Knights of the Round Table

The Knights of the Round Table are a group of legendary warriors who served under King Arthur. They first appeared in stories written in French in the middle of the 12th century. These knights were part of a special group called a chivalric order, and their job was to keep peace in Arthur's land. Later, they were also asked to go on a magical quest to find the Holy Grail.

The knights came from many places, not just Great Britain, and some were even from far away outside of Europe. Some were close family members of Arthur, while others were former enemies who became friends. Famous knights include Bedivere, Gawain, Kay, Lancelot, Perceval, and Tristan. One of the most well-known stories is about Galahad, who took over the quest for the Holy Grail in later tales.

The earliest written story about these knights is from a book called the Roman de Brut, written by a writer named Wace in 1155. As time went on, many more stories were written about Arthur and his knights, making them famous all over the world. In some of these stories, trouble comes when secrets are revealed, and the knights sometimes have to face hard times together.

Numbers of members

The number of Knights of the Round Table, including King Arthur, changes depending on the story. Some tales say there were only a dozen knights, while others suggest as many as 1,600 — the number of seats at the table. Most stories say there were between 100 and 300 knights, with one seat always left empty.

Famous writers like Thomas Malory in Le Morte d'Arthur mention around 140 or 150 knights. Other stories tell of smaller groups, like 13 or 60 knights, or even larger ones with 250 or more. The number often changes throughout the tales.

Partial lists

Select members

Some of the more famous knights from King Arthur's group are listed here:

Sir Urry list

There are many knights who are not as well known. The story of "The Healing of Sir Urry" in the Winchester Manuscript includes knights like:

• Duke Chalance of Clarence
• Earl Aristance
• Earl of Lambaile
• Earl Ulbawes
• King Anguish of Ireland
• King Claryaunce of Northumberland
• King Nentres of Garlot
• Sir Arrok
• Sir Ascamore
• Sir Barrant le Apres
• Sir Bellenger le Beau
• Sir Belliance le Orgulous
• Sir Blamor de Ganis
• Sir Bleoberis de Ganis
• Sir Bohart le Cure Hardy
• Sir Brandiles
• Sir Bryan de Les Iles
• Sir Cardok
• Sir Claryus of Cleremont
• Sir Clegis
• Sir Clodrus
• Sir Crosselm
• Sir Damas
• Sir Degrave sans Villainy
• Sir Degrevant
• Sir Dinas
• Sir Dinas le Seneschal de Cornwall
• Sir Dodinas le Savage
• Sir Dornar
• Sir Driaunt
• Sir Edward of Orkney
• Sir Epinogris
• Sir Evarist of Faithful Castle
• Sir Fergus
• Sir Florence
• Sir Gahalantyne
• Sir Galahodin
• Sir Galleron of Galway
• Sir Gautere
• Sir Gillimere
• Sir Grommer Grummorson
• Sir Gumret le Petit
• Sir Harry le Fils Lake
• Sir Hebes
• Sir Hebes le Renowne
• Sir Hectymere
• Sir Herminde
• Sir Hervyse de la Forest Savage
• Sir Ironside
• Sir Kay l'Estrange
• Sir Lambegus
• Sir Lamiel
• Sir Lavain
• Sir Lovell
• Sir Mador de la Porte
• Sir Marrok
• 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
• Sir Pertolepe
• Sir Petipace of Winchelsea
• Sir Plaine de Fors
• Sir Plenorius
• Sir Priamus
• Sir Pursuant of Inde
• Sir Reynold
• Sir Sadok
• Sir Selises of the Dolorous Tower
• Sir Sentrail
• Sir Severause le Breuse
• Sir Suppinabiles
• Sir Urry of Hungary
• Sir Villiars the Valiant

Winchester Castle list

The Winchester Round Table shows knights such as Sir Alynore, Sir Bedwere, Sir Blubrys, Sir Bors Deganys, Sir Brumear, Sir Dagonet, Sir Degore, Sir Ectorde Marys, Sir Galahallt, Sir Garethe, Sir Gauen, Sir Kay, Sir Lamorak, Sir Launcelot Deulake, Sir Lacotemale Tayle, Sir Lucane, Sir Libbyus Dysconyus, Sir Lyonell, Sir Mordrede, Sir Plomyde, Sir Pelleus, Sir Percyvale, Sir Safer, and Sir Trystram Delyens. There are 24 knights in total, not including Arthur.

