#sagramore the desirous

[gellavonhamster]

reading lancelot, part 4

annnd we’re starting by having Feelings about Gawain and Lancelot

so much of Lancelot’s adventures involves him being made extremely uncomfortable by the people who try to find out his identity, pay him too many compliments, make passes at him, or just follow him around when he would’ve preferred them not to, poor thing

yay for Meleagant’s sister scheming and plotting and helping our hero, even if for her own ends

god. Guinevere tells Lancelot that Galehaut is dead and then the two of them immediately have sex. I need to study these characters like bugs

‘“But everyone knows everywhere that Lancelot has been dead for over a year,” replied Lancelot’ - shoutout to the translators/editors for choosing this wording, very funny

I gotta be honest, Lancelot isn’t even among my top 5 knights of the Round Table, but I get it, I get what people see in him, this guy has so much Something Wrong with Him (affectionate, concerned)

I thought I’m already used to the comically extreme level of violence in the Vulgate, but I didn’t expect this lady to load enemy knights into a fucking catapult

omg Saraïde hiiii <3333

I respect the girl who went all alone to the enemy camp and poisoned the well they drank from

so Bors just almost killed a guy for claiming Gawain was a better knight than Lancelot, and now it turns is the guy in question is Agravaine lmao

these people are insane

yeah, sure, please ride around dressed like an idiot, this will be sooo useful to your lady

“Wounded, my lord?” replied Lancelot. “I certainly am not. You can tell my lady with certainty that I have no wound that would make me stop traveling, and that I’m going away.” he has a LANCE stuck in his side as he says that

“Sagremor was put in this prison. His constitution was such that when he became heated up in battle or in any kind of exertion, he grew cold afterwards. And he then became so hungry that he would almost go crazy and would sometimes faint in agony” - it’s hypoglycemia, right? Poor guy has low blood sugar?

“and, besides, you know how to tell stories better than others” - Arthur to Guinevere

“My lord,” said Hector, “the knight who has never failed at some point at something has not yet been born, so you shouldn’t be so upset.” word!

wait, am I understanding it correctly that at this point Lancelot and Hector have no idea they’re half-brothers?

“he had curly, blond hair and would have had a very handsome face if his demeanor had not been not so wicked” - Mordred here being very Dorian Gray-esque

there’s a looong list of Gawain’s good qualities, from “a simple, pleasant countenance and a compassionate expression” to being kind towards the poor and the lepers, and it’s all good, but - and I say it most lovingly - I really doubt he could really be characterized as “wise and moderate always”

Agravaine is described as simultaneously having a “somewhat misshapen” body and beautiful, with a “quick tongue” and “full of evil words”

oh, this one has Gaheris as the third brother and Gareth as the fourth. I swear in The History of the Holy Grail it was the other way round for some reason

Gaheris’s “right arm was longer than his left”

I also swear that somewhere earlier it was mentioned that it’s Gaheris who is Gawain’s favourite brother in this particular version, but here it says it is Gareth... okay, got it, whichever that isn’t Agravaine

“He was greater in stature than any of the others” - so I take it Mordred is the tallest of the five brothers despite being the youngest. Must be embarrassing for them

[princesssarisa]

Sorry for spamming you with asks, but on the subject of atypical fairy tale princesses, there's also the Apennine Sibyl. In classical mythology, there were ten sibyls. Medieval Christianity expanded the number to twelve and cast them as having prophesized about the coming of Jesus. The story of the Apennine Sibyl is a doozy. She's a powerful, virtuous, and wise, but very proud fairy queen who had the gift of prophecy and believed, in her absolute perfection, that she was entitled to be mother of the Messiah. When God chose some humble human girl, she challenged His decision and was punished with ruling an underground kingdom outside of the sight of humans. She built her realm under the Sibillini Mountains into an earthly paradise. In chivalric legends, she would be a recurring character both for King Arthur's Round Table and Charlemagne's paladins. Depending on who was writing and what story was being told, she was both a lustful seducer of knights and THE MOST CHASTE WOMAN in all of Christendom and beyond. She was best frenemies with Morgan Le Fay, and both engaged in fist-fighting with her, and in helping her welcome King Arthur to Avalon to rest and recover. She was Lancelot's first love, and might have even been his original love interest before stories assigned him an emotional love affair with Guinevere. Her lovers and husbands were the most impressive heroes and knights of three eras -- Alexander the Great, the conqueror; Lancelot du Lac, the best knight of the Round Table; Ector de Maris, Lancelot's brother; Lamorak, a powerful knight treacherously murdered by his comrades; Sagramore Le Desirous, berserker knight; Widukind, pagan rival of Charlemagne; Baudoin, younger brother of the paladin Roland. She was also a blueprint for the legend of Venus and Tannhauser, as she would take knights into her cave and they would never be found again. Powerful, proud, wise, ambitious, and also chaste, the Apennine Sibyl or Queen Sibylla is a fairy career woman who deserves to be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Queen Mab or Titania in fantasy fiction.

