ||
| Tor | Le Morte d'Arthur | Son of King Ars, adopted by Pellinore. | ||
| Tristan | (Latin/Brythonic:Drustanus; Welsh:Drystan; Portuguese:Tristão; Spanish:Tristán) Tristran, Tristram, etc. | Beroul'sRoman de Tristan | The twoFolies Tristans,Marie de France'sChevrefeuil,Eilhart von Oberge,Gottfried von Strassburg,ProseTristan,Post-Vulgate Cycle,Le Morte d'Arthur | King Mark's son or relative,Iseult's lover. |
| Urien | Uriens | Historical figure | Welsh Triads | King ofRheged (or Gorre), father of Yvain (Owain mab Urien) and husband ofMorgan le Fay. |
| Yvain | (Welsh:Owain) Ywain, Ewain or Uwain | Based on the historical figureOwain mab Urien | Historia Brittonum,Yvain, the Knight of the Lion | King Urien's son. |
| Yvain the Bastard | Ywain the Adventurous,Uwain le Avoutres | Urien's illegitimate son. |
In addition, there are many less prominent knights. For instance, the "Healing of Sir Urry" episode in theWinchester Manuscript ofLe Morte d'Arthur lists, in addition to many of the above, the following:[15]
Conversely, theWinchester Round Table features only the knights SirAlynore (Alymere), SirBedwere (Bedivere), Sir Blubrys (Bleoberis), SirBors Deganys (Bors de Ganis), SirBrumear (Brunor le Noir), Sir Dagonet, Sir Degore, SirEctorde Marys (Ector de Maris), SirGalahallt (Galahault or Galahad), SirGarethe (Gareth), SirGauen (Gawain), Sir Kay, Sir Lamorak, SirLauncelot Deulake (Lancelot du Lac), SirLacotemale Tayle (La Cote Male Taile), SirLucane (Lucan), SirLybyus Dysconyus (Le Bel Desconneu), SirLyonell (Lionel), SirMordrede (Mordred), SirPlomyde (Palomedes), SirPelleus (Pelleas), SirPercyvale (Percival), SirSafer (Safir), and SirTrystram Delyens (Tristram de Lyones), for the total of merely 24 (not counting Arthur).[16]
Aglovale de Galis (Agglovale,Aglaval[e],Agloval,Aglován,Aglovaus, etc.; -de Galles, -le Gallois) is the eldest legitimate son ofKing Pellinore of Galis (Wales), introduced in theVulgateLancelot. Like his father and his brothers (who may includeDrian,Lamorak, the original Grail heroPerceval, andTor), he is a Knight of theRound Table. According to thePost Vulgate Cycle, andThomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur, Aglovale is the one who brings his long lost brother Percival toCamelot to be knighted after meeting him by chance in Perceval's woods. In an alternate account in theLivre d'Artus version of theVulgateMerlin, the young Agloval has all of his fourteen brothers killed during the Saxon wars by the forces of KingRions' relative King Agrippa in their attack on his mother's domain.
In theLivre d'Artus, Agloval then accompaniesGawain andSagramore in leading an army that defeats the invaders, personally slaying Agrippa but suffering severe wounds. In the Third (Manessier's) Continuation ofPerceval, Agloval dies seven years after Percival became the Grail King, causing Percival's retirement to a hermitage to grieve for his final ten years.[17] In theVulgate Cycle, Aglovale dies accidentally at Gawain's hand during the Quest for theHoly Grail. However, the rewrite in the Post-VulgateQueste turns it into a deliberate murder, a part of the Orkney clan's long vendetta for the death ofKing Lot.[18] In Malory, he is among the knights charged byKing Arthur with defending the execution ofGuinevere, and is killed by unknown hand during the bloody melee whenLancelot and his men rescue the queen.
Aglovale appears prominently in the Dutch romanceMoriaen, in whichAcglavael visitsMoorish lands in Africa and meets a Christian princess whom he conceives a child with. He returns home and, thirteen years later, his son Morien comes to find him after which they both return to Morien's lands. In modern works, Aglovale is the eponymous protagonist ofClemence Housman's 1905 novelThe Life of Sir Aglovale de Galis.
Arthur the Less orArthur the Little (Arthur le Petit) is an illegitimate son of King Arthur ("Arthur the Great") found only in thePost-Vulgate Cycle. After Arthur forces himself on a daughter of a knight named Tanas, he orders the child to be named either Guenevere or Arthur the Less.[19] Having been abandoned and raised by a foster mother, the boy appears at Arthur's court on the eve of theGrail Quest when his arrival is miraculously prophesied at theRound Table. He is knighted byTristan and soon proves to be superior to evenGawain andPercival, defeating both of them. However, he is publicly known only as theUnknown Knight, keeping his lineage secret as to not shame his father with the story of his mother's rape. Loyal to King Arthur (who is eventually informed about his son's identity byMorgan), he fights in the late wars against domestic and foreign enemies, and is one ofGalahad's companions during the Grail Quest. After his father's deathat Salisbury, Arthur the Less is a candidate for the heir of throne ofLogres, however, he obsessively hatesLancelot's renegade faction, blaming them for the disaster. When soon defeated byBleoberis in a duel to the death, he curses the entire kingdom in his dying breath. His curse manifests itself throughKing Mark's devastating invasion which destroys almost all remnants of King Arthur's rule.[20]
Bleoberis de Ganis is a Knight of theRound Table from the land of Ganis (variantsGanes,Gannes,Gaunes,Gaunnes; meaning probablyGaul or perhapsVannes), who was first mentioned byChrétien de Troyes in hisErec and Enide, named therein asBliobleheris (Wendelin Foerster's choice; manuscript variantsBleob[l]eris,Bleosblieris,Blioberis,Bliobeheri,Blios Blieris[21]). He has since appeared by a large number of variations of his name and character in many subsequent works, including as split betweenBarant le Apres (Berrant) andBleoberys (Bleoberis,Bleoboris,Bleoheris) inThomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur; asBleobleheris (Bliobliheri) andBleheris in respectively the First and the Second Continuation ofPerceval; as two different characters named Bleheris andBlidoblidas inMériadeuc [fr]; as split betweenBleherris andBleoberiis inOf Arthour and of Merlin; asBleoris inHenry Lovelich'sMerlin; asBleos von Bliriers inDiu Crône; asBleriz inPovest' o Tryshchane [be]; asBliobleherin in the GermanErec; asBliobleeris inLa Vengeance Raguidel; asBliobleris de Gannes (Biblioberis,Bla[h]aris,Bleob[l]eris,Bleobleheris,Bleosblieris,Bliaires,Blihoble[h]eris,Bliobeheri,Blioberis,Blyob[l]eris; -de Ga[u]n[n]es) in the 13th-century French prose cycles; asBlioblieris in bothLe Bel Inconnu andWigalois; asBréri inTristan byThomas of Britain; asBriobris inLa Tavola Ritonda; asPleherin inTristrant; and asPlihopliherî (Plihophiheri,Plihopliheri) inParzival.
Bleoberis features as a major character in the later romances from the French prose cycles and their adaptations, in which he is portrayed as one of the cousins of the heroLancelot. There he is son of Nestor de Gaunes and godson of Lancelot's fatherKing Bors, as well as brother of his fellow Round Table companion Blamo[u]r[e] (Blanor[e]). In theVulgateMerlin, theLivre d'Arthur, andArthour and Merlin, Bleoberis fights alongside his brother Blamoure in the wars against the rebel kings atBedegraine, against the Saxons atCameliard, and against KingClaudas in theWasteland; the latter earns him his nickname "of the Wasteland" (de la Deserte). In both the Vulgate andPost-Vulgate versions of theQueste, as well as in theProseTristan, he participates in theGrail Quest. In Malory, he is the lord of the Castle of Gannis in Britain. In the Vulgate and the works based on it, Lancelot eventually makes him the Duke ofPoitiers for his part in savingGuinevere, after which Bleoberis becomes an important leader in Lancelot's war against Arthur and Gawain. In the Post-VulgateMort, he returns to Britain and arrives atSalisbury afterthe battle to destroy the corpse ofMordred and build the Tower of the Dead. While searching for Lancelot, he meets Arthur's vengeful sonArthur the Less (himself a member of the Round Table as the Unknown Knight), whom he kills in self-defence. Finding Lancelot at a hermitage with the formerArchbishop of Canterbury, he joins them; after Lancelot's death, Bleoberis buries his body atJoyous Gard. In Malory, Bleoberis and his brother first live as monks together with Lancelot and the rest of his kinsmen atGlastonbury Tor, then leave on a crusade and together die in battle inJerusalem.
He also appears in some tales as an opponent whom the story's hero must overcome during the course of a quest or an adventure. In the ProseTristan, Bleoberis abductsSegwarides' wife fromKing Mark's court, and fights for her against first Segwarides and later the protagonistTristan. InWigalois, one of the challenges faced by the protagonist Wigalois (Gawain's son,Gingalain) is to defeat Bleoberis, the fierce guardian of the Perilous Ford. He is similarly the first adversary conquered by Gawain's son Guinglan inLe Bel Inconnu. InParzival,Orgeluse's suitor boasts of having him either slain or defeated but spared (depending on interpretation of the text). InTristrant, he is one of King Mark's vassals and an enemy of Tristan, who brutally kills him during his escape from Mark's court.