Major knights

See also: Accolon, Agravain, King Arthur, Bagdemagus, Bedivere, Bors, Brunor, Cador, Caradoc, Dagonet, Dinadan, Feirefiz, Gaheris, Galahad, Galehaut, Gareth, Gawain, Geraint, Hoel, Kay (Arthurian legend), Lamorak, Lancelot, Lionel (Arthurian legend), Maleagant, Mordred, Palamedes (Arthurian legend), Pelleas, Pellinore, Perceval, Sagramore, Tristan, Urien, and Yvain

Aglovale

Aglovale is an Arthurian legend character introduced in the Vulgate Lancelot as Agloval de Galis ("of Wales"). He is the eldest legitimate son of King Pellinore of Listenois. Like his father and his brothers, he is a Knight of the Round Table.

In the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate cycles, and Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, he brings his long lost brother Perceval to Camelot to be knighted, having met him by chance in the woods of Wales. In an alternative account in the Livre d'Artus version of the Vulgate Merlin, the young Agloval has almost all of his fifteen brothers killed during the Saxon wars by the forces of King Rions' relative King Agrippa in their attack on his mother's domain. He accompanies Gawain and Sagramore in leading a massive army that defeats the invaders.

Arthur the Less

Arthur the Less or Arthur the Little is an illegitimate son of King Arthur found only in the Post-Vulgate Cycle. After Arthur forces himself on a daughter of a knight named Tanas, he orders the child to be named either Guenevere or Arthur the Less. Having been abandoned and raised by a foster mother, the boy appears at Arthur's court on the eve of the Grail Quest when his arrival is miraculously prophesied at the Round Table. He is knighted by Tristan and soon proves to be superior to even Gawain and Perceval, defeating both of them. However, he is publicly known only as the Unknown Knight, keeping his lineage secret as to not shame his father with the story of his mother's difficult circumstances. Loyal to King Arthur, he fights in the late wars against domestic and foreign enemies, and is one of Galahad's companions during the Grail Quest. After his father's death at Salisbury, Arthur the Less is a candidate for the heir of throne of Logres, however, he obsessively dislikes Lancelot's group, blaming them for the disaster. When soon defeated by Bleoberis in a duel, he curses the entire kingdom in his dying breath.

Bleoberis

Bleoberis de Ganis is a Knight of the Round Table from the land of Ganis, the place name regarded to mean Vannes in Brittany but translated as Gaul by Thomas Malory in his version. His given name may have been derived from that of the 12th-century Welsh storyteller known in French as Bledhericus, Bleheris or Blihis (Blihos) Bliheris (possibly Bledri ap Cydifor), who is mentioned in several texts, including being credited by both Thomas of Britain and Wauchier de Denain as the original source of their early Arthurian poems.

He was first mentioned by Chrétien de Troyes in Erec and Enide as Bliobleheris. He has since appeared by a large number of variations of his name and character in many works, including as Bleobleheris and Bleheris in respectively the First and the Second Continuation of Chrétien's Perceval; as two different characters named Bleheris and Blidoblidas in Mériadeuc; as split between Bleherris and Bleoberiis in Of Arthour and of Merlin; as Bleoris in Henry Lovelich's Merlin; as Bleos von Bliriers in Diu Crône; as Bleriz in Povest' o Tryshchane; as Bliobleherin in the German Chrétien translation Erec; as Bliobleeris in La Vengeance Raguidel; as Blioblieris in Le Bel Inconnu and Wigalois; as Bréri in Tristan by Thomas of Britain; as Briobris in La Tavola Ritonda; as Pleherin in Tristrant; and as Plihopliherî in Parzival.

