Knights of the Round Table

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For other uses, see Knights of the Round Table (disambiguation).

Vulgate Cycle
's Quest for the Holy Grail

The Knights of the Round Table (Welsh: Marchogion y Ford Gron, Cornish: Marghekyon an Moos Krenn, Breton: Marc'hegien an Daol Grenn) are the legendary knights of the fellowship of King Arthur that first appeared in the Matter of Britain literature in the mid-12th century. The Knights are an 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 the Holy Grail. The Round 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 over

Perceval and Tristan, feature in the roles of a protagonist or eponymous hero in various works of chivalric romance. Other well-known members of the Round Table include the holy knight Galahad, replacing Perceval as the main Grail Knight in the later stories, and Arthur's traitorous son and nemesis Mordred
.

By the end of Arthurian prose cycles (including the seminal

Queen Guinevere. In the same tradition, Guinevere is featured with her own personal order of young knights, known as the Queen's Knights. Some of these romances retell the story of the Knights 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 Christian Joseph of Arimathea
, with his Grail Table later serving as the inspiration for Uther and Arthur's subsequent Round Tables.

Numbers of members

Piety: The Knights of the Round Table about to Depart in Quest of the Holy Grail by William Dyce (1849)

The number of the Knights of the Round Table (including King 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 (the number of seats at the table) 1,600, the latter claimed by Layamon in his Brut.[1] Most commonly,[2] however, there are between about 100 and 300 seats at the table, often with one seat usually permanently empty. The number of three hundred was also chosen by King Edward III of England when he decided to create his own real-life Order of the Round Table at Windsor 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 to

Prose Merlin,[9] and 366 in both Li Chevaliers as Deus Espees[8] and Perlesvaus (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 romance Erec 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 late Welsh 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 of Peredur son of Efrawg.[14]

Partial lists

Some of the more notable knights include the following:

Overview of common members of the Knights of the Round Table
Name Other names Introduction Other medieval works Notes
Accolon Sir Accolon of Gaul Post-Vulgate Cycle, c. 13th century Le Morte d'Arthur Loved by Morgan 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 of King Lot (of either Lothian or Orkney) and Arthur's sister Morgause.
Arthur Arthur Pendragon, Arturus, King Arthur Y Gododdin, c. 6th century Many High King of Britain, ruler of Logres and lord of Camelot.
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 Returns Excalibur to the Lady 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 Raised Guinevere as her ward, father to Constantine; 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, the Mabinogion 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 king Claudas.
Constantine III of Britain
 Historia Regum Britanniae, c. 1136 Le Morte d'Arthur Arthur's cousin and successor to his throne; Cador's son.
Dagonet Arthur's
court jester
.
Daniel von Blumenthal
Daniel von Blumenthal
, 1220 		Knight found in an early German offshoot of Arthurian legend.
Dinadan Prose Tristan, 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 to Merlin's command; father to Kay.
Elyan the White
 (French: Helyan le Blanc) Son of Bors
Erec
 Unclear; first literary appearance as Erec in Erec and Enide, c. 1170 See
Geraint and Enid
 		Son of King Lac.
Esclabor
 Exiled Saracen king; father of Palamedes, Safir, and Segwarides.
Feirefiz Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, early 13th century Half-brother to Percival; Arthur's nephew.
Gaheris Le Morte d'Arthur Son of King Lot and Morgause, 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 and Elaine 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 The
Vulgate Cycle
 Son of
King Nentres
; nephew of Arthur.
Gareth
Beaumains
 Le Morte d'Arthur, Idylls of the King Also a son of King Lot and Morgause; in love with Lyonesse.
Gawain (Latin: Walwanus, Welsh: Gwalchmai, Irish: Balbhuaidh) Culhwch and Olwen, c. 11th century Conte du Graal, Lancelot-Grail cycle, Prose Tristan,Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Le Morte d'Arthur and many short Middle English romances Another son of King Lot and Morgause; father of Gingalain.
Geraint
Geraint and Enid
 		Enid's lover.
Gingalain Guinglain, Gingalin, Gliglois, Wigalois, etc., also Le 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 of King Ban; Bors and Lionel are his cousins.
Hoel
 (Welsh: Howel, Hywel)
Geraint and Enid
 		Son of King
St. Tudwal
.
Kay (Welsh: Cai, Latin: Caius) Pa Gur yv y porthaur? 10th century Many Ector's son, foster brother to Arthur.
Lamorak Prose Tristan, c. 1235 Lancelot-Grail Cycle Son of King Pellinore, brother to Tor, Aglovale, Percival, and Dindrane; lover of Morgause.
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 of
Queen Guinevere
, father of Galahad, most prominent Knight of the Round Table in later romances
Lanval Landevale, Launfal, Lambewell Marie de France's Lanval, late 12th century Sir Landevale, Sir Launfal, Sir Lambewell Enemy of Guinevere.
Leodegrance
 Leondegrance Guinevere's father, King of Cameliard, 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 of
King Bors of Gaunnes (or Gaul
) 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 century Life of Gildas Lancelot-Grail, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur Abductor of Guinevere.
Mordred Modred (Welsh: Medrawd, Latin: Medraut) Annales Cambriae, c. 970 Many In the Round Table stories, Arthur's illegitimate son through Morgause.
Morholt
 Marhalt, Morold, Marhaus Tristan poems of Béroul and Thomas of Britain, 12th century Tristan poems of Eilhart von Oberge, Gottfried von Strassburg, Prose Tristan, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur Irish knight, rival of Tristan and uncle of Iseult.
Morien
 Moriaen Dutch romance
Morien
, 13th century 		Half-Moorish son of Aglovale.
Palamedes 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 of Nimue.
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 the Holy Grail; King Pellinore's son in some tales.
Safir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, Prose Tristan Son to King Esclabor; brother of Segwarides and Palamedes.
Sagramore Sagramor Lancelot-Grail, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Prose Tristan, Le Morte d'Arthur Ubiquitous Knight of the Round Table; various stories and origins are given for him.
Segwarides
 Le Morte d'Arthur, Prose Tristan 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
's Roman de Tristan 		The two Folies Tristans, Marie de France's Chevrefeuil, Eilhart von Oberge, Gottfried von Strassburg, Prose Tristan, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur
King Mark's son or relative, Iseult
's lover.
Urien Uriens Historical figure Welsh Triads King of Rheged (or Gorre), father of Yvain (Owain mab Urien) and husband of Morgan le Fay.
Yvain
 (Welsh: Owain) Ywain, Ewain or Uwain Based on the historical figure Owain 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 the

