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The Arthurian legend features many characters, including the Knights of the Round Table and members of King Arthur's family. Their names often differ from version to version and from language to language. The following is a list of characters with descriptions.
Name | Other names | Earliest appearance | Works featured in | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Accolon | Post-Vulgate Cycle, 1230s | Morgan le Fay's love | ||
Aglovale † | Agloval, Sir Aglovale de Galis | The Life of Sir Aglovale de Galis, The Once and Future King | King Pellinore's eldest son | |
Agravain † | Agravaine | Lancelot-Grail, Le Morte D'Arthur , The Once and Future King | Second son of King Lot and Morgause, joins Mordred's rebellion | |
Amr | Amhar, Amir, Anir | Historia Brittonum , c. 820 | Geraint and Enid | Son of King Arthur |
Andred | Le Morte d'Arthur | Cousin of Tristram | ||
(King) Arthur † | Arthur Pendragon | Y Gododdin , c. 7th century | Many | High King of Britain, ruler of Logres and lord of Camelot |
Aurelius Ambrosius | Ambrosius Aurelianus | De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae c. 540s | Historia Brittonum c. 820 | Uther Pendragon's brother, High King of Britain before him |
Bagdemagus † | Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart , 1170s | Meleagant's father and ruler of Gorre | ||
Ban | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century;, The Once and Future King | Lancelot's father | ||
Balan | Sir Balan le Savage | Post-Vulgate Cycle, 1230s | Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte D'Arthur | Brother to Balin |
Balin | Sir Balin le Savage, Knight with Two Swords | Post-Vulgate Cycle, 1230s | Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte D'Arthur | Brother to Balan, kills the Lady of the Lake and strikes the Dolorous Stroke |
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 Sir Lucan |
Black Knight | King Arthur's grandson through Tom a Lincoln. Another Black Knight is an antagonist figure | |||
Blanchefleur | Perceval, the Story of the Grail , c. 1181 | Percival's wife, niece to Gornemant | ||
Bors the Elder | (French: Bohort) | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century; The Once and Future King | Brother to King Ban, and an ally of Arthur's | |
Bors the Younger † | Son of Bors the Elder, father of Elyan the White | |||
Brangaine | Brangaene, Brangwane, Brangien | Tristan , 12th century | Tristan poems, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur | Handmaid to Iseult |
Bruin | Sir Bruin Surnamed the Black | First Named in "King Arthur Meets Lady Guinevere" Howard Pyle | Unknown Family, One of the original 32 Knights of the Round Table | |
Breunor le Noir † | Brunor, La Cote Male Taile | Knight who wears his murdered father's coat, brother of Dinadan and Daniel | ||
Brutus of Britain | Brut, Brute, (Welsh: Bryttys) | Historia Brittonum , c. 820 | First King of Britain, a Trojan | |
Cador † | (Latin: Cadorius) | Historia Regum Britanniae , The Dream of Rhonabwy | Raised Guinevere as his ward, father to Constantine III of Britain, described in some works as Arthur's cousin | |
Caelia | Celia, The Faerie Queene | The Faerie Queene , 1590; Tom a Lincoln part 1, 1599 | Tom a'Lincoln's lover, mother to the Faerie Knight | |
Calogrenant † | Colgrevance, Cynan | Yvain, the Knight of the Lion , 1170s | Le Morte d'Arthur | Cousin to Sir Ywain |
Caradoc † | (Latin: Caractacus), (Welsh: Caradog Freichfras), (French: Carados Briefbras) | 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) | |
Catigern | (Welsh: Cattegirn) | Historia Brittonum, 9th century; Harleian genealogies; Historia Regum Britanniae , c. 1134 | Son of Vortigern, fought alongside his brother Vortimer against the Saxons | |
(King) Cerdic of Wessex | Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , 9th century | First King of Wessex | ||