Brandelis

Brandelis is the name of a number of Arthurian romance characters, including multiple Knights of the Round Table from the French prose tradition. The best known of these characters was originally known as Bran de Lis, a character related to one of the mothers of the illegitimate sons of Gawain. Bran first appears in the First Continuation of Chrétien's Perceval as one of the brothers of the Tent Maiden (Guilorete) of the Castle Lis, the mother of Gawain's son Lionel. After Gawain had slain Bran's father Norroiz and two of his brothers in the previous duels in a long feud, Bran is about to fight him as well, but they are stopped by Arthur and later become friends. This story is retold in The Jeaste of Sir Gawain, where he appears as Brandles, and in the Scottish Golagros and Gawane, where he is called Spinagros. In the Vulgate Cycle, Brandelis de Gales is the father of Floree, mother of Gawain's son Guinglain. In Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, Brandiles is brother of the mother of Gawain's three sons (and later his companions at the Round Table): Gingalin, Lovel, and Florence.

Calogrenant

Calogrenant, sometimes known in English as Colgrevance of Gore, is a knight of the Round Table and cousin to Yvain. He first appears in Yvain, the Knight of the Lion by Chrétien de Troyes.

In Yvain, Calogrenant tells a story to a group of knights and Queen Guinevere about an adventure he had in the forest of Brocéliande, where here was a magic spring that could summon a large storm. Calogrenant reached the spring and summoned the storm, after which a knight named 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.

Claudin

Claudin is the son of the Frankish King Claudas of the Wasteland who appears in several works including the Lancelot-Grail prose cycle, the Prose Tristan, the Post-Vulgate Cycle, and Le Morte d'Arthur. His father, who he fights for, is a major villain during King Arthur's early reign. However, when Claudas eventually loses the war and flees to Rome, Prince Claudin surrenders and defects to Arthur, who makes him a member of the Round Table. During the Grail Quest, Claudin is one of the companions of Bors the Younger, Galahad and Perceval in Corbenic.

Cligès

Cligès is the title hero of Chrétien de Troyes' French poem Cligès (and its foreign versions). There, he is an offspring of Arthur's niece Soredamors and Alexander, a son of the Greek (Byzantine) Emperor. Following his adventures, Cliges eventually marries Fenice, a daughter of the German Emperor, and becomes the Greek Emperor himself.

Dodinel

Dodinel, originally known as Lionel, is a Knight of the Round Table found in a great many works of Arthurian romance. In these, he is 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.

He often bears the epithet le Sauvage, variously translated to English as the Wild, the Wildman, or the Savage (sometimes also as the descriptive "impetuous" or "fierce"). He might have been originally identical with Perceval, which would explain his characteristic epithet 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 in the summer, and as a knight in Arthur's lands in the winter.

Drian

Drian 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. 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.

Elyan

Elyan the White or Helyan le Blanc is son of Bors the Younger in the prose romance tradition of Lancelot-Grail (Vulgate Cycle). His mother, Claire, has tricked Bors into sleeping with her using a magic ring (the only time Bors broke his vow of chastity). Claire is daughter of British king Brandegorre and also half-sister of Sagramore, and their shared mother is daughter of the 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.

Erec

Erec, the son of King Lac, is most famous as the protagonist in Chrétien de Troyes' first romance, Erec and Enide, later retold in Erec and other versions. Because of Erec and Enide's connection to the Welsh 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, the name of several of Arthur's warriors and relatives in the different early Welsh tales (possibly the prototype of Gaheris and consequently also of 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.

Esclabor

Esclabor the Unknown is a wandering Saracen king from a vaguely Middle Eastern land, usually either Babylon (in today's Iraq) or Galilee (in today's Israel). He is the father of Palamedes, Safir, and 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.

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, 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 de Karaheu

Gaheris de Karaheu is one of the minor Knights of the Round Table and brother of Mador de la Porte in the Vulgate Cycle and the derived works. His most prominent role, including the manner of his death, might have been inspired by the purportedly historical account of the fatal poisoning of the Gawain-prototype Walwen as told in 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.