His name may have been derived from the 12th-century Welsh storyteller known in French as Bledhericus, Bleheris or Blihis (Blihos) Bliheris (possiblyBledri ap Cydifor[22]),[23] who is mentioned in several texts, including being credited by both Thomas of Britain andWauchier de Denain as the original source of their early Arthurian poems. References to the narrative authority of one Master Blihis (Maistre Blihis) repeat throughout theElucidation, wherein the character namedBlihos Bliheris also appears appears as knight.
Brandelis (Brandalus,Brandel,Brandeles,Brandellis,Brendalis, etc.) is the name of a number of Arthurian romance characters, including multiple Knights of theRound Table from the French prose tradition. As in the case of several other Arthurian characters, such asKing Ban, they might have been derived from the Welsh mythology's figure ofBrân.[24]
The best known of these was originally known asBran de Lis (Brans,Bras, -de Lys), a character related to one of the mothers of the illegitimate sons ofGawain. Bran first appears in the First Continuation of Chrétien'sPerceval as one of the brothers of Guilorete (Gloriete) of the Castle Lis, the mother of Gawain's son Lionel (Lioniaus). After Gawain had slain Bran's father Norroiz (Norrois, alsoYder de Lis) and two of his brothers (Meliant and Guilorete) in the previous duels in the long feud against him for seducing Guilorete, Bran is about to fight him as well, but they are stopped by Arthur and later become friends. This story is retold inThe Jeaste of Sir Gawain, where he appears asBrandles (the name also used for one of Arthur's knights inSir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle), and in the ScottishGolagros and Gawane, where he is calledSpinagros. InPerlesvaus,Brandalus (Brun[s] Brandelis) de Gales (of Wales) is one of Perceval's uncles along with King Alain, whose name (and title) is shared with the father of Floree, mother of Gawain's sonGuinglain in theVulgate Cycle. In Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur,Brandiles (Brandyles) is brother of the mother of Gawain's sons (and later his companions at the Round Table) Gingalin, Lovel and Florence.
SirBrandeliz (Brandalis,Brandelis,Braudaliz) appears in multiple episodes through the Vulgate Cycle (some of which are included inLe Morte d'Arthur), participating in the quests (including the quest for the Grail) and in the wars againstClaudas andGalahaut. In the prose cycles, he dies while fighting either againstLancelot during the latter's rescue of the condemnedGuinevere or againstMordred in the final battle. In the standalone romanceClaris et Laris,Brandaliz is one of the eleven protagonists other than the eponymous duo; here he is a friend of Claris who, with the help ofMerlin, rescues Laris from the prison of the Danish king Tallas among his other acts. In both narratives, he is also repeatedly freed from enemy captivity by the other heroes, including Gawain, Lancelot, and Claris. The VulgateLancelot story ofGaheriet's rescue of Brandeliz and his lady might have been rewritten by Malory as an early episode of his "Tale of Sir Gareth", the fourth book ofLe Morte d'Arthur. In theProseTristan, Brandeliz is a Knight of the Round Table from Cornwall, not Wales.
The Vulgate Cycle also features a different Knight of the Round Table other than Sir Brandeliz, a minor character ofDuke Brandelis de Taningues (Brandeban, Brandeharz,Brandelz,-de Tranurgor). Yet another Knight of the Round Table named Brandelis (Brandelis le fils Lac, that is "son ofLac") appears as brother ofErec inPalamedes and the late Italian romanceI Due Tristani. The late French romanceYsaïe le Triste features Brandalis' own son, Brandor de Gaunes (of Wales). In the DidotPerceval,Peredur's uncle is one Brendalis of Wales who also has a brother named Brwns Brandalis.
A few other Brandalis characters are clearly unrelated to the Round Table, such as that of the Vulgate's Saxon king Brandalis (Braundalis,Maundalis). However, some scholars have connected Bran de Lis with the villains Brian des Isles (Brian of the Isles) fromPerlesvaus and Brandin (Branduz) des Isles from the VulgateLancelot,[25] as well as to King Brandelidelin from an early German Arthurian romanceParzival,[26] as possibly identical in origin.
Calogrenant, sometimes known in English asColgrevance and in German (Diu Crône) asKalogrenant, among many other variants (includingCalogrenan[s/z],Calogrevant,Calogrinant,Colgrevaunce,Galogrinans,Kalebrant,Kalocreant,Qualogrenans), is a Knight of theRound Table and cousin toYvain. His character has been derived from theWelsh mythological heroCynon ap Clydno, usually the lover ofOwain mab Urien's sisterMorvydd; although inOwain, or the Lady of the Fountain, Cynon is stated to be the son of Clydno, possibly connected toClyddno Eiddin.Roger Sherman Loomis and some other scholars speculated that Calogrenant was used specifically as a foil forKay in some lost early version of Yvain's story. The 12th-century authorChrétien de Troyes characterized him as everything Kay is not: polite, respectful, eloquent, and well-mannered. By this theory, his name can be deconstructed to "Cai lo grenant", or "Cai the grumbler", which would represent another opposite characteristic of Kay, who was famous for his bitter sarcasm.[27]
Calogrenant first appears in Chrétien'sYvain, the Knight of the Lion, telling a story to a group of knights andQueen Guinevere. He describes an adventure he had in the forest ofBrocéliande, in which there was a magic spring that could summon a large storm. Calogrenant reached the spring and summoned the storm, after which a knight namedEsclados attacked and defeated him. Yvain is upset that Calogrenant never told him of this defeat, and sets out to avenge him, embarking on the adventure that sets up the remainder of events in the romance.
Calogrenant appears later in theLancelot-Grail cycle, though his kinship to Yvain is not as clear as in Chrétien. He dies during theGrail Quest while trying to keepLionel from killing his own brother,Bors. Bors had faced a dilemma over whom to rescue between Lionel, who was getting beaten with thorns by two rogue knights, and a maiden who had just been abducted, and chose the maiden over his brother. Lionel was not pleased by this, and attacked Bors the next time he saw him. A hermit tried to intervene, but was killed accidentally in the process, and Calogrenant stepped in. Bors refuses fight his brother, who slays Calogrenant before attacking Bors; however, God intervenes and renders him immobile.Thomas Malory calls him Colgrevance and recounts his death at Lionel's hands inLe Morte d'Arthur, but also includes another one later in the narrative. Despite having died on the Grail quest, Colgrevance reappears as one of the twelve knights who helpAgravaine andMordred trapLancelot and Guinevere together in the queen's chambers. Lancelot has neither armour nor weapons, but manages to pull Colgrevance into the room and kills him; he then uses Colgrevance's sword to defeat the rest of Mordred's companions.
Prince Claudin (Claudine,Claudyne,Claudino) is the son of theFrankish KingClaudas of the Wasteland (de la Deserte) who appears in theLancelot-Grail prose cycle, theProseTristan, thePost-Vulgate Cycle, andLe Morte d'Arthur. His father, who he fights for, is a major villain duringKing Arthur's early reign. However, when Claudas eventually loses the war and flees to Rome, Claudin surrenders and defects to Arthur, who makes him a member of theRound Table. During theGrail Quest, Claudin is one of the companions ofBors the Younger,Galahad andPerceval inCorbenic.
Cligès is the title hero ofChrétien de Troyes' French poemCligès (and its foreign versions). There, he is an offspring of Arthur's niece Soredamors and Alexander, a son of the Greek (Byzantine) Emperor. Following his adventures, Cliges eventually marries Fenice, a daughter of the German Emperor, and becomes the Greek Emperor himself.
As Cligés (Clicés,Clies,Clygés), he also appears in some other French Arthurian romances, including in the First Continuation of Chrétien'sPerceval (where his father is namedKing Lac) and inClaris et Laris. In theRomanz du reis Yder, he serves Queen Guenloie (Guinevere) until he is expelled from her court after he criticizes her love forYder (who later promises to reconcile them).[28] InThe Marvels of Rigomer [fr], he hails from Greece and participates in the quest to conquer Rigomer Castle as one ofGawain's many companions; he also defeats the undead knight in his own episode.[29] AsClias the Greek (der Grieche Clîas), he has a role in the GermanParzival.[30]Thomas Malory's Urry list calls him SirClegis (despite a similar name, Clegis is not in any way connected with the EnglishSir Cleges, the hero of a completely different story set in the times of Arthur's fatherUther Pendragon[31]).
Dodinel (Dodinas,Dodine[i]s,Dôdînes,Dodinia[u]s,Dodin[s],Dodynas,Dodynel,Didones,Dydonel[l],Lionel, etc.)le Sauvage (le Savage,le Salvage,li Sauvages,li Salvages,el Salvaje,der Wilde, etc.), variously translated to English asthe Wild,the Wildman, orthe Savage (sometimes also as the descriptive "impetuous" or "fierce"), is a Knight of the Round Table found in a great many works of Arthurian romance, typically featured as a well-known knight yet merely afigurant type of a character,[32] and without a common role. He is nevertheless important in several of such works, including the Third Continuation ofPerceval, the VulgateLancelot, the Post-VulgateMerlin, theLivre d'Artus, the ProseTristan, andClaris et Laris.