I've never heard of this character until now. I'll have to read more about her.

[shadowqueen402]

An art commission that I bought! I call it "A KNiGHT To Remember".

Here, Reala is a knight who goes under the alias "Sir Sagramore" (Sonic and the Black Knight reference) and Aria, my oc, is a princess. Originally, I planned to give Reala a red cape. But I decided to go in a whole new direction and make his cape the same shade of blue as Wizeman's robes.

This art tells the story of how Wizeman's most feared and loyal knight, Sir Sagramore, falls in love with the rose-eyed maiden… How a forbidden romance that soon forms as his desire to protect Aria grows… And how Sir Sagramore must make a difficult choice; stay with Aria and betray Wizeman or follow Wizeman's orders and risk losing the love of his life…

Drawing was done by @lookdem. Coloring and quote was done by me.

[rjalker]

So at the day of justs there came Sir Palamides with a black shield, and he overthrew many knights, that all the people had marvel of him. For he put to the worse Sir Gawaine, Gaheris, Agravaine, Bagdemagus, Kay, Dodias le Savage, Sagramore le Desirous, Gumret le Petit, and Griflet le Fise de Dieu.

I got to say it is very funny reading these stories because I like Lancelot because of the four Arthurian romances that Christian Detroit is wrote I'm not fixing how speech to text wrote his name, of the four/5 of those stories, Lancelot was the only one of any of those nights who seems to actually have morals and not do extremely absurd things like hooking up with the emperor's wife whose death you faked and then not even fleeing the country. Runner up as Alexander but his story was kind of boring.

But all of these people like Lance a lot because he's like the best night ever to exist and they can say that another night has beaten Gawaine and like 50 million other people but they do not dare, they do not dare to say that he beat Lancelot and it's very very funny.

[sparrowwritings]

Writing Challenge Day 1: Antagonistic

Masterpost -- Day Two

(TW: Description of burn scars! Not a lot of detail but be warned!)

Lord Pellinore, Commander of the Knight Defenders of the Wall, hefted his heaviest stare at the woman in front of him. It was the one that his knights referred to as his “blue steel gaze” when they thought they weren’t being listened to. Many a recruit had pissed themself under it during his time in command.

His target, however, didn’t. In fact, her already proper posture straightened even further as she met it with a dark brown stare of her own. She hadn’t even flinched.

Would that he could showcase how impressed he was. Alas, there was other business to attend to.

“Sagramore,” He addressed his Second-in-Command without even a twitch away from locking eyes with the woman. “It’s been a few hours since the incident, refresh our memories of what happened.” 

One of Pellinore’s ears twitched at the soft click of Sagramore’s tongue. “Very well, Sir.” In spite of the disappointment in his voice, the man shuffled some papers in his hands and gave a throat clearing cough before he started to read from the report. “A week ago, Knights Gawain and Bors noticed they were being followed back to headquarters. A day after they had returned, said woman marched straight inside despite warnings of the consequences of doing so.” At this he pointedly glared at her before continuing to read. “Giving no name nor purpose to her visit, Recruit Tyr took her arm and she, and I quote, ���started godsdamn stabbing me with a knife like a maniac” end quote.”

“He’ll live.” A raspy voice cut Sagramore off. Despite his innate observation skills and wealth of experience with humans, Pellinore was still somewhat taken aback that the source of the voice was the woman herself. “I nicked him a couple of times under the plates, but your blacksmiths have made very good quality armor. I commend them for their work.” For all she had flown into a rage at the slightest provocation hours earlier, she sounded almost detached from her own actions. And yet that ember of something remained in her eyes.

“So you have no regrets for stabbing one of my men?” He lifted a thin silver eyebrow, the only change in expression that he had made thus far. Sagramore was already puffing his chest at being denied reading the rest of the report, but he deferred to his superior.

“I prefer to see it as teaching him a lesson, Lord Pellinore.” Her expression also shifted slightly. The straight line of her lips curved upward by the barest amount before going back to her neutral gaze. “Although he should have known better than to touch a woman without her express permission.”

“Noted.” His eyebrow lowered back to its previous position. “Sagramore?”

Having finally been given the chance to continue, the man read the rest of the report as quickly as he could without losing coherence. “Several more injuries were caused to recruits by this woman resisting capture, until Knight Fenrir finally trapped her. Attempts at finding out her business at The Wall have failed until she was brought here to you, Sir.” Sagramore tapped his set of papers until they were square in his hands. Pellinore couldn’t see the self satisfied smirk, but he knew it was there.