Galehodin

Galehodin le Gallois is Galehaut's nephew and godson, and his designated successor as the King of Sorelois. Galehodin is introduced in the Prose Lancelot as the young grandson of the King of Norgales (North Wales). There he is the lord of the town and castle of Pennin (Peningue), and desires to follow the great hero Lancelot so he can learn from him. He is described as one of the tallest knights in the world, using a plain white shield with no identification symbols. Together with Mordred and Mador, he easily triumphs over the men of Gorre in a tournament against King 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.

Galeschin

Galeschin is the son of King Arthur's half-sister Queen Elaine and King Nentres of Garlot. He first appears in the story of the Dolorous Tower in the Vulgate Cycle, in which he and his cousin Yvain attempt to rescue their other cousin Gawain from the wicked lord Carados; both are taken captive as well, but the trio are eventually rescued by Lancelot. Though mentioned in a few other stories, his role is ultimately minor.

Gingalain

Gingalain is the eponymous hero of the Fair Unknown literary cycle of French, English, and German romances in verse. There, the young knight, initially known only as the Fair Unknown, is eventually revealed as son of Gawain and a fairy. His name is rendered Gingelein in the Middle English version Libeaus Desconus. The prose romance Hystoire de Giglan et de Geoffroy de Maience mixes his story with that of Griflet as told in Jaufre.

He also appears as a minor character in the prose compilation Le Morte d'Arthur. There, Sir Gingalin is killed by Lancelot along with his brothers Florence and Lovell after Mordred and Agravain expose Lancelot's affair with Guinevere.

Gornemant

Gornemant de Gohort is the knight best known as Perceval'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 an uncle of Blanchefleur, whom Perceval 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 Perceval but he declines to marry her.

Griflet

Griflet is a ubiquitous character in Arthurian legend, where he was one of the first Knights of the Round Table. He is first found in Chrétien de Troyes' 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. 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 fieus Do in Perceval ou le Conte du Graal, Li Biaus Descouneüs, and Libeaus Desconus; Giflet le fils de Do in Le Bel Inconnu; Giflet fis Do in Sir Gawain and the Lady of Lys; Girflet (Giflet, Giflez, Giftet, Girfles, Gyfles, Gyflet, Gyrflet) le (li) fils (filz) Do (Doon, Dos) in the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate prose cycles; Girfles (Girlflet, Girflez) li filz Do in the Prose Tristan; Girflez le fils 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. Further texts featuring him include Hunbaut, La Vengeance Raguidel, and the First and Fourth Continuations of Perceval.

Hector de Maris

Hector de Maris is the younger half-brother of Lancelot; 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 told in the Vulgate Merlin, Hector is an illegitimate son of King Ban of Benoic (in today's France), who, magically helped by Merlin, fathered him with the Lady de Maris. He is raised by his maternal grandfather Agravadain the Black, lord of the Castle of the Fens. In the Vulgate Lancelot, Hector fights against the Saxons and saves his relative Elaine the Peerless. He is successful at tournaments, prevailing against such esteemed knights as Palomedes and Perceval. Hector is, however, one of the knights defeated and imprisoned by Turquine before being rescued by his brother Lancelot; he later returns the favour by finding the lost Knight of the Lake after Lancelot's period of insanity and returning him to the court. During the time when Lancelot is missing, Hector is one of the best knights of Arthur, second only to Bors, as ranked by King Bagdemagus asked by Arthur. Hector has a long relationship with Lady Perse of the Narrow Borderland after saving her from a forced marriage; he also has an affair with a cousin of the Lady of Roestoc prior to reuniting with Perse. In the Post-Vulgate Queste, his friendship with Gawain turns into the hatred following Gawain's killing of Erec. Hector participates in the great Grail Quest, during which his companions besides Gawain include Arthur the Less and Meraugis. Like most others, Hector is proven unworthy of achieving the sacred relic. Nevertheless, he helps the Grail hero Galahad to destroy the Castle of Treachery, and the appearance of the Grail revives him and Perceval after the two mortally wounded each other. In the Mort Artu (and Le Morte d'Arthur), when Lancelot is caught in his affair with Guinevere, Hector stands by his half-brother and leaves court with him. He becomes one of the top leaders of Lancelot's faction, participating in the battle to rescue the queen at her would-be execution and the subsequent defence of Lancelot's castle 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 of a Hundred Knights