Claudas | Perlesvaus , Lancelot-Grail, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur | A Frankish King antagonistic to Arthur, has two sons, Dorin and Claudin | ||
Claudin † | Lancelot-Grail, Le Morte d'Arthur | Virtuous son of the Frankish villain Claudas, eventually becomes one of 12 knights to achieve the Holy Grail | ||
(King) Constans son of Constantine | Based on the historical figure Constans | Historia Regum Britanniae | Son of Constantine II of Britain, older brother to Uther Pendragon | |
(King) Constantine II of Britain | Based on the historical figure Constantine | Historia Regum Britanniae | Arthur's grandfather, father to Uther Pendragon, Constans, and Ambrosius Aurelianus | |
Constantine † | Historia Regum Britanniae , c. 1136 | Historia Regum Britanniae , Le Morte d'Arthur | Arthur's nephew and successor to his throne, Cador's son | |
Culhwch | Culhwch and Olwen , c. 11th century | Cousin of Arthur's in early Welsh legend | ||
(King) Cynric of Wessex | Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , 9th century | Second King of Wessex, son of Cerdic | ||
Dagonet † | Idylls of the King | Arthur's court jester | ||
Daniel von Blumenthal † | Daniel von Blumenthal , 1220 | A Knight of the Round Table found in an early German offshoot of Arthurian legend | ||
Dinadan † | Prose Tristan, 1230s | Prose Tristan, Le Morte D'Arthur | Son of Sir Brunor the Senior | |
Dindrane | (Italian: Agrestizia), (Welsh: Danbrann), Dindraine, Heliabel | Sister (sometimes half-sister) of Percival, plays a large part in many Holy Grail stories | ||
Durnure | Sir Durnure, Dornar | First Named in "King Arthur Meets Lady Guinevere" Howard Pyle | One of Three Sons of King Pellinore, one of the original 32 Knights of the Round Table | |
Ector † | Hector, Antor, Ectorius | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | The Once and Future King , Le Morte d'Arthur | Raises Arthur according to Merlin's command, father to Sir Kay |
Edern ap Nudd | Edern, son of Nudd, Yder, Yver, Isdernus, Knight of the Sparrowhawk | Culhwch and Olwen , c. 1100 | Erec and Enide , Geraint ac Enid , The Dream of Rhonabwy | Brother of Gwyn ap Nudd, rival to Erec/Geraint, originally a hostile figure, later a member of Arthur's retinue |
Elaine of Astolat | Elaine the White, Elaine the Fair, The Lady of Shalott | Le Morte d'Arthur , 1470 | The Lady of Shalott | Daughter of Bernard of Astolat, classic Arthurian figure of unrequited love |
Elaine of Benoic | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | The Once and Future King | Wife of King Ban and mother to Lancelot, Evaine's sister | |
Elaine of Corbenic | Amite, Helaine, Helizabel | Perceval, the Story of the Grail c. 1181 | The Once and Future King ; Perceval le Gallois , 1978 | Daughter of the Fisher King, mother of Galahad by Lancelot |
Elaine of Garlot | Daughter of Gorlois and Igraine, sister to Morgan le Fay and Morgause and a half-sister to King Arthur, wife to King Nentres. | |||
Elaine of Listenoise | Le Morte d'Arthur | Daughter of King Pellinore, lover of Sir Miles of the Laundes | ||
Elaine the Peerless | Niece of the Lord of the Fens and wife of Persides the Red of the Castle of Gazevilte | |||
Eliwlod | Welsh Triads | Nephew to Arthur, son of Madoc, Uther Pendragon's son | ||
Elyan the White † | (French: Helyan le Blanc) | Son of Sir Bors and Claire, King Brandegoris' daughter, helps Lancelot rescue Guinevere and goes into exile with him | ||
Enide | Enid | Erec and Enide , c. 1170 | Idylls of the King , Geraint and Enid | Erec's wife |
Epinogres | Sir Epinogres | First Named in "King Arthur Meets Lady Guinevere" Howard Pyle | Son of King of Umberland, and brother unto Enchantress Vivien, one of the original 32 Knights of the Round Table | |
Erec † | Unclear; first literary appearance as Erec in Erec and Enide , c. 1170 | see Geraint and Enid | Son of King Lac and a Knight of the Round Table | |
