Lionel (Lionello in Italian) is a character in the cyclical prose tradition of theArthurian legend in which he is a Knight of theRound Table and one of the sons of KingBors of Ganis (Gannes,Ganys,Gaun[n]es) and his wife, QueenEvaine. Lionel was introduced in theLancelot-Grail cycle as the younger brother ofBors de Ganis, adouble cousin ofLancelot, and (depending on the work) either a cousin or nephew of Lancelot's younger half-brotherHector de Maris.
Albeit not relatively well-known today, Lionel was a popular character during the medieval era, notably including a major fascination by the kingEdward III of England. Outside of the Arthurian literature, he is also the subject of a traditional ballad. He should not be confused withGawain's son also named Lionel, nor with a Lyonnel character inPerceforest.
After their father dies in battle against KingClaudas, the young Lionel andBors are rescued from the court of Claudas by theLady of the Lake's damsel Seraide and then raised in her otherworldly kingdom, alongside her foster-sonLancelot, where Seraide becomes Lionel's lady. Like Bors and Lancelot, Lionel becomes aKnight of the Round Table upon reaching the age and then proving himself in heroic deeds.
One day, while travelling with Lancelot as a young man, Lionel is captured by the rogue knight Turquine, who whips him withbriars and throws him in the dungeon. The scenario repeats itself later while he is on theQuest for the Holy Grail, where he proves very unworthy of the blessed object by trying to kill his brother for not rescuing him. Bors had seen Lionel getting beaten and led away, but had to make a decision to save either him or a young girl being dragged in the opposite direction. He saves the girl and fears Lionel dead, but Lionel escapes and attacks Bors the next time they meet. Bors proves himself worthy of the Grail when he refuses to fight back, and Lionel kills a hermit andCalogrenant, a fellow Knight of theRound Table, when they try to protect Bors from his wrath. Before Lionel can strike his brother, however, God himself intervenes and immobilises him.
Lionel and the rest of his family follow Lancelot into exile when the affair with QueenGuinevere is exposed. Lionel participates in the battles againstKing Arthur and is crowned as the King of Ganis (orGaul). After theBattle of Camlann (Salisbury), Lancelot's family returns to Britain to defeat the remainder ofMordred's forces. In a battle nearWinchester, Lionel is slain by Mordred's young son Melehan and Bors avenges his death. In a modified ending inLe Morte d'Arthur, Lionel is instead killed in London while searching for Lancelot after Arthur's death.
His symbolic[1] namesake, Lyonnel, appears in the quasi-prequelPerceforest. There, he is an ancestor of both Lancelot and Guinevere as well asTristan, who had lived in the time of King Alexander (Alexander the Great).[2]
The 14th-century King of England,Edward III, strongly identified with Sir Lionel since his youth. King Edward role-played as Lionel at theRound Table tournaments that he organized, and even named his second son,Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, after the Arthurian romance character.[3]
Sir Lionel is the subject of the late-medievalfolk ballad "Sir Lionel", recorded asChild Ballad18 andRoudNo. 29, in which he slays a giantwild boar.[4] This song has much in common with a medieval tale about a knight who slays a terrifyingly fiendish boar inSidon, in the 14th-centuryromance ofSir Eglamour of Artois.[5] The terrible swine is a frequent foe in romantic tales, for instance the beastTwrch Trwyth inCulhwch and Olwen.[6]
The song has been recorded several times in the twentieth century, exclusively in the United States. The influentialAppalachian folk singerJean Ritchie recorded a version passed down through her family entitled "Old Bangum" on the albumBallads from her Appalachian Family Tradition (1961), with anAppalachian dulcimer accompaniment.[7][8]John andAlan Lomax recorded two versions in the 1930s inHarlan,Kentucky[9] andAustin, Texas.[10] SeveralOzark versions were also collected, and can be heard online courtesy of theUniversity of Arkansas andMissouri State University.[11][12][13]