The King of (or with) a (or 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. One of these is Malaguin 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 li Aspres in the Prose Tristan, while Le Morte d'Arthur calls him as Sir Barant le Apres. Some texts, such as Palamedes, do not give him a proper name.

His first known appearance is possibly as Ritschart in Lanzelet, who is mentioned as having a hundred knights and is aided by Lancelot against King Lot, followed by that of Margon in the Third Continuation of Perceval, the Story of the Grail. His first major role as the "King of a Hundred Knights" is found in the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate versions of Merlin continuations, in which he is introduced as one of the chief rebels against King Arthur in the 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.

Lac

King Lac is the father of the Round Table member Erec, was introduced in Chrétien de Troyes' Erec and Enide and its variants. His counterpart in the Welsh Geraint and Enid is named Erbin. King Lac is himself a Knight of the Round Table in the Guiron le Courteous part of Palamedes, and Thomas Malory retained him in this role in his Le Morte d'Arthur as the King of the Lake.

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. That kingdom is variably known as Estre-Gales (probably "Outer Wales", possibly Strathclyde or Striguil), Destrigales in Hartmann von Aue's version, Greater Orkney (Orcanie la Grant) in the Vulgate Cycle, and Black Isles in Palamedes. In his redefinition in the Post-Vulgate Cycle, King Lac is son of Canan, a commoner-born Greek king. The Post-Vulgate Quest of the Holy Grail tells of Lac's poisoning by the sons of his brother, King Dirac, and the young Erec's exile from their kingdom of Saloliqui to Britain following Lac's murder. Here, King Lac's wife (Erec's mother) was the sorceress Crisea (Ocise), the sister of Pelles the Fisher King.

Besides Erec, King Lac's children include a daughter, who appears unnamed in Chrétien's Perceval but is called Jeschute in Parzival. Lac's other sons include Brandelis in Palamedes and in I Due Tristani, and Cligés in the First Continuation of Perceval, who both become Knights of the Round Table in their respective stories.

Lohot

Lohot or Loholt is a character loosely based on the mysterious figure of Llacheu, one of the sons of King Arthur in the original Welsh tradition. Depending on the text, he is either Arthur's legitimate son or an illegitimate one. His story also varies greatly, as does his prominence.

He appears as son of Arthur and his wife Queen Guinevere in some early continental romances. In Perlesvaus, the sleeping Loholt is treacherously murdered by Kay so that the latter can take credit for the slaying of Logrin the giant, and his murder causes Guinevere to die of sorrow. In Lanzelet, Loüt is said to be the most renowned young knight who eventually accompanied Arthur "into a country whence the Bretons still expect both of them evermore" (i.e. Avalon). As son of Arthur named Elinot, he is also referenced as Guinevere's deceased son in Garel by Der Pleier, where he has been killed in the service of his beloved who then herself died of grief. As Illinot, he similarly dies in Parzival, where she is named Florie.

Lucan

Lucan the Butler is a personal servant and court official of King Arthur whose earliest mention is found in Erec and Enide. He and his relatives, in particular his brother Bedivere and cousin Griflet, are among Arthur's earliest allies in the war against the rebel kings and then remain loyal to him throughout his life. 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.

Mador de la Porte

Mador de la Porte is a minor Knight of the Round Table in the late Arthurian prose romances. His epithet "of the Gate" 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.

Melian

Melian is a Knight of the Round Table who has been featured in several chivalric romances since his introduction in Perceval, the Story of the Grail, where he was originally called Melian de Lis by the author Chrétien de Troyes.