“And there you have it.” He ignored his Second’s silent boasting as he picked up the item sitting on his desk. With the finger of one hand, he traced just below the edge of the dagger while the other loosely held its handle. “I’m curious, madam. What made you think that attacking someone who regularly goes to battle against mages was a good idea?”

There was a long pause. Then, she broke eye contact first, her gaze sinking to the dagger instead of focusing on Pellinore’s face. “I am no fighter, as anyone can tell.” She picked at soft, pale hands that rested in her lap. “But I’ve heard much about your order--and about those you fight.” Suddenly she clasped her hands together. “While yes I had been angry that your recruit had grabbed my arm, I had also planned to try to impress you and your Knights by showing that not every opponent would be a warrior.” Again, dark brown eyes met blue. Again, something burned within her. “I wish to join your order, so that no one else will suffer against mages as I have.” 

At this, Sagramore couldn’t keep quiet. “Oh please,” He drawled. “You got in a couple of lucky hits on people who weren’t expecting you. You even admitted that you didn’t do more than superficial damage.” While he didn’t walk around the desk to get in the middle of the staring contest between his Commander and the woman, he did lean in closer to hiss, “You and at least half of The Wall have made such a declaration. If you hadn’t caught us by surprise you would’ve either died or been thrown out the minute you pulled out that dagger. You’re nothing special. You’re not even worthy to become a soldier.”

“I don’t need to be one.” For the first time in this interrogation, emotion started to creep into her voice. “I will do whatever is necessary to keep The Wall running smoothly. Just because you have an army doesn’t mean you don’t need someone to keep accounts or organize records or coordinate the distribution of supplies. I can do this and more. I used to run the estate of my family on the Turkon Islands.” 

“Of bloody *course* you’re from the Islands, no wonder you stabbed a man.” Sagramore muttered under his breath as the woman stood from her seat. Pellinore raised an eyebrow for the second time in this interrogation as he lowered the dagger to rest on his desk.

“If you need proof that I am dedicated to your cause, look no further than what a mage who I thought I loved did to me.” With that, she threw back her hood.

“Ye Gods.” Sagramore breathed. Pellinore’s expression went back to his hard neutral stare, though his hands involuntarily clenched.

The woman’s scalp had been burned. The finest tufts of dark hair poked out between reddened, mottled flesh. Pellinore’s eyes couldn’t help but track the scars down the sides of her neck and into the collar of her shirt. He didn’t want to imagine how long the woman’s hair must have been when it was set aflame. He was spared this by his need for decorum grappling with his instinctual desire to try to ease the pain she must be in. 

He couldn’t, even though he desperately wanted to. Fire’s destruction is complete enough that even Elven magic could only be a balm on such wounds. 

She flipped her hood back over her head, her point made. Pellinore slowly let out the breath he had been holding. With the ease in tension, an idea came to mind.

“Very well then, madam,” He used his desk to help him stand up. The fact that he was using the heavy wood to hide that he was still shaking from the reveal was irrelevant. “I do believe there is a position open right now.” He turned to his Second. “Sagramore, show this young lady to the Archive. If she can whip it into shape in a week, she can stay.” 

Having been caught still staring at the woman, Sagramore coughed a couple of times to regain his composure. “Y-Yes Sir. Right away, Sir.” He sped to the door to open it for her.

“Thank you very much, Lord Pellinore.” She bowed and turned to go.

“What shall I call you when you meet my expectations, madam?” He allowed a slight smirk on his face. Anyone who was hurt that badly, travelled that far, and was that desperate to prove themself worthy...well, he had to bring them into the fold regardless of martial prowess.

Her head turned slightly, showing a faint smile of her own. Pellinore had a feeling that such a thing would be rare to see from The Wall’s new Archivist. “Saga. Call me Saga.”

[forthegothicheroine]

How to seduce the various Knights of the Round Table

Lancelot: I think what he’s really looking for is a partner who shares his religious convictions.  You don’t want to be one of the maidens who died of love for him (or worse, ignored his consent) but channeling a little Grail Maiden here wouldn’t hurt.  What he wants is a nice religious home where he can hide from the rest of his responsibilities, so if you can provide that you’re halfway there.

Gawain: For a long term partnership, try to meet him on a quest and show that you can have intellectual fun together, solving riddles and challenging his preconceived notions about sexism.  For a short term fling, as long as you’re not married, you can probably just ask.

Kay: I think he might be gay, so dudes might have the advantage here, but maybe I’m wrong about this?  This is the guy to go for with the teasing banter- take his and dish it back.

