Meliodas orMeliadus is a figure inArthurian legend in the 12th-centuryProseTristan and subsequent accounts. InThomas Malory'sLe Morte d'Arthur, he is the second king ofLyonesse, son ofFelec of Cornwall and vassal ofKing Mark. Meliodas' first wife, Elizabeth, who bore the heroTristan, was Mark's sister,[1] and his second wife was a daughter or sister ofHoel of Brittany. He is the eponymous protagonist of the romanceMeliadus. The Italian variantTristano Riccardiano calls himFelix (Felissi).
The FrenchromanceMeliadus is a part of the greater work known asPalamedes, a series of tales based on theProseTristan and theLancelot-Grail cycle but going back to the heroes of the previous generation.Uther Pendragon, father ofArthur is still alive, and so are the fathers ofErec andTristan. The title refers to theSaracen knightPalamedes, whose fatherEsclabor also plays a role. Certain manuscripts identify Palamedes as one of the central figures, but he seldom appears and Meliadas and his companionGuiron le Courtois are the most important characters.[2] TheCompilation ofRustichello da Pisa or Rusticien de Pise, is a later re-working of the legend focusing on Meliadus as the central character. Some versions, including the early 16th-century printed editions produced in Paris, are divided into two parts, with the first entitledMeliadus de Leonnoys and the secondGyron le Courtoys.[3]
The first part begins with the arrival of Esclabor, father of Palamedes at the court of the young Arthur, and later, ofPharamond, king of theFranks and theChevalier sans peur. Meliadus only appears after a series of episodes involving these characters. He is, in turn, involved in various exploits which include carrying off the Queen of Scotland, being captured himself and then freed by Arthur, to aid him in his war against theSaxons. His son Tristan appears in the story as a child.[4] Rustichello da Pisa's more complete version ends with the older knights being delivered from captivity and Meliadus acclaimed 'la flour de toute chevalerie' at Arthur's court.[5]