Winchester Manuscript of Le Morte d'Arthur lists, in addition to many of the above, the following:[15]

  • Duke Chalance of Clarence
  • Earl Aristance
  • Earl of Lambaile (known as the Count of Lambale in French romances; also Lambayle, Lambelle, etc.)
  • Earl Ulbawes
  • King Anguish of Ireland
  • King Claryaunce of Northumberland (Clarion)
  • King Nentres of Garlot
  • Sir Arrok
  • Sir Ascamore
  • Sir Azreal
  • Sir Barrant le Apres (also known as the King With the Hundred Knights)
  • Sir Bellenger le Beau (Bellinger le Beuse, Bellangre the Bewse; son of Alisuander le Orphelin / Alexander the Orphan, slayer of King Mark and supporter of Lancelot)
  • Sir Belliance le Orgulous
  • Sir Blamor de Ganis (Blamour, brother of Bleoberis)
  • Sir Bleoberis de Ganis
  • Sir Bohart le Cure Hardy
  • Sir Brandiles
  • Sir Bryan de Les Iles (Brian de Listinoise)
  • Sir Cardok
  • Sir Claryus of Cleremont (Clarius)
  • Sir Clegis
  • Sir Clodrus
  • Sir Crosselm
  • Sir Damas (reformed co-conspirator of Morgan in the Accolon-Excalibur plot)
  • Sir Degrave sans Villainy (fought with the giant of the Black Lowe)
  • Sir Degrevant
  • Sir Dinas
  • Sir Dinas le Seneschal de Cornwall
  • Sir Dodinas le Savage
  • Sir Dornar
  • Sir Driaunt
  • Sir Edward of Orkney (of Caernarfon)
  • Sir Epinogris (son of King Clariance)
  • Sir Fergus
  • Sir Florence (son of Gawain by Sir Brandiles' sister)
  • Sir Gahalantyne
  • Sir Galahodin
  • Sir Galleron of Galway (a Scottish knight from the English Arthurian tradition, also spelled Galaron or Geleron)
  • Sir Gautere (Gauter, Gaunter)
  • Sir Gillimere (or Gillimer, not to be confused with similarly named three different Kings of Ireland in early Arthurian chronicles)
  • Sir Grommer Grummorson (Gromer)
  • Sir Gumret le Petit (Gwyarte le Petite)
  • Sir Harry le Fils Lake
  • Sir Hebes (not Hebes le Renowne)
  • Sir Hebes le Renowne
  • Sir Hectymere
  • Sir Herminde
  • Sir Hervyse de la Forest Savage
  • Sir Ironside (Knight of the Red Launds)
  • Sir Kay l'Estrange (different than Kay le Seneschal)
  • Sir Lambegus
  • Sir Lamiel
  • Sir Lavain (son of Barnard of
    Ascolat
    )
  • Sir Lovell (another son of Gawain by Sir Brandiles' sister)
  • Sir Mador de la Porte (brother of Gaheris of Karahau)
  • Sir Marrok (whose wife turned him into a werewolf, see also Melion)
  • Sir Melias de Lile
  • Sir Melion of the Mountain
  • Sir Meliot de Logris
  • Sir Menaduke
  • Sir Morganore
  • Sir Neroveous
  • Sir Ozanna le Cure Hardy
  • Sir Perimones (brother to Persant and Pertolepe; called the Red Knight)
  • Sir Pertolepe
  • Sir Petipace of Winchelsea
  • Sir Plaine de Fors (Playne)
  • Sir Plenorius
  • Sir Priamus
  • Sir Pursuant of Inde (or Persant; also known as the Blue Knight)
  • Sir Reynold
  • Sir Sadok
  • Sir Selises of the Dolorous Tower
  • Sir Sentrail
  • Sir Severause le Breuse (or Severauce, known for rejecting battles with men in favour of giants, dragons, and wild beasts)
  • Sir Suppinabiles (Cornish knight Supinabel from the French Tristan legend)
  • Sir Urry of Hungary (this story's original character and plot device, cursed by a spell of Spanish duchess for killing her son)
  • Sir Villiars the Valiant

Conversely, the

Winchester Round Table features only the knights Sirs Alynore (Alymere), Bedwere (Bedivere), Blubtlrys (Bleoberis), Bors De Ganys (Bors de Ganis), Brumear (Brunor le Noir), Dagonet, Degore, Ectorde Marys (Ector de Maris), Galahallt (Galahault or Galahad), Garethe (Gareth), Gauen (Gawain), Kay, Lamorak, Launcelot Deulake (Lancelot du Lac), Lacotemale Tayle (La Cote Male Taile), Lucane (Lucan), Lybyus Dysconyus (Le Bel Desconneu), Lyonell (Lionel), Mordrede (Mordred), Plomyde (Palomedes), Pelleus (Pelleas), Percyvale (Percival), Safer (Safir), and Trystram Delyens (Tristram de Lyones) for the total of merely 24 (not counting Arthur).[16]

Selected members

See also:
Yvain

Aglovale

The attributed arms of Agloval de Galles

Aglovale de Galis (Agglovale, Aglaval[e], Agloval, Aglován, Aglovaus, etc.; -de Galles, -le Gallois) is the eldest legitimate son of

Vulgate Merlin, the young Agloval has all of his fourteen brothers killed during the Saxon wars by the forces of King Rions
' relative King Agrippa in their attack on his mother's domain.