Bedivere: Supposed to be the most handsome of all, so I feel you here.  Again, I think he might be in a relationship with Kay, but I could be totally misreading the situation.  If he’s not, then just be a good and steady partner.  This is a man who values loyalty.

Gareth: You might think he wants teasing banter, but he really doesn’t.  He wants someone who will be nice to him, especially if you’re not averse to physical contact on the first date.  You can trust him.  He’s good people.

Percivale: May or may not be celibate depending on who’s telling the story.  If he is, respect that.  If he isn’t, then he’s a steady guy, looking for marriage and someone who will be patient with him learning the ways of the world.  If you never got over your Tarzan crush, go for it.

Galahad: This is probably not going to work, but if you’re determined to try, follow him on the Grail quest.  Even if you fail, you might get to see the Grail!  Isn’t that cool?  Only like four people got to do that!

Bors: Hit him up before the Grail quest, since that’s when he went from ‘fathering illegitimate children’ to ‘celibate.’  And don’t be a demon.

Mordred: Honestly, just notice him.

Tristram: I want to just say “don’t”, but ugh, fine.  Be married or involved with someone else.  He only likes what’s unavailable.

Palomides: He wants someone who will appreciate him, above all.  He’s got a little bit of nice guy syndrome going on, but if you can live with that, he’ll basically worship the ground you walk on.  And lay off about the conversion thing.

Sagramore: His nickname is “the desirous”, so I don’t think you need too much advice here.

Lamorak: He likes milfs. Are you a milf? He likes you.

Accolon: He likes witches. Are you a witch? If not, why not?

Arthur: Try to come in at the end of his reign, where Lancelot and Guinevere are having a staggeringly obvious affair.  He’ll probably be a little more open to taking a royal mistress, and the balance of affairs will probably take the wind out of a lot of peoples’ righteous indignation.

Dinadan: You’re barking up the wrong tree, darling.

[2gameprince]

Lancelot (Incomplete)

