Gareth
Gareth of Orkney is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is the youngest son of King Lot and Queen Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus making him Arthur's nephew, as well as brother to Gawain, Agravain and Gaheris, and either a brother or half-brother of Mordred.
Gareth is particularly notable in Le Morte d'Arthur, where one of its eight books is named after and largely dedicated to a young Gareth, and in which he is also known by his nickname Beaumains. The story tells of his quest on the behalf of the sisters Lynette and Lyonesse, ending in his marriage with the latter.
Arthurian legend
French literature
The earliest role of Gareth, appearing as Guerrehet, is found in the First Continuation of Chrétien de Troyes's Perceval ou le Conte du Graal. As the protagonist of the story's final episode, he slays the giant known as "Little Knight", thus avenging the death of fairy king Brangemuer, son of Guingamuer and the fay Brangepart.Several of his adventures are narrated in the Vulgate Cycle, the Post-Vulgate Cycle, and the Prose Tristan. In the Vulgate Merlin, Gareth and his brothers defect from their father King Lot and take service with King Arthur, participating in the early battles against the Saxon invaders of Britain and in the war against King Claudas on the continent. His death at the hands of Bors during Lancelot's rescue of Guinevere from being burned at the stake is related in the Mort Artu, the final volume of the Vulgate Cycle. The Vulgate Lancelot and the Vulgate Mort Artu, as well as variants of the other prose cycles, differ in their characterisation of Gareth. For instance, he is portrayed as Gawain's most cherished brother in the Vulgate Lancelot, but not in the Vulgate Mort Artu.
''Le Morte d'Arthur''
In Thomas Malory's Arthurian compilation Le Morte d'Arthur, Gareth is a composite character combining the explicitly good aspects of the two similarly named younger brothers of Gawain from the work's French sources, the other of whom became Malory's Gaheris. As the youngest and often most chivalrous of the Orkney princes, Gareth prevents his brothers Gawain and Agravain from killing Gaheris in revenge for the murder of their mother Morgause, condemns his brothers for their killing of Lamorak, and attempts to dissuade Agravain and Mordred from exposing the secret love affair between Lancelot and Arthur's wife, Queen Guinevere.In Malory, there are only two knights that have ever successfully held against Lancelot: Sir Tristan and Gareth. This was always under conditions where one or both parties were unknown to the other, for these knights loved each other "passingly well". Gareth was knighted by Lancelot himself after his adventures with Lynette. Later, Gareth tells Tristan he had parted ways with his brothers Gaheris and Agravain due to their dislike of him and their murderous ways.
Eventually, Lancelot's unintended and brutal killing of his young friend and hero worship follower makes the central event of the final grand tragedy at the end of Malory's tale. In this scene in Book VII, "The Death of Arthur", Gareth arrives unarmed in protest after he is ordered by King Arthur to help guard the execution of Queen Guinevere. Nevertheless, he ends up accidentally killed by the battle-mad Lancelot during the rescue of the queen, along with his brother Gaheris. Gawain refuses to allow Arthur to accept Lancelot's sincere apology for the deaths of his brothers. Lancelot genuinely mourns the death of Gareth, whom he loved closely like a son or younger brother, but Arthur is forced by Gawain's insistence to go to war against Lancelot. This leads to the splitting of the Round Table, Mordred's treachery in trying to seize Guinevere and the throne, Gawain's own death from an unhealed wound he suffered in his duel with Lancelot, and Arthur and Mordred slaying each other in the final battle.
File:Arthur Hughes - Overthrowing of the Rusty Knight.jpg|thumb|Gareth about to free Lyonesse after defeating the Red Knight as depicted in Overthrowing of the Rusty Knight by Arthur Hughes
A young Gareth is notably the hero of Book IV, "The Tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney", Malory's own original story of the Fair Unknown type, which tells how ebecame a knight. It is partially a creative retelling of an episode from the Post-Vulgate Suite de Merlin, which featured a considerably older Gaheriet on his quest to defeat the Red Knights, ending with his knighting.
In the "Tale of Gareth", the teenage hero seeks to prove himself worthy of knighthood through his deeds instead of just his lineage. For this reason, he arrives at Camelot in disguise as a kitchen boy as le bel inconnu, who comes without a name and therefore without a past. He is set to work by Sir Kay, who always gives him difficult work, teases him as a lowly kitchen boy, and mockingly nicknames him "Beaumains" or "Good Hands". Gareth receives much better attention from Sir Lancelot, who gives him gifts of clothes and gold for spending money. After a year passes, Gareth finally embarks on a knightly quest. He goes to the aid of an unknown woman, later revealed to be the Dame Lynette, to save her sister Lyonesse from the Red Knight of the Red Lands. Gareth is accompanied by the dwarf Melot, who knows his true identity. However, Lynette takes Gareth as a mere kitchen boy and constantly derides him. On the way, he defeats Sir Perarde, the terrible Black Knight, and takes his armour and horse. He then meets Sir Pertolope, the Green Knight, who mistakes him for his brother, the Black Knight. Lynette tells the Green Knight that he is a kitchen boy and begs him to rid her of him. Gareth overcomes the Green Knight but spares his life in return for the knight's swearing to serve King Arthur. He then in much the same fashion defeats Sir Perymones, the Puce Knight, and Sir Persaunte, the Indigo Knight, both of whom also swear loyalty to Arthur. Finally, he arrives at Lyonesse's castle, where she is besieged by Sir Ironside, the Red Knight of the Red Lands. Gareth fights him all day and finally prevails, although the Red Knight has the strength of seven men, and intends to slay him just like Ironside had slaughtered all the other knights who came to save the lady Lyonesse. However, the Red Knight explains that he did so because the lady he loved made him swear to kill Lancelot, and the only way to get Lancelot's attention was to first kill these knights. Hearing this, Gareth decides to spare the Red Knight, making him swear to serve Arthur and also go to Camelot and apologise to Lancelot. Lustily in love with Lyonesse, Gareth conspires to consummate their relationship before marrying. Only by the magical intervention of Lynette is their tryst unsuccessful, thus preserving Gareth's virginity and, presumably, his standing with God. Gareth later counsels Lyonesse to report to King Arthur and pretend she does not know where he is; instead, he tells her to announce a tournament of his knights against the Round Table. This allows Gareth to disguise himself and win honour by defeating his brother knights. The heralds eventually acknowledge that he is 'Sir Gareth' right as he defeats his brother Gawain.