Escanor the Handsome | Girart | King of the White Mountain and nephew of Escanor the large, Gawain defeated him in combat after Escanor tried to abduct Sir Girflct. | ||
Escanor the Large | Atre, Girart | Son of a giant and a witch, brother of Alienor, and uncle of Escanor the Handsome, he shared Gawain's power by which his strength waxed and waned with the sun. | ||
Esclabor † | Father of Palamedes, Safir, and Segwarides | |||
Esclados | Yvain, the Knight of the Lion , 1170s | Defended a magical fountain in the Forest of Broceliande, married to Laudine | ||
Evaine | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | Wife of Bors the Elder, mother of Bors the Younger and Lionel, sister of Elaine of Benoic, aunt of Lancelot | ||
Faerie Knight, The | Tom a Lincoln part 1, 1599 | Illegitimate son of Tom a'Lincoln and Caelia, the Faerie Queen, half brother to the Black Knight | ||
Feirefiz † | Parzival , early 13th century | Half-brother to Percival | ||
Fisher King, The | The Wounded King, Pelles, Pelias | Perceval, the Story of the Grail , c. 1181 | Queste del Saint Graal , c. 1220; Prose Tristan, c. 1230, The Once and Future King | Guardian of the Holy Grail, Father of Elaine of Corbenic |
Gaheris † | Le Morte d'Arthur , The Once and Future King | Son of King Lot and Morgause, brother to Gawain, Agravaine, and Gareth, and half-brother to Mordred | ||
Galahad † | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | Lancelot-Grail, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur , The Once and Future King | Illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic | |
Galehault † | Galehalt, Galehaut | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | Former enemy of Arthur who becomes close friends with Lancelot | |
Galeschin † | Galeshin | Vulgate Cycle | Son of Elaine of Garlot and King Nentres, nephew of Arthur | |
Gareth † | Beaumains | Le Morte d'Arthur , Idylls of the King , The Once and Future King | Also a son of 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 , The Once and Future King, many short Middle English romances | Another son of Lot and Morgause, father of Gingalain |
Geneir Gwystyl | One of King Arthur's knights in the Welsh Arthurian legend [1] | |||
Geraint † | Geraint and Enid | Enid's lover | ||
Gingalain † | Guinglain, Gingalin, Gliglois, Wigalois, Le Bel Inconnu, Libeaus Desconus [2] | Le Bel Inconnu | Gawain's and Blanchemal's son | |
Gorlois † | (Old Welsh: Gwrlais) | Historia Regum Britanniae | Igraine's first husband before she married Uther Pendragon, father of Morgause and Morgan le Fay. | |
Gornemant | Erec and Enide , c. 1170 | Perceval, the Story of the Grail | Percival's mentor | |
Guiron le Courtois | Palamedes , 1235–1240 | Palamedes, Guiron Compilation | Companion of Meliodas | |
Green Knight, The | Bercilak, Bertilak, Bernlak, Bredbeddle | Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , 1300s | The Greene Knight , King Arthur and King Cornwall | A knight enchanted by Morgan le Fay in order to test Gawain |
Griflet † | Girflet, Jaufre | Jaufré | The son of Do (or Don), cousin to Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere | |
Gringolet | (Welsh: Gwyn Calet, Ceincaled) | Erec and Enide , c. 1170 | Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | Gawain's horse |
Guinevak | Gwenhwyvach | Culhwch and Olwen , c. 11th century | Welsh Triads, Misfortunes of Elphin | Guinevere's half-sister |
(Queen) Guinevere | (Welsh: Gwenhwyfar), (Latin: Guanhumara) | Culhwch and Olwen , c. 11th century | Many | High Queen of Britain, wife of King Arthur, famous for her affair with Lancelot |
Gwyn ap Nudd | Culhwch and Olwen , c. 11th century | One of Arthur's knights. Brother of Edern ap Nudd, rival of Gwythyr ap Greidawl, lover of Creiddylad | ||
Hector de Maris † | Ector de Maris | Quest du Saint Graal, Vulgate Cycle, The Once and Future King | Half-brother of Lancelot, son of King Ban and the Lady de Maris, Sir Bors and Sir Lionel are his cousins | |