"Queen Guenever's Peril." Alfred Kappes's illustration for The Boy's King Arthur (1880)

In the Livre d'Artus, Agloval then accompanies

Vulgate Cycle, Aglovale dies accidentally at Gawain's hand during the Quest for the Holy Grail. However, the rewrite in the Post-Vulgate Queste turns it into a deliberate murder, a part of the Orkney clan's long vendetta for the death of King Lot.[18] In Malory, he is among the knights charged by King Arthur with defending the execution of Guinevere, and is killed by unknown hand during the bloody melee when Lancelot
and his men rescue the queen.

Aglovale appears prominently in the Dutch romance Moriaen, in which Acglavael visits Moorish 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 of Clemence Housman's 1905 novel The Life of Sir Aglovale de Galis.

Arthur the Less

The arms of Arthur le Petit

Arthur the Less or Arthur the Little (Arthur le Petit) is an illegitimate son of King Arthur ("Arthur the Great") found only in the

King Mark's devastating invasion which destroys almost all remnants of King Arthur's rule.[20]

Bleoberis

The attributed arms of Blioberis, shared with his brother Blamor

Bleoberis de Ganis is a Knight of the

Tristrant; and as Pliopliheri in Parzival
.

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 hero

Grail 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 of Poitiers for his part in saving Guinevere, after which Bleoberis becomes an important leader in Lancelot's war against Arthur and Gawain. In the Post-Vulgate Mort, he returns to Britain and arrives at Salisbury after the battle to destroy the corpse of Mordred and build the Tower of the Dead. While searching for Lancelot, he meets Arthur's vengeful son Arthur 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 former Archbishop of Canterbury, he joins them; after Lancelot's death, Bleoberis buries his body at Joyous Gard. In Malory, Bleoberis and his brother first live as monks together with Lancelot and the rest of his kinsmen at Glastonbury Tor, then leave on a crusade and together die in battle in Jerusalem
.

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 Prose Tristan, Bleoberis abducts

King Mark's court, and fights for her against first Segwarides and later the protagonist Tristan. In Wigalois, 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 in Le Bel Inconnu. In Parzival, Orgeluse
's suitor boasts of having him either slain or defeated but spared (depending on interpretation of the text). In Tristrant, 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 is considered to have been derived from the 12th-century Welsh storyteller known as Bledhericus or Bleheris (possibly Bledri ap Cydifor[21]), who is mentioned in several texts, including being credited by Thomas of Britain and Wauchier de Denain as the original source of their early Arthurian poems. References to the narrative authority of Master Blihis repeat in the Elucidation, in which the character of Blihos-Bliheris appears as the final opponent for Gawain.

Brandelis

Brandelis' attributed arms

Brandelis (Brandalus, Brandel, Brandeles, Brandellis, Brendalis, etc.) is the name of a number of Arthurian romance characters, including multiple Knights of the

Brân
.

The best known of these was originally known as Bran de Lis (Brans, Bras, -de Lys), a character related to one of the mothers of the illegitimate sons of

Vulgate Cycle. In Malory's Le 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.

Sir Brandeliz (Brandalis, Brandelis, Braudaliz) appears in multiple episodes through the Vulgate Cycle (some of which are included in Le Morte d'Arthur), participating in the quests (including the quest for the Grail) and in the wars against

Gaheriet'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 of Le Morte d'Arthur. In the Prose Tristan
, 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 of Duke Brandelis de Taningues (Brandeban, Brandeharz, Brandelz, -de Tranurgor). Yet another Knight of the Round Table named Brandelis (Brandelis le fils Lac, that is "son of Lac") appears as brother of Erec in Palamedes and the late Italian romance I Due Tristani. The late French romance Ysaïe le Triste features Brandalis' own son, Brandor de Gaunes (of Wales). In the Didot Perceval, 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) from Perlesvaus and Brandin (Branduz) des Isles from the Vulgate Lancelot, as well as to King Brandelidelin from an early German Arthurian romance Parzival, as possibly identical in origin.

Calogrenant

The attributed arms of Calogrenant

Calogrenant, sometimes known in English as Colgrevance and in German (

Clyddno Eiddin. Roger Sherman Loomis and other scholars speculated that Calogrenant was used specifically as a foil for Kay in some lost early version of Yvain's story. The 12th-century author Chrétien 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 acid tongue.[22]

Calogrenant first appears in Chrétien's

Esclados
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 the

Agravaine and Mordred trap Lancelot
and Guinevere together in the queen's chambers. Lancelot has neither armour nor weapons, but manages to pull Calogrenant into the room and kills him; he then uses Calogrenant's sword to defeat the rest of Mordred's companions.

  • Calogrenant at the fountain in the BN MS fr.1433 manuscript of Yvain (c. 1325)
    Calogrenant at the fountain in the BN MS fr.1433 manuscript of Yvain (c. 1325)
  • Malory-inspired Sir Launcelot in the Queen's Chamber by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1857)
    Malory-inspired Sir Launcelot in the Queen's Chamber by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1857)

Claudin

Prince Claudin (Claudine, Claudyne, Claudino) is the son of the

Perceval in Corbenic
.

Cligès

Cligès is the title hero of

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's

Yder (who later promises to reconcile them).[23] In The Marvels of Rigomer [fr], he hails from Greece and participates in the quest to conquer Rigomer Castle as one of Gawain's many companions; he also defeats the undead knight in his own episode.[24] As Clias the Greek (der Grieche Clîas), he has a role in the German Parzival.[25] Thomas Malory's Urry list calls him Sir Clegis (despite a similar name, Clegis is not in any way connected with the English Sir Cleges, the hero of a completely different story set in the times of Arthur's father Uther Pendragon[26]
).

Dodinel

The attributed arms of "Dodinet le Sauvaige"

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 as the Wild, the Wildman, or the 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 a

figurant
type of a character, and without a common role. He is nevertheless important in several of such works, including the Third Continuation of Perceval, the Vulgate Lancelot, the Post-Vulgate Merlin, the Livre d'Artus, the Prose Tristan, and Claris et Laris.