There were forty-three of us back then. Arthur, Gawain, Geraint, Percival, Bors, Lamorak, Kay, Gareth, Bedivere, Gaheris, Galahad, Tristan, Aglovale, Agravain, Bagdemagus, Baudwin, Brastius, Breunor, Caradoc, Colgrevance, Constantine, Dagonet, Daniel, Ector, Ector de Maris, Elyan, Galehaut, Galeshin, Geraint, Gingalain, Leodegrance, Lionel, Maleagant, Morien, Pelleas, Sagramore le Desirous, Safir, Segwarides, Tor, Ulfius, Uriens, Ywain and myself. We all drank from the chalice, and just like that we were eternal. Some decided to stay in Avalon, like Arthur, but more of us wanted to come back. Here. To see the progression of the world. The World Government had known about us since the dawn of time. Hell, I guess you could say we founded the World Government. Originally. Some os us became soldiers. Joined different nations. Branched out. Helped make and win wars. Men of power. What else were we good for? As time went on the people of the new ages didn’t want peace. Not like we fought for. They just wanted control. More powers and bombs and guns. They liked it. I guess things have calmed down, but that thirst for blood is still there. Just barely tamed now. My life has become simpler, ever since I quit serving men of power. The last time I worked with the World Government is when they asked me to kill Kennedy. Now, normally whenever I told that story I used to tell who was ever listening to ask Lyndon Johnson. That he’d give them the scoop. It was a joke, of course. Johnson didn’t remember a thing. That was, after he had his memory wiped. I remember when I was called into that room. They had Johnson sitting down with some other shadowy heads. And that was when they proposed killing off John. Now, I had been close with John for a time. I knew about him and Miss Monroe. I didn’t think it mattered much. All my colleagues seemed to think so. And the instant they brought up me killing Kennedy, Lyndon lost it. So they put him on a sedative, mixed his brain around and sent him on his way. They had me on so much medication back then. I would of done anything they said. And I did. I killed John F. Kennedy under the instruction of leaders far more powerful than him. And that’s how that whole song and dance goes. After I snapped out of whatever they had me on I knew working with these people was out of the question. This was the final straw. I should have seen them going for Miss Monroe. I guess I wasn’t invited to that meeting. Some of the world knows what happened, but no one will say anything. No justice will come to those responsible. For a time it seemed as if the only people that existed were those who enjoyed stepping on others and those who enjoy being stepped on. I will admit, I floated around the Prohibition and bootlegging scene for a while, but that life just wasn’t for me. I worked in some fractions against Al Capone, but I never went far with that kind of life. I couldn’t move in or adapt to that old Italian ideology. The mafia wasn’t my thing, but it paid well-enough. I messed my ties over the decades anyways. I guess moving down from the government and joining up with the mob wasn’t exactly a good transition, but I needed money and their benefits were the best. That was until the day I found myself out on a contract and sitting behind a fella named Henry Hill. I was told to put a bullet in his head and be on my way. It wasn’t like I was gonna get caught. But something about the whole thing just took me back to John and how I felt then. So I botched the hit and left the killing business. I suppose the sixties and eighties were kind of darks times for me. Thinking back to an older age, I think the two people I could consider my greatest friends were Arthur Doyle and Erik Weisz. That is, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the man who came to be known as Harry Houdini. I met Arthur after he had come out of Medical School. Arthur and Harry met in 1920 and I tended to lean more toward Arthur as the years went on. The three of us used to have some adventures, I’ll tell you what… but things changed. I was devastated after Harry passed. Wish I could of done something. And one day Arthur stopped answering my letters. I never made any attempt to reconnect, honestly. A new age was approaching and I guess it was just one of those times I had to transition or get lost in the nostalgia of the last few decades. The few people who know about me, who know what I am, usually ask if I had ever met Tolkien. Malcom Little and Andy Warhol in particular. I don’t know why they were so interested in that. As I’d always tell them I was never a big fan of the man. I enjoyed The Hobbit, yet couldn’t stand The Lord Of The Rings. I could never understand it. Plus, there was that whole thing with C.S. Lewis. Personally, I think Tolkien secretly beat Lewis over the head with a bible until he gave into his beliefs. Believe me, I knew Lewis. He was a great guy, but he was impressionable. A frustrated youth who tried to give off a confident outward appearance. Tolkien just kind of beat down on him, always coming off like some cocky spiritualist. He tried to act superior and rain inescapable truths on an unsuspecting Lewis. Sure, I knew Tolkien was correct. And that Christ had walked the Earth and all the mythical phenomenon was true, but still. The way he went about it made me… uneasy. Though, I may have to blame myself for Lewis’ transformation. Meeting me, there was no denying the presence of god. But, what neither of them could never understand was… even I doubted the truths behind the Bible. Yes, we drank from the chalice, but there was still so much more Arthur and I never knew. So much more I feared would never be answered. Tolkien and Lewis became content with whatever little they knew and eventually stopped seeking answers. I think that is what drew me to Charles Darwin. Now, there was a brilliant man. A little assertive, but brilliant nonetheless. The only man I ever met to match his scientific brilliance, but in the form of musical brilliance, was Ludwig Van Beethoven. I was in love with his music. Even helped him out a little in the beginning, until he got his bearings. I have to say, I do blame myself for his hearing. In his advanced years we used to fence. Though, I’m not sure it was called fencing in this days… anyway. One of my most automatic combat techniques was always leading into a swing bringing decapitation. One too many hits to the side of the head and in the ears I think cost him his hearing. Still, he didn’t blame me. I last saw him in 1816. After that I went back to drifting around, as I had before relocating to France the following year. You want to hear a funny story? Did you know Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth, saved the life of Robert Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s son? Interesting right? Edwin had caught and pulled Robert up after he had fallen between the platform and a moving train. In fact, it was said that Edwin received a letter in the following months thanking him. I personally witnessed this event. I didn’t get involved though. The platform was so crowded at the time, I could have barely noticed. Still, it was quite the feat. So, I’m sure you could image my surprise when Wilkes assassinated Abraham. Looking back on it… I think something was up. Like the two incidents and those involved were more connected than people let on. Wilkes was a Confederate sympathizer. Funny story… I took the bastard in that night. At this time I was living in this small cottage out on those little range in Washington. He stood with me for a few days. He told me he was a drifter looking for work. He didn’t do me any harm and after he was well on his way he headed on down to Virginia. A few days later the Union soldiers got to him. And good for them, I say. I think my life has been fulfilling enough. Not many people can say they’ve sat, smoked cigars and discussed warfare with Winston Churchill while bombs raged about. And not many living individuals can tell of the days they sat in chess matches against the magnificent Alexander Alekhine. And beat him devastatingly once. No. No one believes the word of an eternal who almost captured the heart of the lovely Miss Earhart. Or how said eternal sunk into unending depression as she disappeared into the sky. Yes, I have lived a full life. I only wonder at what time in the future, past eons and uncounted millennia, that it will all finally end. Perhaps… it never will.