Hengest | Hengist | The Ecclesiastical History of the English People , 721 | Historia Regum Britanniae | An Anglo-Saxon king killed by Uther Pendragon, Horsa's brother |
Hueil mab Caw | Huail | Culhwch and Olwen , c. 1110 | Vita Gildae , Welsh Triads | A Pictish plunderer and chieftain, killed by Arthur, brother to Saint Gildas |
Hoel † | (Welsh: Howel, Hywel) | The Dream of Rhonabwy , Geraint and Enid | Son of King Budic of Brittany, father to St. Tudwal | |
Horsa | The Ecclesiastical History of the English People , 721 | Anglo-Saxon Chronicle | Brother to Hengest | |
Igraine | (Latin: Igerna), (Welsh: Eigyr), (French Igerne), Ygrayne, Arnive. | Historia Regum Britanniae , c. 1136 | Vulgate Merlin , Le Morte d'Arthur , The Once and Future King | Mother to King Arthur through an affair with Uther Pendragon, mother of Morgause and Morgan le Fay through her first husband Gorlois |
Iseult of Ireland | Isolde, Yseult, Isode, Isoude, Isotta | Tristan and Iseult | Wife of Mark of Cornwall and adulterous lover of Sir Tristan | |
(Queen) Iseult | Isolde, Yseult, Isode, Isoude, Isotta | Tristan and Iseult | Iseult of Ireland's mother | |
Iseult of the White Hands | Isolde, Yseult, Isode, Isoude, Isotta | Tristan and Iseult | Daughter of Hoel of Brittany, sister of Sir Kahedin, and wife of Tristan | |
Joseph of Arimathea | Joseph d'Arimathie , 12th century | First keeper of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend | ||
Josephus of Arimathea | Josephe, Josephes | Lancelot-Grail cycle, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Prose Tristan, Le Morte D'Arthur | Son of Joseph of Arimathea | |
Kay † | (Welsh: Cai), (Latin: Caius) | Pa Gur yv y porthaur, 10th century | Many | Foster brother to Arthur, Sir Ector's son |
Kahedin | Kahadin, Kahedrin, Kehenis, Kehidius, possibly (Welsh: Kae Hir) | Roman de Tristan | Prose Tristan, Le Morte D'Arthur | Brother to Iseult, son of King Hoel, had an affair with Brangaine |
Lady of the Lake | Nimue, Viviane, Niniane, Nyneve | Unclear; a water fay is first mentioned as Lancelot's foster mother in Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart , 1170s | Many | There are several related characters called the Lady of the Lake—their actions include giving Arthur his sword Excalibur, raising Lancelot and his cousins as foster children, enchanting Merlin, and taking the dying king to Avalon |
Lamorak † | Prose Tristan, c. 1235 | Lancelot-Grail Cycle, The Once and Future King | 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, The Once and Future King , many others | Son to King Ban and Elaine, most famous for his affair with Queen Guinevere, Arthur's wife, most prominent Knight of the Round Table |
Lanval † | Landevale, Launfal, Lambewell | Lanval , late 12th century | Sir Landevale, Sir Launfal , Sir Lambewell | A knight of King Arthur's court who falls in love with a fairy |
Laudine | Lady of the Fountain | Yvain, the Knight of the Lion , 1170s | Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain , Iwein | Sir Ywain's wife |
Leodegrance † | Leondegrance, Leodegraunce | Guinevere's father, King of Cameliard in what is now southwest England | ||
Lionel † | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century; The Once and Future King | Son of King Bors of Gaunnes (or Gaul), brother of Bors the Younger | ||
Lohengrin | Loherangrin, Lorengel | Parzival , early 13th century | Parzival, Lohengrin, Lorengel, Richard Wagner's Lohengrin | A knight of the Holy Grail, son of Percival |
Loholt | Possibly Llacheu (similar character in Welsh sources) | Welsh Triads | Perlesvaus , Vulgate Cycle (as Loholt) | Illegitimate son of Arthur |
Lot | Loth | Historia Regum Britanniae , c. 1136 | Le Morte d'Arthur , The Once and Future King | King of Lothian, father to Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, and Gareth |
Lucan † | Sir Lucan the Butler | Le Morte d'Arthur | Servant to King Arthur, Bedivere's brother, Griflet's cousin | |