Dodinel is introduced in Chrétien de Troyes' Erec et Enide, being named there as the ninth best of King Arthur's knights, albeit noted as a rude one. Dodinel is also listed among the top knights of Arthur in Chrétien's Yvain as well as in Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight, while The Knight of the Two Swords describes him as a "truly exceptional ... man of many virtues." He might have been originally identical with Percival, which would explain his characteristic epiteth as meaning a man from the woods (wilderness). However, the only possible trace of such motif can be found in the German Lanzelet, 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 Vulgate Merlin Continuation, he is portrayed as an illegitimate son of either King Brandegorre or King Bélinant (Balinant, Belinans, Belynans; possibly based on the Celtic god

Galeschin. In the Lancelot 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 of Balin
's brother Balan (Balaan le Sauvage). In the Didot-Perceval, he is son of the Lady of Malehaut (Dame de Malohaut). In Parzival, he has a brother called Taurian the Wild (der Wilde).

In the Third Continuation of Chrétien's Perceval, one of the six episodes of

Winchester Manuscript) as a recurring companion of Sagramore and, early in his career, as one of the Guinevere
's own ten knights.

His 'biography' can be found in the French prose cycles. In the Vulgate Merlin and the Livre d'Artus, the young teenage Dodinel defects to Arthur early in the king's reign, opposing his own family. In the Livre, he kills the Saxon king Mathmas at the Battle of Clarence (

Camlann
).

In Italy, he is called Dondinello and its variants, usually with no epithet (except in the case of Oddinello le Salvaggio in the Tristano Riccardiano). In his unusual characterization in Chantari di Lancelotto, Dodinel (Dudinello) is a villain who joins up with Mordred to conspire against Lancelot. Cantari di Carduino, a

Fair 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 (probably Gaheris
), as well as of Carduino's other adventures.

Drian

Drian (Doryan, Driant, Durnor) is one of King Pellinore's sons out of wedlock. He is most prominent in the Prose Tristan which describes him as one of the very best of the Knights, alongside Galahad, Lancelot, Palamedes, and his own brother Lamorak.[27] There, Drian and Lamorak are hated by Gawain for being sons of Pellinore and for being superior knights to Gawain. Drian dies when he fights three of King Lot's sons, unhorsing Agravain and Mordred before being mortally wounded and left for dead by Gawain; Lamorak dies soon afterwards while trying to avenge him.

Drian is called Dornar (Durnor[e]) by

Queen Guinevere
from the stake.

Elyan

The arms of Helain le Blanc

Elyan the White or Helyan le Blanc (also Elain, Elayn, Helain, Hellaine, Helin; -le Blank, -the Pale) is son of

Eastern 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 the Round Table. True to his lineage, Elyan eventually becomes Emperor of Constantinople
himself.

Elyan's adventures are different the

Post-Vulgate Queste, as well as the expanded version of the Prose Tristan, where he takes a vacant Round Table seat that had belonged to Dragan (Dagarius) after the latter knight's death by Tristan. He later helps his cousin Lancelot rescue Guinevere
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 the Mort Artu. A modern character inspired by Elyan the White was portrayed by actor Adetomiwa Edun as Guinevere's brother in the 2008 television series Merlin.

Erec

The attributed arms of "Herec le fils Lac"

Erec (French Erech, Eric, Herec, Heret; German Eres; Italian Arecco; Norse Erex), the son of

Geraint and Enid, Erec and Geraint are often conflated or confused. Erec's name itself may be derived from 'Guerec', the Breton version of 'Gweir' which was the name of several of Arthur's warriors and relatives in the different early Welsh tales (possibly the prototype of Gaheris and consequently also Gareth
).

In Chrétien's story, Erec meets his future wife Enide while on a quest to defeat a knight who had mistreated one of Queen Guinevere'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 Norse Erex Saga gives him two sons, named Llac and Odus, who later both become kings. The story of Erec and Enide is also retold within the Prose Tristan.

Enide is entirely absent from the Prose Erec part of the

Bors from the enchanter Mabon; he also has a cousin named Driadam, whose death begins Erec's feud with the young Mordred. In the Post-Vulgate Quest of the Holy Grail, Erec is slain by Gawain in revenge for the death of Yvain 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 the Alliterative Morte Arthure
, Erec dies during the final battle between the forces of Arthur and Mordred.

In Lanzelet, 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. In Le Morte d'Arthur, Harry le Fyse Lake (or Garry le Fitz Lake, Malory's corruption of the French Herec le Fils Lac) participates in Lancelot's rescue of Guinevere from the stake.

Esclabor

The attributed arms of "Exclabor ly Viescovtiens"

King Esclabor the Unknown (Astlabor, Esclabort, Scalabrone; -le Mescogneu, -li Mesconneü, -li Mesconneuz) is a wandering

Segwarides, 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.[29]

While visiting Rome, he saves the life of the Roman Emperor; he later travels to Arthur's Logres at the time of Arthur's coronation, where he rescues King Pellinore as well. Esclabor eventually settles at Camelot, later adventuring with Palamedes and Galahad during the Grail Quest. In the Post-Vulgate Queste, eleven of his sons are killed during their encounter with the Questing Beast. Shortly after finally agreeing to convert to Christianity, an act necessary for the full admission into the brotherhood of Round Table,[30] 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 of Gawain.

Gaheris of Karaheu

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 as the White (li Blans), is one of the minor Knights of the Round Table and brother of

Vulgate Cycle and the derived works. He should not be confused with Gaheris of Orkney, one of King 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 chronicle Gesta Regum Anglorum
.

In the Vulgate Lancelot, Gaheris of Karaheu appears in minor roles, mostly as a prisoner, prior to his accidental death. Gawain saves him from Galehaut, while the mysterious White Knight (Lancelot incognito) rescues him from the Dolorous Prison near Dolorous Gard and then again from the Vale of No Return. Later, in the Vulgate Mort 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 by Guinevere; the queen is accused of his murder, until she is cleared of the charge in the trial by combat between Mador and Lancelot.[31] This story is retold in the Stanzaic Morte Arthur and in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, where the victim is, respectively, either an unnamed visiting Scottish knight or Sir Patrise of Ireland (the poisoner is also renamed by Malory as Sir Pionel). The Italian Tristano Panciaticchiano, in which he remains Mador's brother, calls him Giafredi.