Dodinel is introduced in Chrétien de Troyes'Erec et Enide, being named there as the ninth best ofKing Arthur's knights, albeit noted as a rude one. Dodinel is also listed among the top knights of Arthur in Chrétien'sYvain as well as inSir Gawaine and the Green Knight, whileThe Knight of the Two Swords describes him as a "truly exceptional ... man of many virtues." He might have been originally identical withPercival, which would explain his characteristic epiteth as meaning a man from the woods (wilderness).[33] However, the only possible trace of such motif can be found in the GermanLanzelet, in which Dodines lives a double life: as an enchanter owning a magic horse and dwelling near the dangerous Shrieking Marsh (Schreiende Moos) in the summer, and as a knight in Arthur's lands in the winter.
As with his other characteristics, Dodinel's family relations are variably told. In the VulgateMerlin Continuation, he is portrayed as an illegitimate son of either King Brandegorre or King Bélinant (Balinant,Belinans,Belynans; possibly based on the Celtic godBelinus) de Sorgales ("ofSouth Wales"; Norgales / North Wales in the VulgateLancelot) and Eglatine (Eglantine,Eglante,Eglente), and cousin ofGaleschin. In theLancelot en prose, he is son of King Nantres and Queen Blasine (Arthur's sister), and brother of Galescin. In the Huth-Merlin, he is son ofBalin's brother Balan (Balaan le Sauvage). In the Didot-Perceval, he is son of the Lady of Malehaut (Dame de Malohaut). InParzival, he has a brother called Taurian the Wild (der Wilde).
In the Third Continuation of Chrétien'sPerceval, one of the six episodes ofGawain's adventures relate his rescue of the "handsome and valiant" Dodinel (Dodinal) from a prison and his lover from a pyre, the latter then also again saved by Perceval. Dodinel is prominent inClaris et Laris, portrayed there as a comical side story character, aDinadan-like humorously anti-chivalric knight, one who avoids dangerous combat in his wanderings and once escapes from a captivity by posing as a minstrel. He and Dinadan are themselves friends in theMeliadus Compilation; in theMarvels of Rigomer, Dodinel is one of Gawain's quest companions. Thomas Malory in hisLe Morte d'Arthur, following some of the Dodinel material from the VulgateLancelot as well as his portrayal in the ProseTristan, has him (named asDodinas le Savage in theWinchester Manuscript) as a recurring companion ofSagramore and, early in his career, as one of theGuinevere's own ten knights.
His 'biography' can be found in the French prose cycles. In the VulgateMerlin and theLivre d'Artus, the young teenage Dodinel defects to Arthur early in the king's reign, opposing his own family. In theLivre, he kills the Saxon king Mathmas at the Battle of Clarence (Badon). Having been knighted by Arthur, he joins the Queen's Knights and eventually the Round Table. The VulgateLancelot, besides telling the stories ofLancelot's rescues of the captive Dodinel on multiple occasions, has him as one of the only five knights who cross the perilous bridge into Sorelois alive (besides Gawain,Meliant,Yder and Arthur). In the VulgateQueste, he is one of the Grail knights inGalahad's company. In the Post-Vulgate,Lamorak is slain by Gawain and his brothers when he is injured following an earlier fight with Dodinel. In the end, Dodinel dies fighting againstMordred's forces at the Battle of Salisbury Plain (Camlann).
In Italy, he is calledDondinello and its variants, usually with no epithet (except in the case ofOddinello le Salvaggio in theTristano Riccardiano). In his unusual characterization inChantari di Lancelotto, Dodinel (Dudinello) is a villain who joins up with Mordred to conspire against Lancelot.Cantari di Carduino, aFair Unknown type epic poem possibly based on a lost Dodinel romance, tells the story of his eponymous son Carduino's vengeance against the clan of Gawain for having his father fatally poisoned by the jealous lords including Mordred and Augerisse (probablyGaheris), as well as of Carduino's other adventures.
Drian (Doryan,Driant,Durnor) is one ofKing Pellinore's sons out of wedlock. He is most prominent in theProseTristan which describes him as one of the very best of the Knights, alongsideGalahad,Lancelot,Palamedes, and his own brotherLamorak.[34] There, Drian and Lamorak are hated byGawain for being sons of Pellinore and for being superior knights to Gawain. Drian dies when he fights three ofKing Lot's sons, unhorsingAgravain andMordred before being mortally wounded and left for dead by Gawain; Lamorak dies soon afterwards while trying to avenge him.
Drian is calledDornar (Durnor[e]) byThomas Malory inLe Morte d'Arthur, where he is also killed by Gawain. He appears alongside two knights namedDarnarde andDryaun (Dryaunt,Tryan), both of them also derived from the French Drian.[35] Malory splits Drian's adventures from the ProseTristan between the latter two: Dryaun guards a bridge with his brother Alain (one of Drian's other brothers), jousting the passing knights; Darnarde visitsKing Mark's court with Lamorak, where they defeat Mark and all of his knights butTristan. Darnarde is eventually killed alongside his brothers,Aglovale andTor, when Lancelot rescuesQueen Guinevere from the stake.
Elyan the White orHelyan le Blanc (alsoElain,Elayn,Helain,Hellaine,Helin; -le Blank, -the Pale) is son ofBors the Younger in the prose romance tradition ofLancelot-Grail (Vulgate Cycle). His mother, Claire, has tricked Bors into sleeping with her using a magic ring (the only time Bors broke his vow of chastity). Claire is daughter of British king Brandegore (Brandegorre,Brandegoris) and also half-sister ofSagramore, and their shared mother is daughter of theEastern Roman Emperor. At the age of 15, Elyan is brought to Arthur's court by Bors. He then becomes known as an excellent knight and is accepted as a member to theRound Table. True to his lineage, Elyan eventually becomes Emperor ofConstantinople himself.
Elyan's adventures are different thePost-VulgateQueste, as well as the expanded version of theProseTristan, where he takes a vacant Round Table seat that had belonged to Dragan (Dagarius) after the latter knight's death byTristan. He later helps his cousinLancelot rescueGuinevere after their affair is exposed, and then joins him in exile during their war with Arthur.
Elyan should not be confused with Elians (Eliant,Elianz), a Knight of the Round Table from Ireland who occupied Lancelot's vacant seat in both the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate versions of theMort Artu. A modern character inspired by Elyan the White was portrayed by Nigerian actorAdetomiwa Edun as Guinevere's brother in the 2008 television seriesMerlin.
Erec (FrenchErech,Eric,Herec,Heret; GermanEres; ItalianArecco; NorseErex), the son ofKing Lac, is most famous as the protagonist inChrétien de Troyes' first romance,Erec and Enide, later retold inErec and other versions. Because ofErec and Enide's connection to the WelshGeraint and Enid, Erec andGeraint are often conflated or confused. Erec's name itself may be derived fromGuerec, the Breton version of Gweir,[36] the name of several of Arthur's warriors and relatives in the different early Welsh tales (possibly the prototype ofGaheris and consequently alsoGareth).
In Chrétien's story, Erec meets his future wifeEnide while on a quest to defeat a knight who had mistreated one of QueenGuinevere's servants. The two fall in love and marry, but rumours spread that Erec no longer cares for knighthood or anything else besides his domestic life. Enide cries about these rumours, causing Erec to prove his abilities, both to himself and to his wife, through a test of Enide's love for him. Erec has her accompany him on a long, tortuous trip where she is forbidden to speak to him, after which they reconcile. When Erec's father Lac dies, Erec inherits his kingdom. The NorseErex Saga gives him two sons, named Llac and Odus, who later both become kings. The story of Erec and Enide is also retold within theProseTristan.
Enide is entirely absent from the ProseErec segment of thePost-Vulgate Cycle (beginning inLa Folie Lancelot and concluded in the P-VQueste[37]), in which Erec's mother's enchantment makes him immune to magic. His acts include savingBors from the enchanterMabon; he also has a cousin named Driadam, whose death begins Erec's feud with the youngMordred. In the Post-VulgateQuest of the Holy Grail, Erec unwillingly murders his sister[38] and is later slain byGawain in revenge for the death ofYvain of the White Hands, and does not regain his father's kingdom; his seat at the Round Table is taken by his friend Meraugis, who had buried him. In theAlliterativeMorte Arthure, Erec dies during the final battle between the forces of Arthur and Mordred.
InLanzelet, Erec and Gawain agree to be delivered as prisoners to the great wizard Malduc (whose father was killed by Erec), so that Guinevere can be rescued from King Valerin's castle; they are then tortured and almost starved to death in Malduc's dungeon, until they are eventually themselves rescued. InLe Morte d'Arthur,Harry le Fyse Lake (orGarry le Fitz Lake, Malory's corruption of the FrenchHerec le Fils Lac) participates in Lancelot's rescue of Guinevere from the stake.