Lucius | Lucius Tiberius, Lucius Hiberius | Historia Regum Britanniae , c. 1136 | Alliterative Morte Arthure , Le Morte d'Arthur , | A fictional Roman Emperor and antagonist to Arthur |
Lunete | (Welsh: Luned), (French: Lunete, Lunet) | Yvain, the Knight of the Lion , 1170s | Handmaiden and advisor to Laudine | |
Lynette | Le Morte d'Arthur , c. 1470 | Idylls of the King | Seeks aid from Arthur to rescue her sister Lyonesse, Arthur sends an incognito Gareth, who she berates until he proves his worth | |
Lyonesse | Le Morte d'Arthur , c. 1470 | Idylls of the King | Entrapped sister of Lynette, rescued by Gareth, whom she eventually marries | |
Llamrei | Culhwch and Olwen, 11th century | Culhwch and Olwen , 11th century | Llamrei was a mare owned by King Arthur | |
Mabon ap Modron | Culhwch and Olwen , 11th century | Welsh Triads | Son of Modron, kidnapped at birth, rescued by Culhwch | |
Madoc | Madawg | Book of Taliesin | Stanzas of the Graves | Son of Uther Pendragon, brother of Arthur in early Welsh tradition, father of Eliwlod |
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 |
Manawydan fab Llyr | Manawyddan | The Mabinogion | Culhwch and Olwen (circa 1100) | Originally a British god; appeared as a knight of Arthur's in Culhwch and Olwen |
Mark of Cornwall | (Latin: Marcus Cunomorus), (Cornish: Margh), (Welsh: March) | Possibly based on a historical figure from the 6th century | Post-Vulgate Cycle, Prose Tristan, Le Morte d'Arthur , Palamedes , The Once and Future King | Tristan's uncle, husband to Iseult |
Meirchion | Tristan and Iseult | Father to Mark of Cornwall | ||
Melehan | Historia Regum Britanniae , c. 1136 | Elder son of Mordred | ||
Meliodas | Meliadus | Prose Tristan | Le Morte d'Arthur | Father to Tristan, Tristan's father was named Rivalen in earlier versions |
Menw ap Tairgwaedd | Culhwch and Olwen c. 1100 | Welsh Triads | Enchanter, member of Arthur's retinue | |
Merlin | (Welsh: Myrddin), Myrddin Emrys, Merlin Ambrosius, Merlyn | Historia Regum Britanniae , c. 1136, but derived from earlier Welsh tales | Many | Wizard, guide to King Arthur |
Modron | Culhwch and Olwen , Welsh Triads, 11th century | Welsh Triads | Mother of Mabon, in another folktale, she is the mother of Owain (Ywain) and Morvydd by Urien, Possible source for Morgan le Fay | |
Mordred † | Modred, (Welsh: Medrawd, Latin: Medraut) | Annales Cambriae , c. 970 | Many | In some literature, Arthur's illegitimate son through Morgause (or Morgan le Fay), kills and is killed by Arthur |
Morgan le Fay | Morgaine, Morgain, Morgana | Unclear; first mention as Morgan in Vita Merlini, c. 1150 | Many | Sorceress, half-sister and sometime antagonist of Arthur, and (in some traditions) mother of Mordred |
Morgause | Anna | Historia Regum Britanniae , c. 1136 | The Once and Future King , many others | Arthur's half-sister, wife to King Lot, mother to Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris, and Gareth, and in some traditions, also the mother of Mordred |
Morgan Tud | Geraint ac Enid | Head physician of Arthur's court | ||
Morholt † | Marhalt, Morold, Marhaus | Tristan , 12th century | Tristan poems, Prose Tristan, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur | Irish knight, rival of Tristan, uncle of Iseult |
Morien † | Moriaen | Morien , 13th century | Half-Moorish son of Aglovale | |
Morvydd | Welsh Triads, Culhwch and Olwen | Owain's twin sister | ||
Nimue | see Lady of the Lake | |||
Oberon | Auberon, King of Shadows and Fairies | King of the Fairies, sometimes identified as a son of Morgan le Fay | ||
Olwen | Culhwch and Olwen , c. 11th century | Daughter of Ysbaddaden, beloved of Culhwch | ||
Orgeluse | Haughty Maiden of Logres | Perceval, the Story of the Grail , c. 1181 | A wife of Gawain | |
Owain † | see Ywain | Historical figure | Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain | Son of Urien |
Palamedes † | Palamede, Palomides | Prose Tristan, 1230s, Le Morte D'Arthur | The Once and Future King | Saracen Knight of the Round Table |