Galehodin

Galehodin le Gallois (Galeh[a/o]udin, also Gal[l]ides, Gallind[r]es, etc.) is

Bagdemagus. In the Italian Tavola Ritonda, Galehaut's heir is his son named Abastunagio, a character corresponding with that of Galehodin as he appears in the Prose Tristan. Both appear in their respective texts in the role of the host of the great tournament in Sorelois. The Hebrew King Artus includes one Galaodin de Gaulis (of Gaul
) among Lancelot's followers.

Galehaut's cousin and fellow Knight of the Round Table named Galahodin (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 Prose Tristan tell of Galahodin's attempted kidnapping of

Isolde, foiled by Palamedes. Malory's Galahodin should not be confused with two of his original characters from Le Morte d'Arthur, Lancelot's own relatives Galyhod (Galihud, Galyhud) and Gahalantyne (Gahalantin), who are also close companions of Lancelot. After taking over the lands in France, Malory's Lancelot appoints Galahodin as the duke of Saintonge, Galyhod as the earl of Périgord, and Gahalantyne as the duke of Auvergne
. They eventually stay together with Lancelot and Galahodin as their fellow monks at the end.

Galeschin

The attributed arms of the Duc de Clerence

Galeschin (Galaas, Galachin, Galathin, Galescalain, Galeschalains, Galescin[s], Galeshin, Galessin, etc.) is the son of

Vale of No Return.) Though mentioned in a few other stories, his role is ultimately minor. He loosely inspired the character of Duke Chalance (Chalaunce) of Clarence, a Knight of the Round Table appearing in different episodes of Le Morte d'Arthur
.

Modena Archivolt's scene of Galvagin (presumed Gawain
) being followed by the mysterious Galvariun

Modena Archivolt, considered the first known Arthurian illustration (c. 1120-1240). He theorizes that the name was altered to make it sound more like Galesche, the Old French word for Gaul, and derives the name Galvariun from the epithet Gwallt Euryn, found in Culhwch and Olwen, which he translates as "Golden Hair".[32] However, other scholars usually identify the figure of Galvariun as a prototype of Gawain's brother Gaheris. Oddly, Galeschin is also called the Duc de Clarence in the French literature prior to the 14th century; this could not possibly refer to the position of Duke 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".[33]

Gornemant

Gornemant de Gohort (Gorneman[s/z]; -de Goort, de Gorhaut) is the knight best known as Percival's old mentor. He is mentioned in a few early romances and is prominent in Chrétien de Troyes's Perceval, the Story of the Grail, in which he instructs the young hero in the ways of knighthood. There, Gornemant is also the uncle of Blanchefleur, whom Percival later marries after successfully defending her city against attackers. Medieval German author Wolfram von Eschenbach gives Gurnemans 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 the later Italian Tristan romances, he appears under the name Governale, entrusted by Merlino to care for and edecate the young Cornish prince Tristano. In Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal, Gurnemanz is depicted as a Grail Knight.

Griflet

Griflet’s attributed arms

Griflet (

Erec et Enide, named there as Girflez li filz Do. Like many other Arthurian romance characters, his origins lie in Welsh mythology; in this instance, it is the minor deity Gilfaethwy fab Dôn.[35][36] He is notably the eponymous hero of his own, early chivalric romance, Jaufre
.

He also appears as Gerflet in Beroul's Tristan and in the Norse Parcevals Saga; Gerflet li fius Do in Mériadeuc; Gifflet in Escanor; Gifflet (Girfles) li fieus Do in the Livre d'Artus; Giflés (Gifles) li fius Do in

Lancelot, le Chevalier de la Charrette; Girflez in La Mule sans Frein; Griflet (Gifles, Gifflès, Gifflet, Gryflet, Gryfflet) li fieus Do (Dou) in Le Morte d'Arthur; Grifles in Henry Lovelich's Merlin; Grimfles in the English Prose Merlin; Gyffroun in Ywain and Gawain; and Iofreit (Jofreit) fils Idol in Parzival.[37] Further texts featuring him include Hunbaut, La Vengeance Raguidel, and the First and Fourth Continuations of Perceval.[38]

La Mort du roi Arthur

In French chivalric romance prose cycles, he is a cousin to

Battle of Bedegraine against the rebels and joins the Round Table after personally slaying one of the Saxon kings when he helps Kay and Gawain rescue Guinevere in the Prose Merlin. 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 Prose Lancelot that "there never was a man so frequently taken prisoner as Girflet has been."[39] According to the French Mort Artu, he was one of the few survivors of Arthur's final battle and was asked by the dying king to return his sword Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. In Le Morte d'Arthur, however, Sir Griflet is one of the knights killed by Lancelot
'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 the Mort Artu.

Hector de Maris

The attributed arms of Hector des Mares

Hector de Maris (Ector de Maris, Estor de Mareis, Hector de Marais, Hestor des Mares, etc.) is the younger half-brother of

Bors and Lionel are his cousins. His name means Hector of the Fens (the form used in Norris J. Lacy's translation of the Vulgate Cycle); he should not be mistaken with Sir Ector (Hector), the father of Kay and foster father of Arthur. Hector's adventures are many and wide-ranging, especially within the Vulgate and the Post-Vulgate prose cycles. As Astore, he is also the eponymous protagonist of the Italian Cantare di Astore e Morgana in which he becomes Morgan'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 by Galahad
.

Lancelot stops his half-brother Hector from killing Arthur defeated in battle, as depicted by William Dyce in King Arthur Unhorsed, Spared by Sir Launcelot (1852)

As told in the Vulgate Merlin, Hector is an illegitimate son of

Joyous 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 by Mordred's sons after the Battle of Camlann (Salisbury). He then joins his brother at the Archbishop of Canterbury's hermitage, and later dies on a crusade in the Holy Land
.