[gellavonhamster]

reading lancelot, part 5

“and then Sagremor spoke in like fashion: “My lady, if you desire either of us, you would do well not to refuse me, for you could have what you want more easily from me than from my companion here, who is far too high-born a man. But I am a poor knight of lowly lineage and will serve you more faithfully than he. So take me with you, if you need a knight.” - for about 2/3 of this paragraph I was under the impression that he’s offering that girl to take him as a lover, I feel like being that forward would’ve been quite in character for him

Malory’s Gareth: baby boy. Baby. Vulgate’s Guerrehet: evil

“If he’s dead,” said Gaheriet, “truly that would be a most terrible loss. As God is my witness, there are at least forty knights of the Round Table whose death would not be so great a loss as his.” lmao

“and I swear to you, my lady,” he said to the queen, “that I would rather have lost the kingdom of Logres and all my nephews, excepting only Gawain.” lmao [2]

okay, Lancelot, this is a bit weird

could’ve been worse though. Could’ve been toenails

“And because they knew so much about magic, they enjoyed one another’s company and always rode together and ate and drank together”” - I NEED this in my life

is Queen Sedile here Sebile the Morgan’s girlfriend I’ve heard so much about?

“because I’m prettier and gayer and younger than you both” 

“I shouldn’t complain, my lady, I should just kill myself, because I’m the most unfortunate knight in the world.” this is literally how we talk on tumblr dot com

ah yes, the classic “Lancelot accidentally cuddles with some strange knight” scene

there’s something about King Bademagu that reminds me of the well-meaning but ultimately useless and pathetic adults of the Snicketverse/A Series of Unfortunate Events. He is like Jerome Squalor or Justice Strauss to me

“That sign won’t keep me out,” said Lancelot, “for nothing will stop me from going there.”

RIP Lancelot, you would have loved modern schoolkids apparently being obsessed with chess

“Then they urged Sir Gawain to play [chess], and he was more soundly defeated than any of the others” hehe

“Lancelot said to his companions that he feared for Bors’s life, for he was a young and tender child“ 😭

aww, a cute family reunion

where do I apply for the job of Morgan’s lady messenger?

Morgan just. Blew some drugs into Lancelot’s nose through a straw. Okay

some people? paint the whole story of their affair with a married woman on the walls of their prison cell?? to cope??? 

[gellavonhamster]

reading the post-vulgate, part 1 (the merlin continuation)

"The eldest was called Gawain, the second Gaheriet, the third Agravain, and the fourth Guerrehet" no fucking way they're in a different order again. When will it end

if Merlin knows everything that will happen, why does he go on about how he won't tell Arthur who the knight destined to destroy the kingdom is because he doesn't want to kill a child? A lot more children are going to die because this bitch is refusing to be specific

finally Yvain is Morgan's son again, this was Bothering me

Mordred hit his head as an infant so hard that the scar remained for all his life. This is potential for his brothers making jokes in the vein of "and that's why he is like that" later

in this version, the father of Sagremor the Unruly is also called the Unruly, making it their surname, I guess, which is funny, even though at a later point in Chapter 59 the narrator changes his mind and says that it was Kay who gave Sagremor this nickname

big fan of the fact that Mordred and Sagremor are raised together - there's something cute about a doomed-by-the-narrative goth and a reckless fun guy being childhood friends. And then one of them kills the other :)))

oh, the May babies are rescued in this one! Nice

brief glimpses of some fairy drama as the lady who was girded with the sword that Balin could remove "owed allegiance to the lady called the Lady of the Isle of Avalon" and the one that wanted her killed for killing her father was the one that helped Arthur take Excalibur from the hand in the lake

"In this place will meet in battle the two most faithful lovers of their time" sounds like Lancelot and Tristan will be each other's lovers and the battle in question will be their meet-cute

"For [King Lot] is the one in my land in whom I would have trusted most in great need, and for whom I would have done most" buddy, you slept with his wife.

Gawain is eleven years old when he swears to kill Pellinor for killing his father! And the adults at the funeral praise him for such noble intentions! God!!!

yesss this version supports my headcanon that Yvain's animal-befriending powers are a result of Morgan experimenting with various magic while she was pregnant with him

seriously, would everything that eventually happens had ever happened if Merlin wasn't walking around telling people "you will kill him, and you will kill him, and one of these two boys you're raising will kill the other", thus making everyone think it's inevitable?

you know what would've made reading this easier and more enjoyable? If I cared about Balin

according to this one, there should be 150 Knights of the Round Table

I like that Guinevere is being referred to as "valiant"

"for no adventure that may happen, unless mortal peril is to come of it, may a knight who is sitting at table stir before he has eaten" is a good custom, more contemporary jobs should follow it

Tor's mom is great (loved it when she rebuked Merlin and everyone laughed) and I can't wait for Gawain to kill Pellinor

Kay being described as "a good enough knight, but not as good as the others" lmao

my brain refuses to perceive young Bademagu. This is a middle-aged man with (at least?) two adult children