Parcenet | The Story of King Arthur and His Knights | A maid from Queen Ettarre's court who helps Sir Pelleas | ||
Pellam | King Pellam of Listeneise, Pellehan | see Fisher King | ||
Pelleas † | Pellias | Post-Vulgate Cycle, 1230s | Le Morte d'Arthur , Idylls of the King | A Knight of the Round table in love with Ettarre, later lover of Nimue |
Pelles | see Fisher King | |||
Pellinore † | Lancelot-Grail, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur , The Once and Future King | King of Listenoise, friend to Arthur, father to many | ||
Penpingion [3] | Culhwch ac Olwen , Geraint fab Erbin | A comic character; one of the gatekeepers at Arthur's court, subservient to Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr. [3] Killed in the hunt for Twrch Trwyth. [4] | ||
Petitcrieu | Petitcreiu, Petitcru, Pticru | Tristan , 12th century | Tristan and Iseult | A magical dog of Tristan and Iseult |
Percival † | (Welsh: Peredur) Perceval, Parzifal | 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 |
Questing Beast | Beste Glatisant (Barking Beast) | Perlesvaus , c. 1210 | Gerbert's Continuation of Perceval, the Story of the Grail , Post Vulgate Suite du Merlin, Prose Tristan, Le Morte d'Arthur | A strange beast quested after by many knights associated with Pellinore and Palamedes |
(Lady) Ragnell | Sir Gawain's wife, in some legends mother of Percival | |||
Red Knight | Perceval, the Story of the Grail , c. 1181 | Le Morte d'Arthur | Appears in many tales, usually as an antagonist | |
Rience | Ritho, Ryence, Ryons, and Rion | Historia Regum Britanniae , c. 1136 | Lancelot-Grail, Post Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur | King defeated by Arthur |
Safir † | Le Morte d'Arthur , Prose Tristan | Son to 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 | |
Segurant | Sigurant, Seguarant, Sigurant | Segurant, the Knight of the Dragon, late 13th century. | Prophecies of Merlin | Knight of the Isle of Not-Knowing, son of Hector the Brown, Dragon slayer, |
Segwarides † | Le Morte d'Arthur , Prose Tristan | Son of Esclabor, brother of Safir and Palamedes | ||
Taliesin | Historical figure | The Welsh Triads, Story of Taliesin, Alfred, Idylls of the King | Bard to King Arthur, oldest known Welsh poet | |
Tom a Lincoln † | The Red Rose Knight | Tom a Lincoln part 1, 1599; possibly mentioned in Robert Greene's Farewell to Folly, 1591 | Illegitimate son of King Arthur through Angelica | |
Tom Thumb | Discovery of Witchcraft | The History of Tom Thumb, Tom Thumb, The Tragedy of Tragedies | A tiny creation of Merlin, later becomes Arthur's court dwarf and an honorary knight | |
Tor † | Le Morte d'Arthur | Son of King Ars, adopted by Pellinore | ||
Tristan † | (Latin/Brythonic: Drustanus), (Welsh: Drystan), (Portuguese: Tristão), (Spanish: Tristán), Tristran, Tristram | Roman de Tristan | "Roman de Tristan", the two "Folies Tristans", "Chevrefeuil", Prose Tristan, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur | Son of Blancheflor and Rivalen (or Meliodas), Iseult's lover |
Urien † | Uriens | Historical figure | Welsh Triads | Father of Ywain (Owain mab Urien), husband of Morgan le Fay |
Uther Pendragon | (French: Uter Pendragon), (Welsh: Wthyr Bendragon, Uthr Bendragon, Uthyr Pendraeg) | Pa Gur yv y Porthaur?, c. 10th century | Historia Regum Britanniae , c. 1136; Welsh Triads; The Once and Future King | Arthur's father |
Vortigern | (Latin: Urtigernus), Guorthigirn, Vortiger, Vortigen, Gwrtheyrn | Probably a historical figure, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People , 721 | King of Britain whose decisions assisted the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain | |
Vortimer | Historia Brittonum , c. 820 | Son of Vortigern | ||
Ysbaddaden | Culhwch and Olwen , c. 11th century | A giant and antagonist | ||
Ywain † | (Welsh: Owain), Yvain, Ewain, Uwain | Based on the historical figure Owain mab Urien | Historia Brittonum , Yvain, the Knight of the Lion | Urien's son, Morvydd's brother |