King with the Hundred Knights

The King with the Hundred Knights (Old French: Roi des Cent Chevaliers, sometimes translated as the "King of 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 as Malaguin (Aguignier, Aguigens, Aguigniez, Aguysans, Alguigines, Angvigenes, Malaguis, Malauguin[s], etc.) in the

Prose Lancelot; the legendary figure of Malaguin seems to be loosely based on that of the historical Maelgwn, an early 6th-century king of Gwynedd known for propagating Christianity in Britain. He appears as Heraut (Berant, Horel, Horiaus, Hovaux, etc.) li Aspres in the Prose Tristan, while Thomas Malory refers to him as Sir Barant (Berrant) le Apres. Conversely, some texts such as Palamedes
 do not give him a proper name.

His first known appearance is possibly in

Battle 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 of Galehaut in the Vulgate Lancelot; afterwards, he again submits to Arthur's rule and joins the Round 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 Vulgate Lancelot, splits his character into these of the King with a Hundred Knights and Maleginis, two different minor kings serving Galehaut.

He is described as the ruler of the land variably known as Estrangore in the Livre d'Artus alternative continuation of Merlin, Malahaut (Malehaut, etc.) in the Estoire de Merlin and the Prose Lancelot, Guzilagne in

Morholt) at the Battle of Lerline, in a factional conflict in which Lancelot and Tristan
find themselves on the opposing sides.

Lac

King Lac (French: Roi Lac, literally "King Lake") is the father of

Geraint and Enid is named Erbin. His kingdom is variably known as Nantes, Destrigales ("Outer Wales", possibly South Wales), Carnant, Greater Orkney (Orcanie la Grant), and Black Isles. In the Guiron le Courteous part of Palamedes, King Lac is himself a Knight of the Round Table. Thomas Malory retained him in this role in his Le Morte d'Arthur as the King of the Lake. He is entirely unrelated to Lancelot du Lac (of the Lake) nor to King Lot
whose name is written as "Lac" in some Portuguese texts.

According to Erec et Enide, King Lac dies of old age and his son Erec is made ruler of Lac's kingdom by King Arthur. In his redefinition in the

Cligés
in the First Continuation of Perceval, who both become Knights of the Round Table in their respective stories.

Lohot

Lohot (Hoot, Loholt, Loholz, Lohoot, Lohoth, Lohoz) is a character loosely based on the mysterious figure of

Queen Guinevere in the early continental romances such as Lanzelet and Perlesvaus (as Ilinot and Elinot, respectively). In Perlesvaus, he is treacherously killed by Kay
so that the latter can take credit for the defeat of the giant Logrin, and his murder causes Guinevere to die of sorrow.

In the

Vulgate Cycle, on the other hand, Lohot is Arthur's bastard son by Lady Lisanor, daughter of Earl Sevain, from the tryst magically arranged by Merlin.[41][42] Lohot dies young from illness shortly after having been rescued from his captivity in the Dolorous Prison by Lancelot.[42] Thomas Malory
renamed him as a very minor character called Borre (Boarte, Bohart, Bohort) le Cure Hardy ("the Strong Heart"), and his mother as Lionors or Lyzianor, daughter of Earl Sanam.

Lucan

The attributed arms of "Lucam le Bouteillier"

Lucan the Butler (Lucanere de Buttelere, Lucan[s] li Bouteillier, Lucant le Boutellier, Lucas the Botiller, Lucanus, etc.) is a servant of

Griflet. His earliest mention is in Erec and Enide and he is also known in English translations as Lucan 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 the Marshal and Kay the Seneschal
.

Lucan fights for Arthur's right to the throne at the

Battle 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 the Lancelot-Grail cycle to Le Morte d'Arthur, Lucan is one of the last knights at the king's side at the Battle of Camlann and is usually the last of them to die. Lucan remains loyal to King Arthur throughout the schism with Lancelot, and on occasion acts as a negotiator between them. Similarly, he stays by the monarch's side during Mordred'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 returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake
.

Though the knight whom Arthur asks to cast the sword into the lake is usually Griflet (

Vulgate Mort Artu) or Bedivere (Le Morte d'Arthur, the Alliterative Morte Arthure, the Stanzaic Morte Arthur), the 16th-century English ballad King Arthur's Death ascribes this duty to Lucan.[43] A character named Lucan appears in the 2004 film King Arthur where, played by Johnny Brennan, he is a young boy found and cared for by Arthur's warrior Dagonet
.

Mador de la Porte

Mador's attributed arms

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 with Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr ("Mightygrasp") who is Arthur's porter in medieval Welsh tales.

"At last the strange knight smote him to the earth, and gave him such a buffet on the helm as well-nigh killed him." Lancelot Speed's illustration for The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights, abridged from Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur by James Knowles (1912)

Mador's best known role is in an episode of the Vulgate Mort Artu (and consequently in the Stanzaic Morte Arthur and Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur) that tells the story of his trial by combat against the incognito Lancelot, Queen Guinevere's champion for her innocence following the poisoning of Mador's brother Gaheris 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 Vulgate Mort Artu and the English works based on it, Mador also appears or is referenced in several other works, including in the Prose Lancelot, in the "Tournament of Sorelois" episode found in some versions of the Prose Tristan and the Prophecies de Mérlin (as well as in Le Morte d'Arthur), in the Post-Vulgate Cycle, in the Guiron le Courtois part of Palemedes, in Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight, in the Sicilian romance Floriant et Florette, and in the Compilation of Rustichello da Pisa. The Vulgate Mort 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 Prose Tristan, in which

Galehault in size and strength. In Le Morte d'Arthur, he is also a companion of the young Mordred
.

The Livre d'Artus version of the Vulgate Merlin Continuation mentions Madoc li Noirs de la Porte (Madoc the Black of the Gate) among the knights who come to the aid of

Aglovale to fight against the forces of Agrippe. He may be further identical with the knight Mado, who is twice briefly mentioned in the First Continuation of Chrétien's Perceval. Mado also appears as antagonist in the 16th-century Irish Arthurian tale Eachtra 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 ally Merlin
.