“Now come forward and see a king’s daughter wield a sword” is one hell of a line

yelling @ the maiden/mother/crone ladies making fun of Gawain being short

I imagine Gaheris here speaking in a very patient voice that simultaneously verges on hysterics because he's so fucking exasperated

I thought this text might change my opinion on Gaheris for the better, but then the matricide part came, with "But it was his opinion that the lady should be blamed and humiliated" and "Then he put his hand on his sword and wished to kill his mother, but he would leave the knight, because he seemed too handsome and valiant, and he was disarmed", and nope, still hate that guy

like what the fuck is WRONG with you!!!

oh I am seething right now

"for they were tired, although they had not yet done anything" meeee

[gellavonhamster]

reading lancelot, part 2

solidarity with the cousin of the lady of Malehaut who tried to persuade her not to kiss Lancelot (her prisoner) while he’s asleep, because really, girl, what the fuck

5 Yvains and it’s just on the list of the knights who went to search for Lancelot, amazing

I love that Guinevere calls Gawain “dear nephew”. Does she ever refer to any other of Arthur’s nephews like that, in any text ever? And in general, I love how fond she and Arthur are of Gawain. He may be the eldest of many children of Morgause and Lot, but he’s also kind of her and Arthur’s only child 🥺

Galehaut making sure that Arthur’s men see him taking Lancelot away… what a move

“Do you suppose I have any regrets? If all the world were mine, I wouldn’t hesitate to give it to him” I am going feral

“and it grieves me much,” he said, “that I didn’t get to know him long ago the way I do now, for I’d have been much the better for it” - I just like this line

normal things to say: Gawain edition

never change, dear

the lady of Malehaut really said “if I can’t be his girlfriend, I can be his girlfriend’s girlfriend”. And succeeded

Guinevere: wouldn’t it be nice if my girlfriend dated my boyfriend’s boyfriend

this will surely end well and no one’s heart will get broken

really struggling to visualize the lion thing that happened to Lionel when he was a baby. Like... if it was a spot (flat) on his chest, how he could have seized it round the neck. I am already suspending disbelief as hard as I can

wait which sister of Arthur is Lore’s mother? Elaine? Some new character?

Gawain, Yvain, Kay, Sagremor, and Griflet “had great affection for one another” :’)

apparently Sagremor, here called the Unruly instead of the Desirous, is the one who’s supposed to perform all unruly acts. Officially appointed Do It for the Vine guy

I think the ladies who made Agravaine fall ill did nothing wrong, considering that he literally tried to rape one of them

Sagremor and his new gf are so flirty, it’s kinda cute

“Sagremor-Starvation”, another banger from Kay (who else)

obsessed with Guinevere being “not at all sorrowful” about Arthur leaving her for the night (to go to his mistress)

“for it would be better for him to kill me than to leave me” dang, Galehaut absolutely destroying me with his lines again

I’m pleased with how it’s easier to read than I expected so far. Even if I sometimes get confused which quest is whose and who did what

[gellavonhamster]

la tavola ritonda liveblogging(ish) 1/?

the tribute that Cornwall has to pay the Irish king includes three camels, three lions, and three leopards. Considering the fauna of Cornwall, I believe this was included specifically as an additional pain in the ass

the Lady of the Lake is referred to as the sister of Morgan le Fay - I wonder if it is meant literally or figuratively (as a fellow sorceress)

I am almost certain that I've already read something in which a boy sees knights for the first time and mistakes them for God and/or angels and then proclaims that since knights are so beautiful, he wishes to become one, but here it is Lancelot and I could swear I've come across the same scene with Perceval

oh hey, now Lancelot is sitting at the table of the less cool knights and a maiden who never spoke before speaks to him. Yeah, it appears he's doing a bit of a Perceval thing here

Arthur's war against Galehaut is combined with war against Mark, didn't expect that

Morholt meets Tristan at the court of the French king, compliments his beauty and prowess, and the court jester prophesizes that "the beauty and prowess of this young man will cost you dear"

(sorry, I'm not using the Italian versions of the names in this post except for direct quotes lest I confuse anyone, because some of these are very different from English ones)

Isolde's mom gave up being a doctor because she couldn't save her brother :(

Isolde is twelve when they first meet?? And Tristan and Palamedes are both, like, fifteen... they're babies...