Ywain the Bastard † | Ywain the Adventurous | Urien's illegitimate son through a seneschal, accidentally killed by Gawain |
King Arthur, according to legends, was a king of Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
The Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status, unlike conventional rectangular tables where participants order themselves according to rank. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of Arthur's fabulous retinue. The symbolism of the Round Table developed over time; by the close of the 12th century, it had come to represent the chivalric order associated with Arthur's court, the Knights of the Round Table.
Guinevere, also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First mentioned in popular literature in the early 12th century, nearly 700 years after the purported times of Arthur, Guinevere has since been portrayed as everything from a fatally flawed, villainous, and opportunistic traitor to a noble and virtuous lady. Many records of the legend also feature the variably recounted story of her abduction and rescue as a major part of the tale.
Gawain, also known in many other forms and spellings, is a character in Arthurian legend, in which he is King Arthur's nephew and one of the premier Knights of the Round Table. The prototype of Gawain is mentioned under the name Gwalchmei in the earliest Welsh sources. He has subsequently appeared in many Arthurian tales in Welsh, Latin, French, English, Scottish, Dutch, German, Spanish, and Italian, notably as the protagonist of the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Other works featuring Gawain as their central character include De Ortu Waluuanii, Diu Crône, Ywain and Gawain, Golagros and Gawane, Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle, L'âtre périlleux, La Mule sans frein, La Vengeance Raguidel, Le Chevalier à l'épée, Le Livre d'Artus, The Awntyrs off Arthure, The Greene Knight, and The Weddynge of Syr Gawen and Dame Ragnell.
Lancelot du Lac, alternatively written as Launcelot and other variants, is a popular character in Arthurian legend's chivalric romance tradition. He is typically depicted as King Arthur's close companion and one of the greatest Knights of the Round Table, as well as a secret lover of Arthur's wife, Guinevere.
Galahad, sometimes referred to as Galeas or Galath, among other versions of his name, is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot du Lac and Lady Elaine of Corbenic and is renowned for his gallantry and purity as the most perfect of all knights. Emerging quite late in the medieval Arthurian tradition, Sir Galahad first appears in the Lancelot–Grail cycle, and his story is taken up in later works, such as the Post-Vulgate Cycle, and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. In Arthurian literature, he replaced Percival as the hero in the quest for the Holy Grail.
The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. The 12th-century writer Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae is a central component of the Matter of Britain.
The Knights of the Round Table 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.
Bedivere is one of the earliest characters to be featured in the legend of King Arthur, originally described in several Welsh texts as the one-handed great warrior named Bedwyr Bedrydant. Arthurian chivalric romances, inspired by his portrayal in the chronicle Historia Regum Britanniae, portray Bedivere as a Knight of the Round Table of King Arthur who serves as Arthur's marshal and is frequently associated with his brother Lucan and his cousin Griflet as well as with Kay. In the English versions, Bedivere notably assumes Griflet's hitherto traditional role from French romances as the one who eventually returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake after Arthur's last battle.