| Chapter | Title |
| I | "How Beaumains came to King Arthur's court and demanded three petitions of King Arthur" |
| II | "How Sir Launcelot and Sir Gawaine were wroth because Sir Kay mocked Beaumains, and of a damosel which desired a knight to fight for a lady" |
| III | "How Beaumains desired the battle, and how it was granted to him, and how he desired to be made knight of Sir Launcelot" |
| IV | "How Beaumains departed, and how he gat of Sir Kay a spear and a shield, and how he jousted with Sir Launcelot" |
| V | "How Beaumains told to Sir Launcelot his name, and how he was dubbed knight of Sir Launcelot, and after overtook the damosel" |
| VI | "How Beaumains fought and slew two knights at a passage" |
| VII | "How Beaumains fought with the Knight of the Black Launds, and fought with him till he fell down and died" |
| VIII | "How the brother of the knight that was slain met with Beaumains, and fought with Beaumains till he was yielden" |
| IX | "How the damosel ever rebuked Beaumains, and would not suffer him to sit at her table, but called him kitchen boy" |
| X | "How the damosel ever rebuked Beaumains, and would not suffer him to sit at her table, but called him kitchen boy" |
| XI | "How Sir Beaumains suffered great rebukes of the damosel, and he suffered it patiently" |
| XII | "How Beaumains fought with Sir Persant of Inde, and made him to be yielden" |
| XIII | "Of the goodly communication between Sir Persant and Beaumains, and how he told him that his name was Sir Gareth" |
| XIV | "How the lady that was besieged had word from her sister how she had brought a knight to fight for her, and what battles he had achieved" |
| XV | "How the damosel and Beaumains came to the siege, and came to a sycamore tree, and there Beaumains blew a horn, and then the Knight of the Red Launds came to fight with him" |
| XVI | "How the two knights met together, and of their talking, and how they began their battle" |
| XVII | "How after long fighting Beaumains overcame the knight and would have slain him, but at the request of the lords he saved his life and made him to yield him to the lady" |
| XVIII | "How the knight yielded him, and how Beaumains made him to go unto King Arthur's court, and to cry Sir Launcelot mercy" |
| XIX | "How Beaumains came to the lady, and when he came to the castle the gates were closed against him, and of the words that the lady said to him" |
| XX | "How Sir Beaumains rode after to rescue his dwarf, and came into the castle where he was" |
| XXI | "How Sir Gareth, otherwise called Beaumains, came to the presence of his lady, and how they took acquaintance, and of their love" |
| XXII | "How at night came an armed knight, and fought with Sir Gareth, and he, sort hurt in the thigh, smote off the knight's head" |
| XXIII | "How the said knight came again the next night and was beheaded again, and how at the feast of Pentecost all the knights that Sir Gareth had overcome came and yielded them to King Arthur" |
| XXIV | "How King Arthur pardoned them, and demanded of them where Sir Gareth was" |
| XXV | "How the Queen of Orkney came to this feast of Pentecost, and Sir Gawaine and his brethren came to ask her blessing" |
| XXVI | "How King Arthur sent for the Lady Lionesse, and how she let cry a tourney at her castle, whereas came many knights" |
| XXVII | "How King Arthur went to the tournament with his knights, and how the lady received him worshipfully, and how the knights encountered" |
| XXVIII | "How the knights bare them in the battle" |
| XXIX | "Yet of the said tournament" |
| XXX | "How Sir Gareth was espied by the heralds, and how he escaped out of the field" |
| XXXI | "How Sir Gareth came to a castle where he was well lodged, and he jousted with a knight and slew him" |
| XXXII | "How Sir Gareth fought with a knight that held within his castle thirty ladies, and how he slew him" |
| XXXIII | "How Sir Gareth and Sir Gawaine fought each against other, and how they knew each other by the damosel Linet" |
| XXXIV | "How Sir Gareth knowledged that they loved each other to King Arthur, and of the appointment of their wedding" |
| XXXV | "Of the great royalty, and what officers were made at the feast of the wedding, and of the jousts at the feast" |