KingEsclabor the Unknown (Astlabor,Esclabort,Scalabrone; -le Mescogneu, -li Mesconneü, -li Mesconneuz) is a wanderingSaracen lord from a vaguely Middle Eastern land, usually eitherBabylon (in today's Iraq) orGalilee (in today's Israel). He is the father ofPalamedes,Safir, andSegwarides, among others. During his long stay in Britain, Esclabor initially hides his faith, trying to pass as a Christian, but soon becomes widely known as a valiant pagan knight.[39]
While visitingRome, he saves the life of theRoman Emperor; he later travels to Arthur'sLogres at the time of Arthur's coronation, where he rescuesKing Pellinore as well. Esclabor eventually settles atCamelot, later adventuring with Palamedes andGalahad during theGrail Quest. In the Post-VulgateQueste, eleven of his sons are killed during their encounter with theQuesting Beast. Shortly after finally agreeing to convert to Christianity, an act necessary for the full admission into the brotherhood ofRound Table,[40] and which also allows his participation in the Grail Quest, Esclabor commits suicide from grief upon learning of his favorite son Palamedes' death at the hands ofGawain.
Gaheris de Karaheu (Gaharis,Gaheran,Gahetis,Gaherys,Gaheus,Gains,Gareis,Ghaheris; -d'Escareu, -de Carahan/Car[a/e]heu, -de Gaheran/Gahereu, -de Karahau/Karehan), also known asthe White (li Blans), is one of the minor Knights of the Round Table and brother ofMador de la Porte in theVulgate Cycle and the derived works. He should not be confused withGaheris of Orkney, one ofKing Arthur's nephews and another Knight of the Round Table. His most prominent role, including the manner of his death, might have been inspired by the purportedly historical account of the fatal poisoning of Walwen (that is,Gawain) from the chronicleGesta Regum Anglorum.
In the VulgateLancelot, Gaheris of Karaheu appears in minor roles, mostly as a prisoner, prior to his accidental death. Gawain saves him fromGalehaut, while the mysterious White Knight (Lancelot incognito) rescues him from the Dolorous Prison nearDolorous Gard and then again from theVale of No Return. Later, in the VulgateMort Artu, he dies from eating a poisoned apple, which was made by the knight Avarlan and was meant to kill Gawain. The apple is offered to Gaheris unknowingly byGuinevere; the queen is accused of his murder, until she is cleared of the charge in thetrial by combat between Mador and Lancelot.[41] This story is retold in theStanzaicMorte Arthur and in Thomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur, where the victim is, respectively, either an unnamed visiting Scottish knight orSir Patrise of Ireland (the poisoner is also renamed by Malory as Sir Pionel). The ItalianTristano Panciaticchiano, in which he remains Mador's brother, calls himGiafredi.
Galehodin le Gallois (Galeh[a/o]udin, alsoGal[l]ides,Gallind[r]es, etc.) isGalehaut's nephew and godson, and his designated successor as the King of Sorelois. Galehodin is introduced in the ProseLancelot as the young grandson of the King of Norgales (North Wales). There he is the lord of the town and castle of Pennin (Peningue), and desires to follow the great heroLancelot so he can learn from him. He is described as one of the tallest knights in the world, using a plain white shield with no identification symbols. Together withMordred andMador, he easily triumphs over the men of Gorre in a tournament against KingBagdemagus. In the ItalianTavola Ritonda, Galehaut's heir is his son namedAbastunagio, a character corresponding with that of Galehodin as he appears in the ProseTristan. Both appear in their respective texts in the role of the host of the great tournament in Sorelois. The HebrewKing Artus includes oneGalaodin de Gaulis (ofGaul) among Lancelot's followers.
Galehaut's cousin and fellow Knight of the Round Table namedGalahodin (Galihodin,Galyhodin, sometimes with 'yn' at the end) appears as one of closest companions of Lancelot in Thomas Malory's telling, in which Galahodin is given some of Galehaut's traits from the French tradition. Galahodin, described as a sub-king in Sorelois, serves Lancelot as one of his chief knights during the war against Arthur, later joining him in the hermitage at the end of his life. Before that, one of the episodes borrowed from the ProseTristan tell of Galahodin's attempted kidnapping ofIsolde, foiled byPalamedes. Malory's Galahodin should not be confused with two of his original characters fromLe Morte d'Arthur, Lancelot's own relativesGalyhod (Galihud,Galyhud) andGahalantyne (Gahalantin), who are also close companions of Lancelot. After taking over the lands in France, Malory's Lancelot appoints Galahodin as the duke ofSaintonge, Galyhod as the earl ofPérigord, and Gahalantyne as the duke ofAuvergne. They eventually stay together with Lancelot and Galahodin as their fellow monks at the end.
Galeschin (Galaas,Galachin,Galathin,Galescalain,Galeschalains,Galescin[s],Galeshin,Galessin, etc.) is the son ofKing Arthur's half-sisterQueen Elaine andKing Nentres of Garlot. He first appears in the story of the Dolorous Tower in theVulgate Cycle, in which he and his cousinYvain attempt to rescue their other cousinGawain from the wicked lord Carados; both are taken captive as well, but the trio are eventually rescued byLancelot. (Galeschin is later additionally rescued by Lancelot from theVale of No Return.) Though mentioned in a few other stories, his role is ultimately minor. He loosely inspired the character of DukeChalance (Chalaunce) of Clarence, a Knight of the Round Table appearing in different episodes ofLe Morte d'Arthur.
Roger Sherman Loomis derives the name Galeschin from the nameGalvariun, found on an Arthurian relief on the ItalianModena Archivolt, considered the first known Arthurian illustration (c. 1120–1240). He theorizes that the name was altered to make it sound more likeGalesche, the Old French word forGaul, and derives the name Galvariun from the epithetGwallt Euryn, found inCulhwch and Olwen, which he translates as "Golden Hair".[42] However, other scholars usually identify the figure of Galvariun as a prototype of Gawain's brotherGaheris. Oddly, Galeschin is also called theDuc de Clarence in the French literature prior to the 14th century; this could not possibly refer to the position ofDuke of Clarence (which did not exist yet at the time and does not refer to a place name), leading Loomis to translate it as the "Lord of Light".[43]
Gornemant de Gohort (Gorneman[s/z]: -de Goort,de Gorhaut) is the knight best known asPercival's old mentor. He is mentioned in a few early romances and is prominent inChrétien de Troyes'sPerceval, the Story of the Grail, in which he instructs the young hero in the ways of knighthood. There, Gornemant is also the uncle ofBlanchefleur, whom Percival later marries after successfully defending her city against attackers. Medieval German authorWolfram von Eschenbach givesGurnemans three sons named Gurzgi, Lascoyt and Schentefleurs, as well as a daughter named Liaze who falls in love with Percival but he declines to marry her. In theProse Tristan romances, he appears under the nameGovernal[e], entrusted byMerlin to care for and edecate the young Cornish princeTristan. InRichard Wagner's operaParsifal,Gurnemanz is depicted as a Grail Knight.
Griflet (/ˈɡrɪflɪt/)the son of Do is a ubiquitous character in Arthurian legend, where he was one of the first Knights of the Round Table.[44] He is first found in Chrétien de Troyes'Erec et Enide, named there asGirflez li filz Do. Like many other Arthurian romance characters, his origins lie inWelsh mythology; in this instance, it is the minor deityGilfaethwy fabDôn.[45][46] He is notably the eponymous hero of his own, early chivalric romance,Jaufre.
He also appears asGerflet in Beroul'sTristan and in the NorseParcevals Saga;Gerflet li fius Do inMériadeuc;Gifflet inEscanor;Gifflet (Girfles)li fieus Do in theLivre d'Artus;Giflés (Gifles)li fius Do inPerceval ou le Conte du Graal,Li Biaus Descouneüs, andLibeaus Desconus;Giflet le fils de Do inLe Bel Inconnu;Giflet fis Do inSir Gawain and the Lady of Lys;Girflet (Giflet,Giflez,Giftet,Girfles,Gyfles,Gyflet,Gyrflet)le (li)fils (filz)Do (Doon,Dos) in theVulgate andPost-Vulgate prose cycles;Girfles (Girlflet,Girflez)li filz Do in theProseTristan;Girflez le fils Do inLancelot, le Chevalier de la Charrette;Girflez inLa Mule sans Frein;Griflet (Gifles,Gifflès,Gifflet,Gryflet,Gryfflet)li fieus Do (Dou) inLe Morte d'Arthur;Grifles in Henry Lovelich'sMerlin;Grimfles in the EnglishProseMerlin;Gyffroun inYwain and Gawain; andIofreit (Jofreit)fils Idol inParzival.[47] Further texts featuring him includeHunbaut,La Vengeance Raguidel, and the First and Fourth Continuations ofPerceval.[48]
In French chivalric romance prose cycles, he is a cousin toLucan andBedivere who first appears as a loyal and valiant youngsquire at the beginning ofKing Arthur's rule.[47] About the same age as Arthur, he distinguishes himself in theBattle of Bedegraine against the rebels and joins the Round Table after personally slaying one of the Saxon kings when he helpsKay andGawain rescueGuinevere in the ProseMerlin. Later, however, his role becomes largely limited to him notoriously often falling into captivity for the other knights to rescue in the course of their own adventures, even leading Gawain to comment in the ProseLancelot that "there never was a man so frequently taken prisoner as Girflet has been."[49] According to the FrenchMort Artu, he was one of the few survivors ofArthur's final battle and was asked by the dying king to return his swordExcalibur to theLady of the Lake. InLe Morte d'Arthur, however, Sir Griflet is one of the knights killed byLancelot's rescue party at the execution of Guinevere, making Griflet's cousin Bedivere the knight who casts away Excalibur, the role that has been given to Bedivere also in the earlier English adaptations of theMort Artu.