Le Morte d'Arthur is a 15th-century Middle English prose reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table, along with their respective folklore. In order to tell a "complete" story of Arthur from his conception to his death, Malory compiled, rearranged, interpreted and modified material from various French and English sources. Today, this is one of the best-known works of Arthurian literature. Many authors since the 19th-century revival of the legend have used Malory as their principal source.
Percival, alternatively called Peredur, is a figure in the legend of King Arthur, often appearing as one of the Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Troyes in the tale Perceval, the Story of the Grail, he is best known for being the original hero in the quest for the Grail before being replaced in later literature by Galahad.
Red Knight is a title borne by several characters in Arthurian legend.
The Lancelot-Grail Cycle, also known as the Vulgate Cycle or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is an early 13th-century French Arthurian literary cycle consisting of interconnected prose episodes of chivalric romance originally written in Old French. The work of unknown authorship, presenting itself as a chronicle of actual events, retells the legend of King Arthur by focusing on the love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere, the religious quest for the Holy Grail, and the life of Merlin. The highly influential cycle expands on Robert de Boron's "Little Grail Cycle" and the works of Chrétien de Troyes, previously unrelated to each other, by supplementing them with additional details and side stories, as well as lengthy continuations, while tying the entire narrative together into a coherent single tale. Its alternate titles include Philippe Walter's 21st-century edition Le Livre du Graal.
In Arthurian legend, Ywain, also known as Yvain and Owain among other spellings, is a Knight of the Round Table. Tradition often portrays him as the son of King Urien of Gorre and of either the enchantress Modron or the sorceress Morgan le Fay. The historical Owain mab Urien, the basis of the literary character, ruled as the king of Rheged in Britain during the late-6th century.
The Brut or Roman de Brut by the poet Wace is a loose and expanded translation in almost 15,000 lines of Norman-French verse of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin History of the Kings of Britain. It was formerly known as the Brut d'Engleterre or Roman des Rois d'Angleterre, though Wace's own name for it was the Geste des Bretons, or Deeds of the Britons. Its genre is equivocal, being more than a chronicle but not quite a fully-fledged romance.
Balinthe Savage, also known as the Knight with the Two Swords, is a character in the Arthurian legend. Like Galahad, Balin is a late addition to the medieval Arthurian world. His story, as told by Thomas Malory in Le Morte d'Arthur, is based upon that told in the continuation of the second book of the Post-Vulgate cycle of legend, the Suite du Merlin.
Brunor, Breunor, Branor or Brunoro are various forms of a name given to several different characters in the works of the Tristan tradition of Arthurian legend. They include Knight of the Round Table known as Brunor/Breunor le Noir, as well as his father and others, among them another former knight of Uther's old Round Table and the father of Galehaut.
Galehaut is a half-giant knight and sovereign prince in Arthurian legend. He is most prominent within the Lancelot-Grail prose cycle where he is a noble enemy turned an ally of King Arthur as well as an inseparable friend of Arthur's champion Lancelot. The figure of Galehaut should not be mistaken with Lancelot's son, Galahad, and some other similarly named characters.
Gwenddydd, also known as Gwendydd and Ganieda, is a character from Welsh legend. She first appears in the early Welsh poems like the Dialogue of Myrddin and Gwenddydd and in the 12th-century Latin Vita Merlini by Geoffrey of Monmouth, where she is represented as being a figure in the Old North of Britain, the sister of Myrddin or Merlin, and a prophet in her own right. Geoffrey also makes her the wife of the northern king Rhydderch Hael. She was remembered in Welsh traditions recorded in the 16th century by Elis Gruffydd, and even as late as the 18th century. Since the late 19th century she has occasionally appeared as Merlin's sister or lover in Arthurian fiction, poetry and drama by writers such as Laurence Binyon, John Cowper Powys, John Arden, Margaretta D'Arcy and Stephen R. Lawhead.
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