| Lamorak | |
|---|---|
| Matter of Britain character | |
 Sir Lamorack of Gales,Howard Pyle's illustration forThe Story of the Champions of the Round Table | |
| First appearance | ProseTristan |
| In-universe information | |
| Title | Prince, Sir |
| Occupation | Knight of the Round Table |
| Family | Pellinore (father) Aglovale,Drian,Percival,Tor,Dindrane (siblings) |
| Significantother | Morgause |
| Nationality | Welsh |
Lamorak/ˈlæmərək/ (orLamorake,[1]Lamorac[k],[2][3]Lamerak,[4]Lamero[c]ke,[5][6][L]Amaratto,Amorotto,[7] and other spellings)de Galis (of Wales) is aKnight of the Round Table in theArthurian legend. Originally known asLamorat le Gallois (Lamourat[5]) in French, he was introduced in theProseTristan as a son ofKing Pellinore. Another Lamorat (de Listenois) appears in only one romance as his father's brother.
In his English compilationLe Morte d'Arthur,Thomas Malory refers to him asKing Arthur's third best knight, only inferior toLancelot andTristan, while the ProseTristan names his as one of the top five.[8] Nevertheless, Lamorak was not exceptionally popular in the chivalric romance tradition, confined to the cyclical material and subordinate to more prominent characters. Today, he is best known for his tragic love affair with Arthur's sister, the Queen of Orkney (Morgause in Malory), resulting in their deaths.
Lamorak is one of the sons ofKing Pellinore and a brother ofAglovale,Drian,Perceval, andTor. His siblings may also include theGrail maidenDindrane and others.[9][10] Named after his uncle, who in his time had been one of the best knights ofKing Arthur's fatherUther Pendragon, he gains fame for his strength, fiery temper, and feats of martial prowess, such as fighting off at least thirty knights by himself on more than one occasion. Lamorak's adventures often involve the Cornish princeTristan, first as his mortal enemy, later turned his best friend. In one episode exclusive to the ItalianTavola Ritonda,[11] for example, he helps Tristan escape from the castle of the lustful fairy enchantressMedeas.[12]
Lamorak's death comes from how his father Pellinore, one of King Arthur's earliest royal allies, had once killed the rebelliousKing Lot ofOrkney in battle. Ten years later, Lot's sonsGawain andGaheris retaliated by slaying Pellinore in a duel. Lamorak, who meanwhile has joined Lot's sons at theRound Table, inflames the families'blood feud by having an affair with Lot's widow, the Queen of Orkney (Morgause). The Queen's son Gaheris catches the loversin flagrante delicto while staying at Gawain's estate and promptly beheads her, letting her unarmed lover go. Lamorak reappears at a tournament and explains the situation to Arthur, but rejects the king's promise of protection at his court and enforcement of a truce between the two royal families. In the version made popular byLe Morte d'Arthur, when Lamorak rides off alone, he is ambushed in a wood by Gawain and Gaheris along with their brothersAgravain andMordred, who had just murdered Drian. Together, the four unfairly fight him all at once for hours. Ultimately, it is Mordred who delivers a fatal blow on Lamorak from behind, after which Gawain beheads Lamorak. The episode reflects Gawain's earlier killing of Pellinore.[13] In theP-VFolie Lancelot and the First Version of theProseTristan, Gawain beheads Lamorak (Lamorat), defeated by Mordred and Agravain in their ambush (in which Lamorak had first defeated Gawain), after Lamorak refuses to yield. This, too, is preceded by the mortal wounding of Drian.[14]
Most other variants of the ProseTristan report on his murder only very briefly; one of the exception is the late manuscript BnF 103 that seems to have been Malory's exact source.[5] Arthur learns of the murder and the suspicion falls on the Orkney brothers. Lamorak's cousin, named Avarlon in thePost-Vulgate Cycle and Pinel le Savage inLe Morte d'Arthur, later attempts to avenge Lamorak's murder by poisoning Gawain atQueen Guinevere's dinner party. However, the poison is accidentally taken byGaheris de Kareheu (unrelated to Gaheris the son of Lot), whose brotherMador de la Porte then blames the queen and demands Arthur to have her executed. Guinevere is saved whenLancelot fights Mador as her champion while the sorceressNimue uncovers the truth behind the incident.
Guiron le Courtois features his uncle named Lamorat de Listenois, a brother of Pellinor de Listenois. He adventures withGalehaut andGuiron, and is eventually accidentally killed byDinadan's father known as theGood Knight Without Fear when the latter mistakes him for his enemy.[15]
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