PERCIVALE & LANCELOT: KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE

Lancelot by Chrétien de Troyes

Today, The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Intermediate Language Practice manual (Chapter 48). 

It's a hard day for The Grandma after listening the latest news that arrive from Genoa, a city that she adores. She wants to send her support to all Genovese population in these terrible moments, especially to these heroes who never rest and they are always ready to help: the emergency services. They are our modern heroes without any kind of doubt.

More information: Capital Letters & Punctuation

In the Arthurian Cycle, there are some characters, considered heroes, who have their own stories that help to create the whole cycle. Two of them are Lancelot and Percival. 

Sir Lancelot du Lac, meaning Lancelot of the Lake, alternatively also written as Launcelot and other spellings, is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He typically features as King Arthur's greatest companion, the lord of Joyous Gard and the greatest swordsman and jouster of the age, until his adulterous affair with Queen Guinevere is discovered, causing a civil war exploited by Mordred which brings about the end of Arthur's kingdom.

More information: King Arthur's Knights

His first appearance as a main character is in Chrétien de Troyes' Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, written in the 12th century. Later, his exploits were expanded upon in the Prose Lancelot, which was further expanded upon for the Lancelot-Grail cycle. His and Lady Elaine's son, Galahad, also becomes a famed knight.

Lancelot of the Lake

It was suggested that Lancelot is related to either the character Llenlleawg the Irishman from Culhwch and Olwen, or the Welsh hero Llwch Llawwynnauc, probably a version of the euhemerized Irish deity Lugh Lonbemnech, possibly via a now-forgotten epithet like Lamhcalad.

Traditional scholars thought that they are the same figure due to the fact that their names are similar and that they both wield a sword and fight for a cauldron in Preiddeu Annwn and Culhwch.

Modern scholars are less certain. The name may have been an invention by Chrétien de Troyes, given the manuscript evidence of L'Ancelot, since ancelot means servant. Another suggestion is that the name may have been derived from Geoffrey of Monmouth's Anguselaus. However, one scholar has suggested that Lancelot may be a variant of the name Lancelin.

More information: Britannica

Lancelot or Lancelin may instead have been the hero of an independent folk tale which had contact with and was ultimately absorbed into the Arthurian tradition. 

The theft of an infant by a water fairy, the appearance of the hero at a tournament on three consecutive days in three different disguises, and the rescue of a queen or princess from an Otherworld prison are all features of a well-known and widespread tale, variants of which are found in almost every land and numerous examples of which have been collected by Theodore Hersart de la Villemarqué in his Barzaz Breiz, by Emmanuel Cosquin in his Contes Lorrains, and by John Francis Campbell in his Tales of the West Highlands.  

Lancelot of the Lake

The character Lancelot is first introduced by writer Chrétien de Troyes in the 12th century. In Chrétien's earliest known work Erec and Enide, the name Lancelot appears as third on a list of knights at King Arthur's court.

The fact that Lancelot's name follows Gawain and Erec indicates the presumed importance of the knight at court, even though he did not figure prominently in Chrétien's tale. Lancelot reappears in Chrétien's Cligès. Here, Lancelot takes a more important role as one of the knights that Cligès must overcome in his quest.

It is not until Chrétien's Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, Le Chevalier de la Charrette, however, that Lancelot becomes the protagonist. It is also Chrétien who first gives Lancelot the name Lancelot du Lac, Lancelot of the Lake, which was later picked up by the French authors of the Lancelot-Grail and then by Thomas Malory. 

Download Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart by Chrétien de Troyes

He is presented as the most formidable knight at King Arthur's court, the bravest of knights and one whom everyone is forced to describe as uniquely perfect: his deeds are recounted for their uniqueness, not only among living knights but of all men who have ever lived.

However, this supposed saint-like perfection stands at stark contrast with his adulterous relationship with King Arthur's wife Queen Guinevere, which motif has been also introduced in this text. Their affair can be seen as parallel to that of Tristram and Iseult, with him ultimately identified with the tragedy of chance and human failing that is responsible for the downfall of the Round Table.

Percival is one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. First made famous by the French author Chrétien de Troyes, in the tale Perceval, the Story of the Grail, his story was allotted to the fictional figure of Peredur son of Efwc in the Welsh adaptation of Chrétien's tale titled Peredur, Son of Efrawg. He is most well known for being the original hero in the quest for the Grail before being replaced in later literature by Galahad.

Percival

Chrétien de Troyes wrote the first story of Percival, Perceval, the Story of the Grail in the late 12th century. Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, and the now-lost Perceval of Robert de Boron are other famous accounts of his adventures.

There are many versions of Perceval's birth. In Robert de Boron's account Saint Graal, he is of noble birth; his father is stated to be either Alain le Gros, King Pellinore or another worthy knight. His mother is usually unnamed but plays a significant role in the stories. His sister is the bearer of the Holy Grail; she is sometimes named Dindrane. In tales where he is Pellinore's son, his brothers are Sir Aglovale, Sir Lamorak and Sir Dornar, and by his father's affair with a peasant woman, he also has a half-brother named Sir Tor.

More information: King Arthur's Knights

After the death of his father, Perceval's mother takes him to the forests where she raises him ignorant to the ways of men until the age of 15. Eventually, however, a group of knights passes through his wood, and Perceval is struck by their heroic bearing. Wanting to be a knight himself, the boy leaves home to travel to King Arthur's court. 

In some versions his mother faints in shock upon seeing her son leave. After proving his worthiness as a warrior, he is knighted and invited to join the Knights of the Round Table.

Percival

In the earliest story about him, he is connected to the Grail. In Chrétien's Perceval, he meets the crippled Fisher King and sees a grail, not yet identified as holy, but he fails to ask a question that would have healed the injured king. 

Upon learning of his mistake he vows to find the Grail castle again and fulfill his quest but Chrétien's story breaks off soon after, to be continued in a number of different ways by various authors, such as in Sir Perceval of Galles.

In later accounts, the true Grail hero is Galahad, Lancelot's son. But though his role in the romances had been diminished, Percival remained a major character and was one of only two knights, the other was Sir Bors, who accompanied Galahad to the Grail castle and completed the quest with him.

In early versions, Perceval's sweetheart was Blanchefleur and he became the King of Carbonek after healing the Fisher King, but in later versions he was a virgin who died after achieving the Grail. In Wolfram's version, Perceval's son is Lohengrin, the Knight of the Swan.

More information: Myths and Legends

Maybe he will make thee a Knight of His Round Table

and there is no honor in all the world that can be as great as that!

King Arthur