N I G H T B R I N G E R . S E
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KNIGHT
- Knight of Ladies
Chevalier as Dames
An alias adopted by Arthur’s Sir Meriadeuc when traveling incognito.
- Knight of Maidens
- Knight of Maidens
Chevalier as Damoisels
A nickname for Gawain, alluding originally to his reputation as a playboy. However, in the Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin, Gawain adopts the name after he accidentally kills a the maiden lover of Blamoure and swears to help all damsels in distress from then on.
- Knight of Maidens
When Guiron the Courteous first arrived at King Uther Pendragon’s court, he was accompanied by over a dozen young maidens, thus earning himself this nickname.
- Knight of the Bridge
Former ruler of the Dolorous Guard, the castle Lancelot conquered. He may be identical to Brandin of the Isles. His was called the “knight of the bridge” because he guarded a bridge and attacked all Queen’s Knights, for he harbored a hate for Guinevere.
- Knight of the Burning Dragon
A demonic lord who, in Perlesvaus, inhabited the Castle of Giants on the Island of the Elephants. The Knight carried a shield which was possessed by a devil, and which spouted bursts of flame on command. He terrorized Arthur’s lands, and crispened many good knights, including Perceval’s cousin Alain. Perceval sought to avenge the deed. Protected by his own magic shield, Perceval journeyed to the Knight’s castle and defeated him in combat. The Knight’s shield turned on its master and blasted him to cinders. A similar character is called the Knight of the Dragon in the Fourth Continuation of Chrétien’s Perceval.
- Knight of the Cart
- Knight of the Cart
Chevalier de la Charette
A name given to Lancelot during his quest to rescue Guinevere from Meleagant of Gorre. In his haste to rush after the Queen, Lancelot rode his horse to death. Looking around for more transportation, he found a churl who was willing to give him a ride in a cart. Lancelot hesitated briefly and then dove in. Since riding in a cart was considered disgraceful for a knight—such a mode of transportation was reserved for criminals on their way to be hanged—shame followed Lancelot throughout the adventure. First told in Chrétien de Troyes’s Lancelot, versions of this story contained in the Vulgate Lancelot and Malory serve to lessen Lancelot’s humiliation and to make his ride in the cart a clever, pragmatic tactic. In one passage in the Vulgate Lancelot, the title refers to Bors.
- Knight of the Cart
Chevalier del Car
An alias given to Sir Raguidel after his body floated up to Arthur’s court in a cart on a boat.
- Knight of the Castle of Three Roses
This knight died for the love of Florine, Palamedes’s sister.
- Knight of the Dragon
- Knight of the Dragon
An alias for Sir Segurant the Brown, a great knight of Uther’s court, who pursued a dragon throughout his career. He was also sometimes known as the Knight of the Old Table.
- Knight of the Dragon
A fearsome warrior in the Fourth Continuation of Perceval, almost identical to the Knight of the Burning Dragon in Perlesvaus. The Knight of the Dragon ruled a city of pagans in the Islands of the Sea. His name reflected the dragon’s head which was attached to the front of his shield. At the Knight’s command, the head would breathe fire and scorch the Knight’s opponents. In this manner, the Knight killed the lover of the lady Claire. Perceval met Claire and learned the circumstances of her lover’s death. Perceval tracked down the Knight of the Dragon, who was besieging the city of Montesclaire. Mortally wounded in the subsequent combat, the Knight of the Dragon allowed Perceval to baptize him before he died.
- Knight of the Fair Count(r)y
A brother of Arthur, he married the daughter of Earl Cornubas of Wales and was the father of the Great Fool.
- Knight of the Field
A Knight of the Round Table who embarked with the others on the Grail Quest.
- Knight of the Galley(s)
A heathen knight who roamed the sea and murdered Christians. He was killed by Arthur’s Sir Meliot of Logres.
- Knight of the Golden Arms
A designation given to Gawain during a tournament in which he won the Circle of Gold.
- Knight of the Golden Quilt
One of Arthur's knights.
- Knight of the Green Shield
A warrior from the Mores Isles in Perlesvaus. Lancelot helped him expel an invader, the Lord of the Rock, after the Knight's brother, Gladoain, was slain in Lancelot's service. In Palamedes, Brunor the Black is known as this alias.
- Knight of the High Mountain
A knight who participated in a tournament thrown by Arthur at the Castle of Maidens.