Hector de Maris (Ector de Maris,Estor de Mareis,Hector de Marais,Hestor des Mares, etc.) is the younger half-brother ofLancelot;Bors andLionel are his cousins. His name meansHector of the Fens (the form used inNorris J. Lacy's translation of the Vulgate Cycle); he should not be mistaken withSir Ector (Hector), the father ofKay and foster father ofArthur. Hector's adventures are many and wide-ranging, especially within the Vulgate and the Post-Vulgate prose cycles. AsAstore, he is also the eponymous protagonist of the ItalianCantare di Astore e Morgana in which he becomesMorgan's seemingly invincible demon-knight minion known as Estorre after being first cured by her of his wounds and then falling under her evil spell, until he is defeated and saved byGalahad.
As told in the VulgateMerlin, Hector is an illegitimate son ofKing Ban of Benoic (in today's France), who, magically helped byMerlin, fathered him with the Lady de Maris. He is raised by his maternal grandfather Agravadain the Black, lord of the Castle of the Fens. In the VulgateLancelot, Hector fights against the Saxons and saves his relativeElaine the Peerless. He is successful at tournaments, prevailing against such esteemed knights asPalomedes andPerceval. Hector is, however, one of the knights defeated and imprisoned by Turquine before being rescued by his brother Lancelot; he later returns the favour by finding the lost Knight of the Lake after Lancelot's period of insanity and returning him to the court. During the time when Lancelot is missing, Hector is one of the best knights of Arthur, second only toBors, as ranked by KingBagdemagus asked by Arthur.[50] Hector has a long relationship with Lady Perse of the Narrow Borderland after saving her from a forced marriage; he also has an affair with a cousin of the Lady of Roestoc prior to reuniting with Perse. In the Post-VulgateQueste, his friendship withGawain turns into the hatred following Gawain's killing of Erec. Hector participates in the greatGrail Quest, during which his companions besides Gawain include Arthur the Less and Meraugis. Like most others, Hector is proven unworthy of achieving the sacred relic. Nevertheless, he helps the Grail heroGalahad to destroy the Castle of Treachery, and the appearance of the Grail revives him and Perceval after the two mortally wounded each other. In theMort Artu (andLe Morte d'Arthur), when Lancelot is caught in his affair withGuinevere, Hector stands by his half-brother and leaves court with him. He becomes one of the top leaders of Lancelot's faction, participating in the battle to rescue the queen at her would-be execution and the subsequent defence of Lancelot's castleJoyous Guard. Hector accompanies Lancelot in France when they are expelled from Arthur's kingdom, before later returning to Britain to help defeat the Saxon army aided byMordred's sons after theBattle of Camlann (Salisbury). He then joins his brother at theArchbishop of Canterbury's hermitage, and later dies on a crusade in theHoly Land.
TheKing with the Hundred Knights (Old French:Roi des Cent Chevaliers, sometimes translated as the "Kingof the Hundred Knights") is a moniker commonly used in for a character that has appeared under different given names in various works of Arthurian romance, including asMalaguin (Aguignier,Aguigens,Aguigniez,Aguysans,Alguigines,Angvigenes,Malaguis,Malauguin[s], etc.) in theProseLancelot; the legendary figure of Malaguin seems to be loosely based on that of the historicalMaelgwn, an early 6th-century king ofGwynedd known for propagatingChristianity in Britain. He appears asHeraut (Berant,Horel,Horiaus,Hovaux, etc.)li Aspres in theProseTristan, whileThomas Malory refers to him asSir Barant (Berrant)le Apres. Conversely, some texts such asPalamedes do not give him a proper name.
His first known appearance is possibly inLanzelet asRitschart, a count opposingKing Lot who is mentioned as having a hundred knights and is later aided byLancelot, followed by that ofMargon in the Third Continuation ofPerceval, the Story of the Grail. His first major role as the "King with the Hundred Knights" is found in the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate versions ofMerlin continuations, in which he is introduced as one of the chief rebels againstKing Arthur in theBattle of Bedegraine; however, after experiencing a prophetic dream, he decides to join Arthur to fight the invading Saxon pagans in God's name. He remains on Arthur's side during Lot's second rebellion, but then fights against Arthur in the service ofGalehaut in the VulgateLancelot; afterwards, he again submits to Arthur's rule and joins theRound Table, later taking part in the war against Rome. (The chronology of that is different in Malory's compilation.)Lancelot of the Laik, a Scots version of the VulgateLancelot, splits his character into these of the King with a Hundred Knights andMaleginis, two different minor kings serving Galehaut.
He is described as the ruler of the land variably known as Estrangore in theLivre d'Artus alternative continuation ofMerlin, Malahaut (Malehaut, etc.) in theEstoire de Merlin and the ProseLancelot, Guzilagne inLa Tavola Ritonda, Piacenza inI Due Tristani, and Tumane inLanzelet. The VulgateLancelot gives him a sister known only as the Lady of Malahaut, a son named Maranz (Marant,Marauz,Martans,Martant), and a daughter named Landoine (Landoigne). The ProseTristan andLe Morte d'Arthur mention him as a lover of one ofMorgan le Fay's companions, the enchantress known as the Queen of North Wales. InI Due Tristani, he marries Riccarda, the half-giant sister of Galehaut. In the Third Continuation ofPerceval, his son, named Cargril (Cargrilo), falls in one-sided love withPerceval's cousin Sore Pucelle; Margon and Cargril besiege her castle butGawain lifts the siege and Sore Pucelle avenges the death of her lover (whom they had hanged) by launching Cargril from a catapult. InLa Tavola Ritonda, the King with the Hundred Knights dies fighting alongside King Amoroldo of Ireland (an Italian version ofMorholt) at the Battle of Lerline, in a factional conflict in which Lancelot andTristan find themselves on the opposing sides.
King Lac (French:Roi Lac, literally "King Lake") is the father of theRound Table memberErec, was introduced inChrétien de Troyes'Erec and Enide and its variants. His counterpart in the WelshGeraint and Enid is namedErbin. King Lac is himself a Knight of the Round Table in the Guiron le Courteous part ofPalamedes, andThomas Malory retained him in this role in hisLe Morte d'Arthur as theKing of the Lake.
According toErec et Enide, King Lac dies of old age and his son Erec is made ruler of Lac's kingdom byKing Arthur. That kingdom is variably known as Estre-Gales (probably "Outer Wales", possiblyStrathclyde orStriguil) with the capital Carrant or Carnant (possibly a Brittonic form ofNantes),[51] Destrigales inHartmann von Aue's version, GreaterOrkney (Orcanie la Grant) in theVulgate Cycle, and Black Isles inPalamedes. In his redefinition in thePost-Vulgate Cycle, King Lac is son of Canan, a commoner-born Greek king. The Post-VulgateQuest of the Holy Grail tells of Lac's poisoning by the sons of his brother, King Dirac, and the young Erec's exile from their kingdom of Saloliqui to Britain following Lac's murder. Here, King Lac's wife (Erec's mother) was the sorceress Crisea (Ocise), the sister of Pelles theFisher King.
Besides Erec, King Lac's children include a daughter, who appears unnamed in Chrétien'sPerceval but is called Jeschute inParzival. Lac's other sons includeBrandelis inPalamedes and inI Due Tristani, andCligés in the First Continuation ofPerceval, who both become Knights of the Round Table in their respective stories. He is however entirely unrelated to neitherLancelot du Lac (of the Lake) nor toKing Lot whose name is written as "Lac" in some Portuguese texts.
Lohot orLoholt (Hoot,Loholz,Lohoot,Lohoth,Lohoz) is a character loosely based on the mysterious figure ofLlacheu, one of the sons of King Arthur in the original Welsh tradition. He appears as the king's legitimate son byQueen Guinevere in some early continental romances. InPerlesvaus, the sleeping Loholt is treacherously murdered byKay so that the latter can take credit for the slaying of Logrin the giant, and his murder causes Guinevere to die of sorrow.[52] InLanzelet,Loüt is said to be the most renowned young knight who eventually accompanied Arthur "into a country whence the Bretonsstill expect both of them evermore" (i.e.Avalon).[53] As son of Arthur namedElinot, he is also referenced as Guinevere's deceased son inGarel byDer Pleier, where he has been killed in the service of his beloved Florie who then herself died of grief.[54]
In theVulgate Cycle'sLivre d'Artus, on the other hand, Lohot is Arthur's bastard son by Lady Lisanor, daughter of Earl Sevain, from the tryst magically arranged byMerlin.[55][56] In the ProseLancelot, Lohot dies young from illness shortly after having been rescued from his captivity in the Dolorous Prison byLancelot.[56] TheLivre de Lancelot del Lac suggests that he is the son of the sorceress Camille who abducted and seduced Arthur.[53] The late romanceSagramor conflates Lisanor's son with the protagonistSagramor and even has him ascend Arthur's throne.[57]Le Morte d'Arthur renamed him as a very minor character calledBorre (Boarte,Bohart,Bohort)le Cure Hardy ("the Strong Heart") and his mother as Lionors or Lyzianor, daughter of Earl Sanam.