Morholt

Morholt of Ireland 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.

Nentres

In Arthurian romance, Nentres of Garlot is a British king of the land of Garlot 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.

Osenain

Osenain is a character often appearing as one (or more) of the knights of the Round Table 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.

Priamus

Priamus is an originally pagan Roman ally of Emperor Lucius in the Alliterative Morte Arthure and in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. Priamus is knight from Tuscany, a right inheritor to the lands of "Alexandria and Africa, and all outer isles", and a descendant of Alexander the Great and Hector of Troy (and also of Judas Maccabeus and Joshua in the Morte Arthure). Upon meeting Gawain (peaceably in the Morte Arthure, in battle in Malory's "The Tale of King Arthur and Emperor Lucius"), Priamus defects from Lucius to join forces with King Arthur and also converts to Christianity. In return, Arthur appoints him as the Duke of Lorraine. Malory's telling also gives him two brothers who too join the Round Table. Priamus is eventually killed by Lancelot at the fight for Guinevere.

Safir

Safir is the youngest son of the Saracen king Esclabor in the Arthurian legend. He appeared in several works of Arthurian literature, including the Prose Tristan and Le Morte d'Arthur; his name was also included on the Winchester Round Table. Two of his brothers, Segwarides and Palamedes, also belong to the Round Table.

Segwarides

Segwarides is a son of the Saracen king Esclabor who becomes a liegeman of King Mark. His other brothers include the fellow Round Table knights Palamedes and Safir.

Tor

Tor appears frequently in Arthurian literature but always in minor roles. In the list of Arthur's prominent knights in Chrétien's Erec and Enide, the father of Tor (called Estorz in Hartmann's Erec) is named as King Ar[e]s. The German Lanzelet features Tor under the name Torfilaret derived from the French "Tor son of Aret". The Roman d'Escanor conflates Tor with Hector, making the latter son of King Ares. Versions of the Prose Tristan feature Tor variably as Hestor le filz Erec (son of Erec) and Tor le filz Arès.

In the Post-Vulgate Cycle and Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, however, Ar[i]es is only Tor's adoptive father, while Tor's natural father is King Pellinore. Tor's many half-siblings thus include Aglovale, Drian, Lamorak, Perceval, and Dindrane. He is born when Pellinore sleeps with his peasant mother (Malory calls her Vayshoure) "half by force", and she marries Aries shortly afterward. Here, Aries is not a king, but a poor cowherd; the young Tor is also raised as a cowherd 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.

Yvain the Bastard

Yvain the Bastard is a son of King Urien of Gore, often confused with his half-brother Yvain, after whom he was named. He is first mentioned as one of Arthur's best knights in Chrétien's Erec and Enide.

While the older Yvain is Urien's legitimate child from his fairy wife Morgan, 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. In the Post-Vulgate Cycle, he is 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.

Yvain of the White Hands

Yvain of the White Hands 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 Iseult of the White Hands and to the "main" Yvain (son of Urien), although Thomas Malory later merged him with the latter. He serves Arthur in the Saxon wars, later participating in the quests to learn the fate of Merlin and to find the missing Lancelot. In Palamedes, he is son of a knight named Darie. In the Prose Tristan, he is injured by 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

The Queen's Knights (Chevaliers de la Reine) are knights who serve King Arthur’s wife Queen Guinevere. They are also called the "Knights of Queen Guinevere" and sometimes the "Valiant Knights of Queen Guinevere." These knights carry plain white shields and often join the queen. They sometimes compete with the experienced Knights of the Round Table. Famous knights like Gawain and Lancelot started as Queen’s Knights before becoming members of the Round Table.

There are also other groups of knights in Arthur’s court. One is the Table of Errant Companions for knights seeking adventures. Another is the Table of Less-Valued Knights for knights with lower rank. Some stories talk about an earlier group called the Grail Table, used by followers of Joseph of Arimathea, who guarded a special item called the Grail. There are also tales about knights from the time of Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s father, and even from times long before Arthur, like the Order of the Franc Palais.