Meliant

The attributed arms of "Mellienderis"

Meliant (Melians, Melyans) is a Knight of the Round Table featured in several chivalric romances. In the writings by

Heinrich von dem Türlin, names him Fiers von Arramis, whom Gawain also forces to surrender to a young lady who is a sister of his beloved Flursenesephin. In the Livre de Artus
, Meliant de Lis wins over and marries Gawain's own lover, Floree.

In the

Meliadus, who is sometimes known as Melias.[45]

There are also multiple other Arthurian characters by this name. For instance, one Meliant (named Brano in the Italian compilation La Tavola Ritonda) is a relative of King Faramon's daughter Belide when she falsely accuses Tristan of rape in the Prose Tristan. In Perlesvaus, an explicitly villainous Meliant is an enemy lord of Arthur, allied with the traitorous Kay; he is eventually killed by Lancelot who had previously also slain his evil father. In the Vulgate Lancelot, Carados of the Dolorous Tower takes one Melyans le Gai's wife as his mistress.[46] Another Meliant from the same cycle is an ancestor of Gawain (and himself is descended from Peter, an early Christian follower of Joseph of Arimathea) in the Vulgate Estoire del Saint Graal.

Morholt

The attributed arms of Morholt d'Irlande

Morholt of Ireland (Marha[u]lt, Marhaus, Morold, Amoroldo) is an Irish warrior who demands tribute from King Mark of Cornwall until he is slain by Mark's nephew Tristan. In many versions, Morholt's name is prefaced with a definite article (i.e. The Morholt) as if it were a rank or a title, but scholars have found no reason for this.[47]

The Fight between Tristram and Sir Marhaus, a stained glass panel by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (c. 1863)

He appears in almost all versions of the legend of Tristan and Iseult, beginning with the verse works of Thomas of Britain and Béroul. 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 named Iseult). He comes to Cornwall to collect tribute owed to his country; instead, however, Tristan challenges him to battle on the remote Saint 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 the

Yvain early in King Arthur
's reign. In the later versions, Tristan takes Morholt's place at the Round Table when he joins the company himself.

Nentres

In Arthurian romance, Nentres of Garlot (French: Nentres de Garlot) is a British king of the land of Garlot (Garloth, Garlott), who had served Arthur's father Uther 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 Vulgate Merlin, he is also named Uentres and Ventre[s/ƺ], as well as Nantes, Neutre[s] and Nextres de Garloc in the Estoire d'Merlin and Neutre in the version Livre d'Artus. In the Caxton print edition of Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, he appears as Nentres, Nayntres and Nauntres, while the original Winchester manuscript calls him Nentres, Nauntres and Newtrys. His other medieval English names include Nantres or Nanter[s] in Arthour and Merlin, and Newtres, Newtris, Newtrys and Newtre[s] in Lovelich's Merlin. His first appearance could have been as Arthur's brother-in-law Viautre de Galerot (Guarlerot) in the Didot-Perceval continuation of the Verse Merlin.[48]

Malory makes Nentres the husband of Arthur's sister

Battle of Bedegraine (where he is defeated by Kay 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 loyalist Gawain, making Nentres firmly join Arthur's side and help him to decisively crush the foreigners at the Battle 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 to Roger Sherman Loomis, the name and character of King Nentres could have been derived from that of the historical British king Urien who is most often cast as the husband of Morgan.[49] The Huth Merlin 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.[50] The name of his realm of Garlot may also come from that of Caer Lot, an Old Welsh phrase meaning the Fortress of Lot, another British former-rebel king often depicted in the legend as married to Arthur's sister.[51] The lands belonging to Nentres, Urien and Lot (in Lot's case meaning the kingdom of Lothian, 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

The attributed arms of Osevain Cœur Hardi

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 of the

knights errant in the works of Arthurian romance. In English, he is best known from Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur as Ozanna le Cure Hardy (Ozanna le Coeur Hardi in the Winchester Manuscript; rendered as Ozana of the hardy heart in William Morris' "The Chapel in Lyonesse"). Different Middle English versions of the Merlin Continuation call him Gosenain Hardy Body, Gosnayn de Strangot, Osenayn Cors Hardy and Osoman 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 companion or opponent.

Like Gawain's, his character is considered to be derived from the prototype of the warrior by the name Gwrvan and its variants, found in the early Welsh Arthurian tales

Perceval ou le Conte du Graal
. In Les Merveilles de Rigomer, Garradains is named as the knight of Arthur traveling with Gawain on a quest to conquer the enchanted castle of the Irish queen Dionise.

In Diu Crône, the fairy knight Gasozein de Dragoz arrives at King Arthur's court, where he singel-handedly defeats three Knights of the Round Table while not wearing any armor and falsely[52] claims to be the first lover and rightful husband of Queen Guinevere, 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. Gosezein's character re-appears as Gosangos de Tarmadoise, Guinevere's early romantic lover and Gawain's valiant enemy in the Livre d'Artus. The plot of Meraugis de Portlesguez revolves around the protagonist Meraugis competing for the love of Queen Lidoine with his friend Gorvain Cadrut (Gornain[s], Gornenis; -Cadrus, Cadruz, Kadrus). Here, Gorvain loses Lidoine to his rival, but ends up happily married to one of her maidens, Avice. However, scholar Ferdinand Lot proposed that this Gorvain is just the story's Gawain himself (who earlier appears as Golvain) by just a slightly different name.[32] In another text, Hunbaut, 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 at Caerleon where he eventually becomes a Knight of the Round Table.

He recurringly features as Osenain[s] Cuer Hardi (Gosenain, Osanain, Osevain, Osoain, Osuain, Oswain, etc.; -Cors Hardi[z], Corsa Hardy, Corps Hardi, au Cœur-Hardi, Chore Ardito) in the

Grail Quest. The Guiron le Courtois section of Palamedes
describes him as son of King Quinados.

In the Italian

Yder attempt to avenge his murder of the knight Raguidel. Here he is a nephew of King Aguissant (meaning Angusel, a brother of King Lot in the Historia Regum Britanniae
) and a 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 by Gawain with the help of Yder, the latter of whom then marries Guengasoain's orphaned daughter, Trevilonete.