Lucan the Butler (Lucanere de Buttelere,Lucan[s] li Bouteillier,Lucant le Boutellier,Lucas the Botiller,Lucanus, etc.) is a servant ofKing Arthur, the son of Duke Corneus, a brother ofBedivere, and a cousin ofGriflet. His earliest mention is inErec and Enide and he is also known in English translations asLucan the Wine Steward. He and his relatives are among King Arthur's earliest allies in the war against the rebel kings and then remain loyal to Arthur throughout his life. Lucan takes on the post of royal butler, a significant position in charge of the royal household. As such he is in charge of the royal court, along with Bedivere theMarshal andKay theSeneschal.
Lucan fights for Arthur's right to the throne at theBattle of Bedegraine and against subsequent rebellions. He is also known to always attend the royal tournaments. In most accounts of Arthur's death in the romance literature, from theLancelot-Grail cycle toLe Morte d'Arthur, Lucan is one of the last knights at the king's side at theBattle of Camlann and is usually the last of them to die. Lucan remains loyal to King Arthur throughout the schism withLancelot, and on occasion acts as a negotiator between them. Similarly, he stays by the monarch's side duringMordred's rebellion and tries to dissuade Arthur from his final attack on his son/nephew, but is unsuccessful and the king becomes fatally wounded. Worried about looters roaming the battlefield, Lucan and either Griflet or Bedivere attempt to move the dying Arthur into a nearby chapel for safety, but the strain is too much for Lucan and his old wound bursts open, spilling out his bowels and killing him just before the king returnsExcalibur to theLady of the Lake.
Though the knight whom Arthur asks to cast the sword into the lake is usually Griflet (VulgateMort Artu) or Bedivere (Le Morte d'Arthur, theAlliterativeMorte Arthure, theStanzaicMorte Arthur), the 16th-century English balladKing Arthur's Death ascribes this duty to Lucan.[58] A character named Lucan appears in the 2004 filmKing Arthur where, played by Johnny Brennan, he is a young boy found and cared for by Arthur's warriorDagonet.
Mador de la Porte (French:Mador,Amador; English:Mador,Madore,Madors; Italian:Amador della porta,Amadore; Irish:Mado) is a minor Knight of the Round Table in the late Arthurian prose romances. His epithet "of the Gate" (de la Porte) suggests he might have been Arthur's porter; if so, Mador might be equated withGlewlwyd Gafaelfawr ("Mightygrasp") who is Arthur's porter in medieval Welsh tales.[59]
Mador's best known role is in an episode of the VulgateMort Artu (and consequently in the StanzaicMorte Arthur and Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur) that tells the story of his trial by combat against the incognitoLancelot, QueenGuinevere's champion for her innocence following the poisoning of Mador's brotherGaheris de Karahau. Mador loses the duel to Lancelot (without losing his life in the process), saving Guinevere from the accusation that almost led her being burnt at the stake.
Besides the VulgateMort Artu and the English works based on it, Mador also appears or is referenced in several other works, including in the ProseLancelot, in the "Tournament of Sorelois" episode found in some versions of the ProseTristan and theProphecies de Mérlin (as well as inLe Morte d'Arthur), in the Post-Vulgate Cycle, in theGuiron le Courtois part ofPalemedes, inSir Gawaine and the Green Knight, in the Sicilian romanceFloriant et Florette, and in theCompilation of Rustichello da Pisa. The VulgateMort Artu notes him as exceptionally tall and says there was hardly a knight in Arthur's court who was stronger. This is repeated in the Version I of the ProseTristan, in whichTristan considers him second only to the half-giantGalehault in size and strength. InLe Morte d'Arthur, he is also a companion of the youngMordred.
TheLivre d'Artus version of the VulgateMerlin Continuation mentionsMadoc li Noirs de la Porte (Madoc the Black of the Gate) among the knights who come to the aid ofAglovale to fight against the forces of Agrippe. He may be further identical with the knight Mado, who is twice briefly mentioned in theFirst Continuation of Chrétien'sPerceval. Mado also appears as antagonist in the 16th-century Irish Arthurian taleEachtra Mhelóra agus Orlando (The Adventures of Melora and Orlando), wherein he is the villainous son of the King of the Hesperides in love with Arthur's daughter Melora, who disguises herself as a man and fights incognito as a knight to defeat Mado and his allyMerlin.
Meliant (Melians,Melyans) is a Knight of the Round Table featured in several chivalric romances. In the writings byChrétien de Troyes andWolfram von Eschenbach,Meliant de Lis is the King of Lis. Along withBagdemagus andMeleagant, he declares war on his foster-father, Tiebaut (Lyppaut), after being rejected by the latter's daughter Obie.Gawain, fighting for Obie's sister Obilot, captures Meliant, who then reconciles with Obie in her captivity. A different version of this story, as told byHeinrich von dem Türlin, names himFiers von Arramis, whom Gawain also forces to surrender to a young lady who is a sister of his beloved Flursenesephin. In theLivre de Artus, Meliant de Lis wins over and marries Gawain's own lover, Floree.
In theVulgate Cycle'sQueste,Melians de Danemarche (Denmark,Dianarca) is a squire ofGalahad, who knights him during theGrail Quest. Later, Sir Melians joinsBors andPercival at CastleCorbenic at the end of the quest.[60] King Arthur appoints him to the Round Table, but he later sides withLancelot in the civil war in the VulgateMort. In reward for his support, including his role in the rescue ofGuinevere, Lancelot makes him an earl ruling one of Lancelot's domains on the continent. Malory calls himMelias de Lile (de Lisle) inLe Morte d'Arthur. He should not be confused withTristan's fatherMeliadus, who is sometimes known as Melias.[61]
There are also multiple other Arthurian characters by this name. For instance, one Meliant (named Brano in the Italian compilationLa Tavola Ritonda) is a relative of King Faramon's daughter Belide when she falsely accuses Tristan of rape in theProseTristan. InPerlesvaus, an explicitly villainous Meliant is an enemy lord of Arthur, allied with the traitorousKay; he is eventually killed by Lancelot who had previously also slain his evil father. In the VulgateLancelot, Carados of the Dolorous Tower takes one Melyans le Gai's wife as his mistress.[62] Another Meliant from the same cycle is an ancestor of Gawain (and himself is descended from Peter, an early Christian follower ofJoseph of Arimathea) in the VulgateEstoire del Saint Graal.
Morholt of Ireland (Marha[u]lt,Marhaus,Morold,Amoroldo) is an Irish warrior who demands tribute fromKing Mark ofCornwall until he is slain by Mark's nephewTristan. In many versions, Morholt's name is prefaced with adefinite article (i.e.The Morholt) as if it were a rank or a title, but scholars have found no reason for this.[63]
He appears in almost all versions of the legend ofTristan and Iseult, beginning with the verse works ofThomas of Britain andBéroul. In the early material, Morholt is the brother of the Queen of Ireland and the uncle of Tristan's future love (both mother and daughter are namedIseult). He comes to Cornwall to collect tribute owed to his country; instead, however, Tristan challenges him to battle on the remoteSaint Samson's Isle in order to release his people from the debt. Tristan mortally wounds Morholt, leaving a piece of his sword in the Irishman's skull, but Morholt stabs him with a poisoned spear and escapes to Ireland to die. The injured Tristan eventually travels to Ireland incognito to receive healing from Iseult the Younger, but is found out when the queen discovers the piece of metal found in her brother's head fits perfectly into a chink in Tristan's blade.
The authors of later romances expanded Morholt's role. In works like theProseTristan, thePost-Vulgate Cycle, andThomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur, he is a Knight of theRound Table before his fateful encounter with Tristan. The prose romances add many further details to Morholt's career; the Post-Vulgate and Malory record his adventures with the youngGawain,Gaheris andYvain early inKing Arthur's reign. In the later versions, Tristan takes Morholt's place at the Round Table when he joins the company himself. Furthermore, Morholt's father named Norhot appears inPerceforest.
In Arthurian romance,Nentres of Garlot (French:Nentres de Garlot) is a British king of the land of Garlot (Garloth,Garlott), who had servedArthur's fatherUther Pendragon. At first, he rebels against the young King Arthur, but soon he becomes Arthur's ally after his defeat and reconciliation, even marrying one of Arthur's sisters. In the Old French VulgateMerlin, he is also namedUentres andVentre[s/ƺ], as well asNantes,Neutre[s] andNextres de Garloc in theEstoire d'Merlin and Neutre in the versionLivre d'Artus. In the Caxton print edition of Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur, he appears as Nentres,Nayntres andNauntres, while the original Winchester manuscript calls him Nentres, Nauntres andNewtrys. His other medieval English names includeNantres orNanter[s] inArthour and Merlin, andNewtres,Newtris, Newtrys andNewtre[s] in Lovelich'sMerlin. His first appearance could have been as Arthur's brother-in-lawViautre de Galerot (Guarlerot) in the Didot-Perceval continuation of the VerseMerlin.[64]
Malory makes Nentres the husband of Arthur's sisterElaine (Elayne), originally named Blasine in the ProseMerlin, by whom he has the sonGaleschin and a daughter also named Elaine. In other texts, his wife is one of Arthur's different sisters: eitherMorgause (Belisent) orMorgan le Fay (Morgain la feé). In theMerlin continuation texts, Nentres of Garlot is one of the kings who refuse to recognise the newly proclaimed King Arthur's claim to be the true heir of Uther, and he joins the others to fight against Arthur (and his own son Galescalain) at theBattle of Bedegraine (where he is defeated byKay in Malory). After the rebel kings agree to join Arthur to repel the foreign (Saxon or Saracen) invasion, Nentres commands the defense of Windesan. During this time, his wife is kidnapped by the enemy but is rescued by Arthur's loyalistGawain, making Nentres firmly join Arthur's side and help him to decisively crush the foreigners at theBattle of Clarence. He then becomes one of the original members of Arthur's Round Table and participates in Arthur's continental campaigns, slaying the Spanish Saracen king Alifatima during the war against Rome.