And it's not hard to tell they're fifteen, lol

and then Braingaine asks Isolde which one of the two guys she likes the most 🥰 babies!

oh, and apparently Palamedes and Tristan would die on the same day?..

and now Tristan is doing the Perceval thing by looking at the blood on the snow and thinking of Isolde

Breus Sans Pité is described as the "anti-lover", and Tristan, after defeating him, orders him to surrender to Gawain, who is "the lover"

Isolde's dad: alright, Tristan, I'll give my daughter to your uncle and not to you, since you insist so, but I don't like this and I'm going to pray he dies soon

I don't think I've seen any other version before have other people than Tristan and Isolde affected by the same love potion? Here, Isolde's dog licks some of it and becomes extremely loyal to Tristan and Isolde (three days after their death, she is found dead on their grave). Also, the loyalty of Brangaine and Gouvernal to Isolde and Tristan is amplified by them inhaling the smell of the potion

Brangaine was hoping to remain a virgin her whole life, but still agreed to slept with Mark pretending to be Isolde on their wedding night :(

BRANGAINE!!!

girl NO :( you deserve better

Sagramore the what?

[gellavonhamster]

assigning each straw hat pirate a knight of the round table

because I am currently obsessed both with One Piece and Arthuriana; not any kind of serious AU material, just silliness; I Wrote This for Me but You Can Read If You Like

Luffy: Arthur, not due to any similarities in characterization but purely on the functional level - the boy king, the inspirational leader and, as Sun God Nika, a mythical figure believed to return when people need him the most

Zoro: Lancelot, the perfect warrior who embodies that post that's like "it's not my fault that my love language is acts of service and all I know how to do is kill". There is no Queen Guinevere here, so all the undying devotion is aimed at the king instead. Canonically has massive tits. Mihawk is thus implied to be the Lady of the Lake, and I think that's hilarious

Nami: hear me out: Kay. Sharp-tongued, rather cynical, but loyal to a fault to his king/adopted little brother. Nami as part of the Coward Trio vs. Kay being unlucky on quests and generally the butt of the joke. Isn't known to be a great warrior but occupies an important position (navigator vs. seneschal) that keeps the ship/court going. Besides, looking from the opposite direction, I just think Kay deserves to be the hot girl

Usopp: Usopp, sweetie, I'm so sorry, but I gotta say Tristan. Because Tristan is constantly lying about his identity in the most ridiculous manner possible and it somehow works. That part in Le Morte d'Arthur when he's asked what his name is and goes "Tramtrist" and no one suspects a thing even though "Tramtrist" is just "Tristram" with syllables switched around has big Sniper King energy. Also, can't forget the beautiful blonde healer girlfriend

Sanji: oh, that's the easiest one. Gawain. The Maidens' Knight, the ladies' man, a great warrior and one of the king's closest and most trusted men. If you put together Gawain's characterizations from different texts, from SGATGK to Le Morte to the Vulgate & Post-Vulgate to Chrétien de Troyes to everything, you end up with a contradictory character who is simultaneously the best and the worst guy you'll ever meet, which is how I often feel about Sanji, tbh. Would totally fight at a tournament on behalf of a little girl. Has some kind of an epic gay thing with Lancelot

Chopper: Yvain. Son of a sorceress - ah, pardon, a woman of science; associated with animals; known to be nice and kind (the Vulgate Cycle describes him as the one "whose heart will be filled with every kindness"). Occasionally goes insane in the woods (Monster Point), but, like, who doesn't

Robin: try as I might, I can't pull any direct parallels out of my ass, but I do think that narratively she can be seen as kind of a quasi-Mordred. Since her very childhood she was proclaimed to be bad news and expected to eventually cause a catastrophe, but where Mordred, whom no one tries to persuade the prophecy doesn't define him, ends up becoming exactly what he's expected to become, Robin has people who support her and trust her even after witnessing her be the bad guy in the past, so she never becomes the evil others expect her to turn into

Franky: Sagramore the Desirous (or the Unruly, depending on the text/translation) is a big, strong, good-natured knight who probably has low blood sugar needs to have a snack after fighting because otherwise he'll pass out, much like a certain cyborg needs his cola. In the Post-Vulgate, he and Mordred were raised together, which can be linked to Frobin's fates being intertwined since childhood, because I've Connected the Dots (you didn't connect shit)

Brook: I wanted to pick a character of the older generation who nevertheless isn't a mentor figure to Arthur, and I struggle to think of a better option than Pellinore - not the predatory piece of shit in the medieval texts, but the eccentric but loveable old man in Camelot (1967). Brook is also on a quest focused on an extraordinary beast! Only he's not hunting it, he's trying to get back to it because that beast is his friend 🥺

Jinbei: I honestly don't remember if he counts as the Knight of the Round Table, but I am hereby appointing him Ector - Arthur's adoptive father and one of the nicest parental figures in Arthuriana (and probably one of the nicest people in Arthuriana, period). I've also considered Galehaut for the "(partially) non-human ruler who allies himself with Arthur" angle, but that would imply Jinbei/Zoro and I'm not ready to deal with that.