- Knight of the Horn
Chevalier au Cor
An Arthurian knight found in two French romances.
- Knight of the Ill-Fitting Coat
A Knight of the Round Table whose true name in some romances is Brunor the Black. It appears that he was the subject of a now lost French romance. A fragment, called Le Vallet à la Cote Mal Tailliée, relates how he arrives at Arthur’s court but is rejected for a place in Arthur’s service. After the Knight departs, Gawain speaks in his favor and sends a courier to bring him back. Given the style of similar romances, including the Knight’s story in the Prose Tristan, we may assume that in the original, the messenger failed to convince the Knight of the Ill-Fitting Coat to return, spurring Arthur to send a group of knights after him. The Knight would have then defeated Arthur’s knights, embarked on a series of adventures, proven his merit, and returned to find an open seat at the Round Table. In any event, he is listed among Arthur’s knights in Renaut de Bâgé’s Le Bel Inconnu, the Second Continuation of Chrétien’s Perceval, and Les Merveilles de Rigomer.
His original story, probably modified, is inserted into the Prose Tristan. We learn from this and other sources that he was the brother of Dinadan and Daniello. We hear in La Tavola Ritonda that he hated Lancelot because Lancelot had slain Daniello. The two knights fought to a draw at the castle Dusbergo.
The Knight of the Ill-Fitting Coat has a chapter in Malory’s book of Tristan, expanded from a shorter version in the Prose Tristan. When he first arrived at Arthur’s court wearing his misshapen coat, Kay scoffed at him. The coat had belonged to Brunor’s murdered father (the Good Knight Without Fear), and Brunor had vowed to wear the coat until his father’s death was avenged. Arthur knighted him, and he soon proved his merit by rescuing Guinevere from a lion that had escaped from the king’s menagerie. Kay humiliated him by arranging for Brunor’s first joust to be with Daguenet, Arthur’s fool.
Responding to the request of Ill-Speaking Maiden, Arthur sent Brunor to avenge the death of a knight in Sorelois. He was miserably defeated in joust against Bleoberis and Palamedes along the way, but it turned out that Brunor only lacked skill in joust. On foot, he slew a dozen knights at the castle Orguellous. He befriended Lancelot (in contrast to Tavola), who rescued him from the Castle Pendragon. Together, they went to Sorelois and defeated six brothers named Playne de Fors, Playne de Amors, Plenorius, Pillounes, Pellogris, and Pellandis, completing the quest. On the return to Camelot, Lancelot evicted Brian of the Isles from the Castle Pendragon and gave the fortress to Brunor. Brunor married the Ill-Speaking Maiden, whose name he changed to Beau Vivant. Arthur eventually promoted him to the Round Table.
- Knight of the Lantern
- Knight of the Lantern
The title of the son of Libearn. This knight was also the son of the King of the Carlachs, who slew the Black Knight, thus suggesting that Libearn was either married to, or had an affair with, the King of the Carlachs. He's probably identical with the Knight of the Lantern below.
- Knight of the Lantern
Step-son of the King of India. To insure that the Knight of the Lantern would inherit the kingdom, his mother enchanted the King’s own sons into the form of dogs. One of these sons, Prince Alexander, was known as the Crop-Eared Dog. The Knight of the Lantern went to Arthur’s court and offended the king, which led Gawain on a quest to avenge the insult. With the Crop-Eared Dog’s assistance, Gawain tracked the Knight of the Lantern down, defeated him, and forced him to restore Alexander to his human form. He's probably identical with the Knight of the Lantern above.
- Knight of the Lion
A name given to Owain, who was usually accompanied by a lion.
- Knight of the Litter
An alias for Lancelot, which he used after he was wounded during his early adventures, but before he knew his real name.
- Knight of the Mill
The name given to Peredur Long Spear when he fought in a tournament before the Empress of Constantinople. Peredur was lodging with a miller at the time.
- Knight of the Old Table
A name by which Segurant the Brown, a knight of the Old Table and Uther's mightiest warrior, was known. He was also sometimes known as the Knight of the Dragon.
- Knight of the Parrot
King Arthur’s alias in the French romance Le Chevalier du Papegau. Arthur adopted the name after winning a magic parrot in a tournament at the Castle Causuel, in which he championed the Lady Without Pride. The parrot was intelligent: it sang, recounted Merlin’s prophecies, and advised Arthur during his adventures. Served by a dwarf, it was kept in a golden, bejeweled cage. Arthur enjoyed several adventures under this pseudonym.