According toRoger Sherman Loomis, the name and character of King Nentres could have been derived from that of the historical British kingUrien who is most often cast as the husband of Morgan.[65] The HuthMerlin mentions Neutre only once as the king of Sorhaut married to Morgan, while presenting Garlot as the kingdom of Urien and Morgain (Morgue), which further suggests the identity of Nentres with Urien.[66] The name of his realm of Garlot may also come from that ofCaer Lot, an Old Welsh phrase meaning the Fortress ofLot, another British former-rebel king often depicted in the legend as married to Arthur's sister.[67] The lands belonging to Nentres, Urien and Lot (in Lot's case meaning the kingdom ofLothian, not the northern Orkney) are also all commonly placed in today's southern (lowland) Scotland. Nevertheless, the three rebel-turned-ally kings, each later married to Arthur's sisters, regularly appear as separate characters within the same prose romances, including in Malory.
Osenain (one of many spelling variants), often appearing with the moniker translating either (depending on the French spelling) as 'Braveheart', 'the Hardhearted', 'the Bold' or 'Hard Body', is a character often appearing as one (or more) of the knights of theRound Table in the works of Arthurian romance. In English, he is best known fromThomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur asOzanna le Cure Hardy (Ozanna le Coeur Hardi in the Winchester Manuscript; rendered asOzana of the hardy heart inWilliam Morris' "The Chapel in Lyonesse"); Middle English versions of theMerlin Continuation feature names such asGosenain Hardy Body,Gosnayn de Strangot,Osenain Cors Hardy, orOsoman Hardi of Hert. In many works he is associated with the often similarly named nephew of King Arthur,Gawain of Orkney, while being cast as Gawain's either companion or opponent.
Within the chivalric romance tradition, he is first found, without details, asGarravain[s] d'Estrangot (of Estrangot) among Arthur's knights in some manuscripts ofChretien de Troyes' French poemErec et Enide (Gasosin von Strangot in its German versionErec).Roger Sherman Loomis connected Garravain withAgravain, one of Gawain's brothers (whom Chrétien himself calls Engrevain in the laterPerceval, the Story of the Grail).[68] He is also listed by the nameGasouains in the anonymous First Continuation of Chrétien'sPerceval. In a later, non-Chrétien verse romanceLes Merveilles de Rigomer, oneGarradains is named as the knight of Arthur traveling with Gawain on a quest to conquer the enchanted castle of the Irish queen Dionise.
In the German poemDiu Crône, the fairy knightGasozein de Dragoz arrives at King Arthur's court, where he single-handedly defeats three Knights of the Round Table while not wearing any armor and falsely[69] claims to be the first lover and rightful husband of QueenGuinevere, unsuccessfully demanding her to be "returned" to him. Gasozein later rescues the queen from her brother Gotegrin, who wants to kill Guinevere for her infidelity, but then he kidnaps her in turn and nearly rapes her, however Gawain arrives in time, defeats Gasozein in a duel, sends him back to Arthur to revoke his claim and join the Round Table, and even arranges Gasozein's marriage with his own sister-in-law, Sgoidamur. The Gosezein version of Garravain's character[70] re-appears asGosangos de Tarmadoise, Guinevere's early romantic lover and Gawain's valiant enemy in the French prose romanceLivre d'Artus.
French prose cycles and other works featureOsenain[s] Cuer Hardi (Gosenain,Osanain,Osevain,Osoain,Osuain, Oswain, etc.; -Cors Hardi[z],Corsa Hardy,Corps Hardi,au Cœur-Hardi,Chore Ardito) in theVulgate Cycle, andOssenain Cuer Hardi (Oselain,Osenaín,Ossenain,Ossenam,Ossenet d'Estrangot) in theProseTristan. In the VulgateEstoire de Merlin (and the EnglishOf Arthour and of Merlin), the youngGasoain d'Estrango[r]t (Gaswain,Gosenain[s],Gosnayn[s]; -of / d'Estrangor[r]e,de Strangot,Destrangot), here appearing separately from Osenain, fights alongside Gawain in the battles against the invading Saxons, his great feats earning him an early seat at the Round Table. When Gawain wrongly accuses him of treason, he gives Gawain a severe face wound in a trial by combat in front of King Arthur. In the VulgateLancelot, he is noted as "very valorous and a good speaker", and is involved in the adventures ofKay and others. He is with Gawain when they are both captured and imprisoned in the Dolorous Prison until their rescue byLancelot, who also later frees him from Turquine's captivity on another occasion. He assistsMaleagant of Gore in the abduction of Queen Guinevere and is imprisoned by King Arthur after Lancelot's rescue of her (in Malory's version, he is instead one the loyal Queen's Knights captured by Maleagant along with her). He is later forgiven and fights for Arthur against KingRience and becomes aknight errant, eventually participating in theGrail Quest. The Guiron le Courtois section ofPalamedes describes him as son of King Quinados.
Like Gawain's, his character is considered to be derived from the prototype of the warrior by the name Gwrvan and its variants,[71] found in the early Welsh Arthurian talesCulhwch ac Olwen,Peredur fab Efrawg,Preiddeu Annwn, andTrioedd Ynys Prydein. According to Arthurian scholarFerdinand Lot, Gwrvan's name comes with synonymous Welsh adjectivescadr andcadrauc, "meaning 'mighty, powerful', corresponding therefore in meaning to 'au Cors Hardi'."[72] The plot of the French poemMeraugis de Portlesguez revolves around the protagonist Meraugis competing for the love of Queen Lidoine with his friendGorvain Cadrut. Here, Gorvain loses Lidoine to his rival, but ends up happily married to one of her maidens, Avice. However, Ferdinand Lot proposed that this Gorvain is just the story's Gawain himself (who earlier appears asGolvain) by just a slightly different name.[42] In another chivalric romance,Hunbaut,Gorvain Cadrus von Pantelion (Gorvain Cadrus of [Castle] Pantelion) takes Gawain's unnamed sister hostage, seeking vengeance against him for the death of one of his relatives. He is taken captive by Gawain, then sent as a prisoner to Arthur's court atCaerleon where he eventually becomes a Knight of the Round Table. In the VulgateMerlin,Gosnayns Cadrus (Gornain[s],Goruain[s]; -Cadruc,Cadruz,Cardus;Gornayns Karadus inHenry Lovelich'sMerlin) and Osenain Cuer Hardi appear as two different knights who are Arthur's allies since the very first days (Battle of Carmelide), before Gasoain comes to Camelot.
In the ItalianTavola Ritonda,Suziano of the Valiant Heart (Cuore Ardito) is a young son of Lady Largina and uncertainly either KingEsclabor the Unknown or King Amorotto (that is,Lamorak) of Listenois, as his promiscuous and power-hungry mother was a lover of both of them at the same time. He comes into service of the evil Lady Losanna of the Ancient Tower (dela Torre Antica) after falling in love with her, and is slain byTristan protecting Losanna's enemy Tessina from his attempt on her life. He also appears under the nameGuengasoain[s] (Gasouains,Guengasouain,Guingasoain) as the antagonist of the French poemLa Vengeance Raguidel, in which Gawain andYder attempt to avenge his murder of the knight Raguidel. Here, he is a nephew of King Aguissant (King Lot's brother Angusel from theHistoria Regum Britanniae) and serves as the knight of the fay enchantress Lingrenote, the lady of the Nameless Castle (Castiel sans Non), who has armed him with powerful enchanted weapons that made him near invincible. He is nevertheless defeated and killed by Gawain helped by Yder, the latter of whom then marries Guengasoain's daughter Trevilonete.
Priamus (Pryamus) is a Roman ally ofEmperor Lucius in Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur, following the AlliterativeMorte Arthure. He claims to be descended fromAlexander of Africa andJudas Maccabeus. Upon meetingGawain in "The Tale of King Arthur and Emperor Lucius", he defects from Lucius to join forces withKing Arthur.[73] In return, Arthur appoints him as the Duke ofLorraine. He later dies at the fight forGuinevere. In Malory's version, two of Priamus' brothers also become Knights of the Round Table: Edward ofCarnarvon and Hectymere.
Safir (Safire,Safere,Saphar) is the youngest son of theSaracen kingEsclabor in theArthurian legend. He appeared in several works of Arthurian literature, including theProseTristan andLe Morte d'Arthur; his name was also included on theWinchester Round Table. Two of his brothers,Segwarides andPalamedes, also belong to the Round Table.