Priamus

Priamus (Pryamus) is a Roman ally of

Emperor Lucius in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, following the Alliterative Morte Arthure. He claims to be descended from Alexander of Africa and Judas Maccabeus. Upon meeting Gawain in "The Tale of King Arthur and Emperor Lucius", he defects from Lucius to join forces with King Arthur.[53] In return, Arthur appoints him as the Duke of Lorraine. He later dies at the fight for Guinevere. In Malory's version, two of Priamus' brothers also become Knights of the Round Table: Edward of Carnarvon
and Hectymere.

Safir

Saphar's attributed arms

Safir (Safire, Safere, Saphar) is the youngest son of the

Segwarides and Palamedes
, also belong to the Round Table.

Safir usually appears alongside his brother Palamedes. In one story, Safir disguises himself as

Ector 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 between Lancelot and Guinevere is exposed, Safir and Palamedes join Lancelot's side in the ensuing civil war between Lancelot and King Arthur. When they are banished to Lancelot's homeland in Gaul, Safir is made Duke of Landok while Palamedes becomes Duke of Provence
.

Segwarides

The attributed arms of "Securades"

Segwarides (Seguarades, Seguradés, Seguradez, etc.) is a son of the

Safir
. It is possible there have been originally two characters of this name, but the stories in which they appear fail to differentiate between them.

F. A. Fraser's illustration for Henry Frith
's King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table (1912)

He is cuckolded by Tristan in the Prose Tristan and Thomas Malory's Le 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 repel Lancelot's rescue of Guinevere from the stake.

Tor

The attributed arms of Tor

Tor appears frequently in Arthurian literature, albeit always in minor roles. In earlier mentions Tor's father is King Ars (Aries),[54] but in Post-Vulgate Cycle and Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, Aries is his adoptive father while his natural father is King Pellinore.[55][56] His namesake, Le Tor of Scotland, is also featured in the story of Sebile in the Arthurian prequel romance Perceforest.

In the Post-Vulgate and Malory, Tor's many siblings include

Dindrane. 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 teenage King Arthur, who makes the boy one of his first knights in recognition of his qualities. Later Merlin 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 and Guinevere when he takes up a quest to retrieve a mysterious white brachet 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 when Lancelot and his followers rescue the queen.[57]

Yvain the Bastard

The attributed arms of Yvain the Bastard

Yvain the Bastard (Yvain[s] / Yvonet / Uwains li/le[s] Avou[l]tres, -l'Avo[u]ltre, -li Batarz) is a son of

Yvain, after whom he was named. While the older Yvain is Urien's legitimate child from his wife Morgan le Fay, Yvain the Bastard was sired by Urien on the wife of his seneschal. He is encountered frequently in Arthurian romance as a hearty and usually sensible knight, fighting in Arthur's wars and questing for the Holy Grail with Galahad and Gareth. He was killed by his cousin Gawain
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 in Le Morte d'Arthur split him into two characters: Uwaine les Avoutres, the son of Urien, and Uwaine les Adventurous, an unrelated knight.[58] Malory further splits Morganor, the name of Urien's "good knight" bastard son in Of Arthour and of Merlin, into a separate character he calls Sir Morganor[e] (first appearing as a senschal of the King of the Hundred Knights, then as a king himself). Yvain the Bastard and Yvain les Avoutres are also separate characters in the Scottish Lancelot of the Laik. In Perlesvaus, 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

His attributed arms

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 English Arthour and Merlin, he is unrelated to

King Mark and healed in a Cornish abbey. In the Post-Vulgate Queste, he is mistakenly slain by Erec, for which in turn Erec is killed by Gawain, and his seat at the Round Table is then taken by the Unknown Knight (Arthur the Less
).

Other Arthurian fellowships

Queen's Knights

Le Morte d'Arthur scene of Guinevere with some of her unarmed knights before they are ambushed by Maleagant, as depicted in Queen Guinevere's Maying by John Collier

The Queen's Knights (Chevaliers de la Reine) are the knights who serve

Hector de Maris
, in defense of his comrades.

In the Middle English compilation Le Morte d'Arthur, the simple "Queen's Knights" form is used by the author Thomas Malory who also describes them as "a grete felyshyp of men of arms".[63] In Malory's version, Lancelot later rescues a new generation of them when they are captured together with Guinevere by the villain Maleagant (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.

Arthur's minor tables

The

knights 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 included

Perceval[64]) are, as its name indicates, lower in their rank and status.[65]
This group seems to be derived from the knights of the Watch (also translated as the Guard), featured in the Vulgate Cycle's Prose Lancelot and first mentioned by Chrétien in Perceval.

Round Table predecessors

Robert de Boron's Joseph d'Arimathie [fr] introduced the Grail Table as a direct precursor to the Round Table, once used by the followers of Joseph of Arimathea, one of the earliest Christians and a relative of Jesus. They were the original guardians of the Grail, who have traveled from the Holy Land to Britain centuries prior to the times of Arthur.[66] In the cyclical prose continuations of Robert's poem, their descendants include Lancelot and the Fisher King. The Grail Table is again used, briefly, by the holy knight Galahad (offspring of the union between Lancelot and the Fisher King's daughter) when he and his companions (Percival and Bors) are served mass after successfully completing the Grail Quest.

Some French and Italian prose romances and poetry feature the original 50

Leondegrance
until he gives it to the young Arthur as the dowry of his daughter Guinevere.

An even earlier forerunner of the Round Table appears in Perceforest, 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 evil Julius Caesar during his invasion of Britain. This happens even before the birth of Christ, but nevertheless is presented in the author's contemporary High 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[70]), the Franc Palais numbers the selected 300 British knights chosen for their valor and seated in the specially constructed building by the same name.

See also

References

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  57. ^ Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Book XX, ch. VII, p. 880.
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  64. ^ Bogdanow, Fanni (19 August 1966). "The Romance of the Grail: A Study of the Structure and Genesis of a Thirteenth-century Arthurian Prose Romance". Manchester University Press – via Google Books.
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Sources

External links

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