| Bedivere | |
|---|---|
| Matter of Britain character | |
 Bedivere waits with Arthur for the barge of the three queens inJohn Mulcaster Carrick'sThe Death of King Arthur (1862) | |
| First appearance | Historia Regum Britanniae |
| Based on | Bedwyr Bedrydant |
| In-universe information | |
| Title | Sir |
| Occupation | Knight of the Round Table |
| Family | Lucan,Griflet |
Bedivere (/ˈbɛdɪvɪər/ or/ˈbiːdɪvɪər/;Welsh:Bedwyr;Latin:Beduerus; French:Bédoier, alsoBedevere and other spellings) is one of the earliest characters to be featured in the legend ofKing Arthur, originally described in several Welsh texts as the one-handed great warrior namedBedwyr Bedrydant. Arthurian chivalric romances, inspired by his portrayal in the chronicleHistoria Regum Britanniae, portray Bedivere as aKnight of the Round Table ofKing Arthur who serves as Arthur'smarshal and is frequently associated with his brotherLucan and his cousinGriflet as well as withKay. In the English versions, Bedivere notably assumes Griflet's hitherto traditional role from French romances as the one who eventually returnsExcalibur to theLady of the Lake afterArthur's last battle.
In early Welsh sources, Bedwyr Bedrydant ("Bedwyr of the Perfect Sinew"[1]) is a handsome, one-handed warrior underArthur's command. His father is given as Pedrawd or Bedrawd, and his children as Amhren and Eneuawg, both members of Arthur's court.
One of the earliest direct references to Bedwyr can be found in the 10th-century poemPa gur which recounts the exploits of a number of Arthur's men, including Bedwyr, Cei (Kay) andManawydan. Of Bedwyr, this narration says:
They fell by the hundred / before Bedwyr of the Perfect-Sinew.
On the shores of Tryfrwyd / fighting withGarwlwyd / furious was his nature / with sword and shield.[2]
The 9th-century version ofEnglynion y Beddau ("The Stanzas of the Graves") gives Bedwyr's final resting place onTryfan.[2] In the hagiography ofCadoc, Bedwyr is alongside Arthur and Cei in dealing with KingGwynllyw ofGwynllwg's abduction ofGwladys from her father's court inBrycheiniog. A possible allusion to Bedwyr could be found in the reference to Bedwyr's well in the 9th-centuryMarwnad Cadwallon ap Cadfan. TheWelsh Triads name Bedwyr as "Battle-Diademed", and a superior to Drystan (Tristan),Hueil mab Caw and even Cei.[3] A catchphrase often quipped by Cei, "by the hand of my friend" is possibly a reference to Bedwyr's disability.[4]
Bedwyr is a prominent character in the tale ofCulhwch and Olwen, in which he appears at the head of Arthur's court list with his friend Cei and is described as one of the most handsome men in the world (save for Arthur and Drych fab Cibddar), and is the wielder of a magical spear with the ability to separate the tip of the shaft to attack and that all the wounds caused by the spear were equal to nine wounds.[5] He is called upon to accompanyCulhwch on his quest to winOlwen's hand in marriage and is the first to strike the giantYsbaddaden with the poisoned spear meant for Culhwch. Bedwyr goes on to assist Culhwch in completing the impossible tasks given to him by Ysbaddaden; he helps Cei andGoreu fab Custennin kill Wrnach the Giant, rescuesMabon ap Modron from his imprisonment, retrieves the hairs of Dillus the Bearded, captures theCauldron of Diwrnach during Arthur's raid on Ireland, and takes part in the hunting of the monstrous boarTwrch Trwyth with Arthur's dogCavall at his side.[6] The tale ends with the completion of the tasks, the humiliation and death of Ysbaddaden, and the marriage of Culhwch and Olwen.
Bedivere is one of Arthur's loyal allies inGeoffrey of Monmouth'sHistoria Regum Britanniae (appearing there asBeduerus) and its adaptations (for example, asBeduer inLayamon's Brut), and maintains this position in much later Arthurian literature. He is Arthur's royalbutler and is rewarded the province of Estrusia (Normandy) after the British conquest of theRoman Gaul.[7] (In the Icelandic version,Breta sögur, this is changed to "[Arthur] gave his daughter Beduerus to his cup bearer Estrusia".[8]) He helps Arthur andKay fight the Giant ofMont Saint-Michel, and joins Arthur in his war againstEmperor Lucius of Rome, in which he dies fighting.[9] In the EnglishAlliterativeMorte Arthure, he and Kay are mortally wounded while heroically fighting against the Romans in the Battle of Sessye.[10][11]
InThomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur, 'Bedwyr' (as he is initially known) plays a similar role against the Giant, and is seriously wounded in a battle in an episode taken probably from theVulgate Suite,[10] before disappearing from the text to return rather ingloriously as Sir Bedivere to accompany Arthur at his end.[12] In the original French romances, this final role belonged to a cousin of Bedevere (Bedoier),Griflet.[13]
In Malory's version and theStanzaicMorte Arthur, Bedivere and Arthur are among the few survivors of theBattle of Camlann (or ofSalisbury). After the battle, at the request of the mortally wounded king, Bedivere casts away the swordExcalibur that Arthur had received from theLady of the Lake. However, he does this only after twice thinking the sword too valuable to Britain to throw into the water.[14] When he reports that nothing in particular happened, King Arthur admonishes him, for Arthur knows that the mystical sword would create some supernatural event. Finally, Bedivere casts the sword into the water, at which a hand arises and catches the sword mid-air, then sinks into the waters, and Arthur is thus assured that the sword has been returned. In Malory's telling, this act summonsMorgan andNimue, who take the king toAvalon. Upon the presumed death of Arthur, Bedivere enters ahermitage led by theMordred-oustedArchbishop of Canterbury, where he spends the remainder of his life. There he will be joined by Lancelot and some of his kindred knights, who will resort to it in their own penitence.
Some modern Arthurian authors, such asRosemary Sutcliff inSword at Sunset (1963),Mary Stewart inThe Merlin Trilogy (1970-1979),Gillian Bradshaw inHawk of May (1980) andIn Winter's Shadow (1991), andJoan Wolf inThe Road to Avalon (1998), transferLancelot's traditional role as Guinevere's lover to Bedwyr/Bedivere, Lancelot's character having been introduced to the legend too late to seem historical.[15][16][17][18] A similar motif appears inMaureen Peters'Sangreal (1984), set in 1790, where Bedwin is a lover of Gwendolen, wife of Rex Britain.[18]
Bedivere is also a major character in many other works of modern literature, includingJohn Reade's poem "The Prophecy of Merlin" (1870),John Masefield's playTristan and Isolt: A Play in Verse (1927), Alan Lupack's poem "Bedivere Contemplates Camelot" (inThe Dream of Camelot, 1986), David Gareth's short story "Sir Mador Seeks the Grail" (inKing Arthur and his Knights, 1987),Persia Woolley's novelChild of the Northern Spring (1995),A. A. Attanasio's novelThe Serpent and the Grail (1995), andEd Greenwood's short story "The Shadow of a Sword" (inThe Doom of Camelot, 2000).[18] As Bedwyr, he has major roles in Roy Turner's novelKing of the Lordless Country (1971), and inPatricia Kennealy-Morrison's novelsThe Throne of Scone (1986) andThe Hawk's Gray Feather (1990).[18]