Safir usually appears alongside his brother Palamedes. In one story, Safir disguises himself asEctor de Maris, fights with Helior le Preuse, defeats him, and wins Espinogres' lady. Vowing to defend the lady's honor, Palamedes arrives and locks swords with Safir, not realizing it is his brother. After fighting for an hour to a standstill, both are impressed with each other's prowess and skill, and decide to ask the other's identity. Safir is devastated to find that he was fighting with his own brother and asks Palamedes for forgiveness; together, they return the lady to Espinogres. Later, after the affair betweenLancelot andGuinevere is exposed, Safir and Palamedes join Lancelot's side in the ensuing civil war between Lancelot andKing Arthur. When they are banished to Lancelot's homeland inGaul, Safir is made Duke ofLandok while Palamedes becomes Duke ofProvence.
Segwarides (Seguarades,Seguradés,Seguradez, etc.) is a son of theSaracen kingEsclabor who becomes aliegeman ofKing Mark. His other brothers include the fellowRound Table knightsPalamedes andSafir. It is possible there have been originally two characters of this name, but the stories in which they appear fail to differentiate between them.
He is cuckolded byTristan in theProseTristan and Thomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur. Tristan has a brief affair with Segwarides' wife, and wounds the knight after being found out. Tristan encounters Segwarides again on the Isle of Servage; Segwarides forgives him, saying he "will never hate a noble knight for a light lady," and the two team up to avoid the dangers of the isle. Soon afterwards, Tristan makes Segwarides the Lord of Servage. In Malory, Segwarides is eventually killed trying to repelLancelot's rescue ofGuinevere from the stake.
Tor appears frequently in Arthurian literature, albeit always in minor roles. In earlier mentions Tor's father is King Ars (Aries),[74] but inPost-Vulgate Cycle andThomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur, Aries is his adoptive father while his natural father isKing Pellinore.[75][76] His symbolic namesake, Le Tor of Scotland, is also featured in the story ofSebille within the Arthurian prequel romancePerceforest.[77]
In the Post-Vulgate and Malory, Tor's many siblings includeAglovale,Drian,Lamorak,Percival, andDindrane. He is born when Pellinore sleeps with his mother "half by force", and she marries Aries shortly afterward; here Aries is not a king, but a shepherd. The young Tor is also raised as a shepherd but dreams of becoming a knight. His parents take him to the teenageKing Arthur, who makes the boy one of his first knights in recognition of his qualities. LaterMerlin reveals Tor's true parentage, and Pellinore embraces his son; neither Aries nor his wife seem offended. Tor distinguishes himself at the wedding feast of Arthur andGuinevere when he takes up a quest to retrieve a mysterious whitebrachet hound that had come into the court. According to Malory, Tor and his brother Aglovale are present among the knights charged by Arthur with guarding the execution of Guinevere and they both die whenLancelot and his followers rescue the queen.[78]
Yvain the Bastard (Yvain[s] / Yvonet / Uwains li/le[s] Avou[l]tres, -l'Avo[u]ltre, -li Batarz) is a son ofKing Urien of Gore, often confused with his half-brotherYvain, after whom he was named. While the older Yvain is Urien's legitimate child from his fairy wifeMorgan, Yvain the Bastard was sired by Urien on the wife of hisseneschal. He is encountered frequently in Arthurian romance as a hearty and usually sensible knight, fighting in Arthur's wars and questing for theHoly Grail withGalahad andGareth. In thePost-Vulgate Cycle, he is killed by his cousinGawain late during the Grail Quest when the two, disguised by their armour, randomly meet and decide to joust. It is not until Gawain takes him to a hermitage for his last rites that he realizes he has fought, and killed, his own cousin.
Thomas Malory inLe Morte d'Arthur split him into two characters: Uwaine les Avoutres, the son of Urien, andUwaine les Adventurous, an unrelated knight.[79] Malory further splitsMorganor, the name of Urien's "good knight" bastard son inOf Arthour and of Merlin, into a separate character he calls Sir Morganor[e] (first appearing as a senschal of theKing of the Hundred Knights, then as a king himself). Yvain the Bastard and Yvain les Avoutres are also separate characters in the ScottishLancelot of the Laik. InPerlesvaus, Yvain the Bastard's own son named Cahus dies while serving as Arthur's own squire on a strange adventure, killed by a giant in a deadly dream.
Yvain of the White Hands (Yvain/Yvonet aux Blanches Mains) is another different Knight of the Round Table named Yvain in the Old French romances. There, and in the EnglishArthour and Merlin, he is unrelated toIseult of the White Hands and to the "main"Yvain (son ofUrien), although Thomas Malory later merged him with the latter. He serves Arthur in the Saxon wars, later participating in the quests to learn the fate ofMerlin and to find the missingLancelot. InPalamedes, he is son of a knight named Darie. In the ProseTristan, he is injured byKing Mark and healed in a Cornish abbey. In the Post-VulgateQueste, he is mistakenly slain byErec, for which in turn Erec is killed byGawain, and his seat at the Round Table is then taken by the Unknown Knight (Arthur the Less).
The Queen's Knights (Chevaliers de la Reine) are the knights who serveKing Arthur's wifeQueen Guinevere in the Old French prose cycles. They are also known in French texts as the "Knights of Queen Guinevere" (Chevaliers de la Roine Guenievre, the form used in theLivre d'Artus[80]) and the more elaborate "Valiant Knights of Queen Guinevere" (Chevalier vaillant de la Roine Gueneure[81]). Members of this group carry only plain white shields, often accompanying the queen and engaging in rivalry against the more experienced Knights of the Round Table.[82][83] HeroesGawain andLancelot are among those who first serve as the Queen's Knights in their youth after being knighted by Arthur, before winning enough honour to be promoted to fill the Round Table when a vacancy occurs. Others include the youngSagramore when he mortally wounds the Knight of the Round Table named Agravadain (unrelated toAgravain), grandfather ofHector de Maris, in defense of his comrades.
In the Middle English compilationLe Morte d'Arthur, the simple "Queen's Knights" form is used by the authorThomas Malory who also describes them as "a grete felyshyp of men of arms".[84] In Malory's version, Lancelot later rescues a new generation of them when they are captured together with Guinevere by the villainMaleagant (himself sometimes depicted as a rogue member of the Round Table), after the Queen ordered her knightly companions to surrender as to not forfeit their lives.
ThePost-Vulgate Cycle has two other table-based orders within Arthur's court. The first of these is the Table of Errant Companions (Tables des Compaignons Errans), reserved for theknights errant who are actively seeking adventures while awaiting promotion to the Round Table.
The second one is rather ingloriously called the Table of Less-Valued Knights (Tables des Chevaliers Moins Prisiés), the members of which (who originally includedPerceval[85]) are, as its name indicates, lower in their rank and status.[86] This group seems to be derived from the knights of the Watch (also translated as the Guard), featured in the Vulgate Cycle's ProseLancelot and first mentioned by Chrétien inPerceval.
Robert de Boron'sJoseph d'Arimathie [fr] introduced the Grail Table as a direct precursor to the Round Table, once used by the followers ofJoseph of Arimathea, one of the earliest Christians and a relative of Jesus. They were the original guardians of theGrail, who have traveled from the Holy Land to Britain centuries prior to the times of Arthur.[87] In the cyclical prose continuations of Robert's poem, their descendants includeLancelot and theFisher King. The Grail Table is again used, briefly, by the holy knightGalahad (offspring of the union between Lancelot andthe Fisher King's daughter) when he and his companions (Percival andBors) are served mass after successfully completing the Grail Quest.
Some French and Italian prose romances and poetry feature the original 50[88] knights of the Round Table from the times ofUther Pendragon, the father of King Arthur. It is known in Italian retellings of theProseTristan as the Old Table (Tavola Vecchia),[89] contrasting with those of Arthur's Round Table known as the New Table (Tavola Nuova). Their stories include that ofBranor the Dragon Knight, "the flower of the Old Table",[90] still unsurpassed in his skills at the age of over 100. Following the death of Uther, the Round Table is kept in possession of KingLeondegrance until he gives it to the young Arthur as the dowry of his daughter Guinevere.
An even earlier forerunner of the Round Table appears inPerceforest, where Arthur's distant ancestor, the eponymous King Perceforest, establishes the elite Order of the Franc Palais (Ordre du Franc Palais) to fight against the forces of darkness; the Order ends up destroyed by the evilJulius Caesar duringhis invasion of Britain. This happens even before the birth of Christ, but nevertheless is presented in the author's contemporaryHigh Middle Ages style setting just like the other Arthurian romances; as willed by the Sovereign God (Dieu Souverain, here apparently the coming Christian god to whom the Roman and other pagan deities willingly submit and work for[91]), the Franc Palais numbers the selected 300 British knights chosen for their valor and seated in the specially constructed building by the same name.
Jorge Ferreira de Vasconcelos' 16th-century PortugueseMemorial das Proezas da Segunda Tavola Redonda tells of the eponymous "Second Round Table" of new knights (children of Arthur's knights) led by King Sagramor after Arthur's death.[92] A variety of modern works feature contemporary new Round Tables.