- Knight of the Passage
A knight defeated by Arthur in front of the Fearless Keep in the Kingdom of Damsels. The Knight of the Passage lodged Arthur following his defeat.
- Knight of the Sleeve
Hero of the Dutch romance Ridder metter Mouwen. His mother was a queen, but he was raised in a monastery. During his numerous adventures, in which he overcame knights, giants, and beasts, he carried the sleeve of his paramour, Clarette, on the tip of his lance. He embarked on a successful quest to find his father. He eventually won the right to marry Clarette during a tournament at Arthur’s court. His true name was Miraudijs.
- Knight of the Spring
An alias for Sir Atamas, a knight who guarded the Spring of Healing and was defeated by Palamedes.
- Knight of the Surcoat
The nickname given to Gawain after he was knighted by the Emperor of Rome. Ignorant of his real name during his upbringing, he was first called the Boy with No Name, but was dubbed the Knight of the Surcoat after his fellow knights were surprised to see him wear a tunic over his armor—a custom then unknown in Rome.
- Knight of the Tomb
An adventure encountered by Perceval in the Second Continuation of Chrétien’s Perceval and the Didot-Perceval. Perceval came across a tomb in his quest to hunt a white stag for the lady of Chessboard Castle. The Knight of the Tomb, also known as the Black Knight, who came from the forest of Argonne, lived in the tomb at the behest of his paramour. In the Second Continuation, the Knight of the Tomb emerges and fights with Perceval, is defeated, and must return to the tomb. In the Didot-Perceval, Perceval frees him, and the ungrateful Knight of the Tomb shoves Perceval into the tomb and locks it. However, the Knight of the Tomb, who didn’t have a mount, was unable to get Perceval’s enchanted mule to move. He was forced to release Perceval from the tomb and to resume his place.
During the battle between Perceval and the Knight of the Tomb, Garsallas, the Knight of the Tomb’s half-brother, ran off with Perceval’s hound and the head of a stag Perceval had slain, sending Perceval on a series of quests that prolonged his return to Chessboard Castle.
- Knight of the Tower
An alias for Sir Atamas, who inhabited the Giant’s Tower and was defeated by Palamedes.
- Knight of the Two Swords
The name adopted by Meriadeuc during his early adventures at Arthur’s court. Ignorant of his true name, he was called Handsome Young Man until knighted by Arthur. He received sword froms both Arthur and his future wife, Lady Lore of Cardigan, for which Kay gave him this alias.
- Knight of the Valley
Chevalier de la Vale
An ugly knight defeated in combat by Arthur’s Sir Brandelis.
- Knight of the White Shield
The name assigned to Perceval during the tournament at the Red Land, in which Perceval bore a white shield. See also White Knight.
- Knight of Triple Arms
Chevalier as Armes Trebles
The champion of Rigomer Castle whose real name was Jorans li Febles.
- Knight of Two Shields
Chevalier as Dous Escus
An alias for Sir Beaudous, Gawan’s son, referring to his custom double-shield.
- Knight with the Black Shield
The name given to Sir Tristan at the Castle of Maidens tournament when Tristan would not reveal his own name.
- Knight with the Eagle
A nickname for Sir Wigamur, an Arthurian knight who saved an eagle from a vulture and thus gained a loyal companion.
- Knight with the Lion
In Chrétien’s Yvain and its adaptations, the alias given to Yvain after he rescued a lion from a serpent. The lion became Yvain’s friend and guardian and refused to leave his side. In the Prose Lancelot, this designation is given to Yvain after Sir Lionel gives him the skin of the Crowned Lion of Libya.
- Knight with the Strange Beast
A nickname of King Pellinore, referring to his ceaseless hunt for the elusive Questing Beast.
- Knight with (the) Two Swords
Honorific title given to Balin le Savage.
- Knight-Giant
A character in Le Chevalier du Papegau. He loved the Lady of Estrales. She, in turn, was infatuated with Arthur, called the Knight of the Parrot, and an incensed Knight-Giant swore to bring her Arthur’s dismembered hand. He encountered Arthur in the forest and was mortally wounded after a long battle. Before he died, he apologized to Arthur and gave him his magic breast plate. His brother, the Redoubted Giant of the Sure Keep, tried to avenge his death but failed.
See also
Knights
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