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Best of Bedivere/Bedwyr and/or Dame Ragnelle?

Hi!

Firstly here’s my Loathly Lady Master Post which covers all Ragnelle media and more!

Secondly, I’m only going to recommend media that utilizes Bedwyr/Bedivere as an independent/separate entity from Lancelot. No Bedwyr/Lancelot hybrids: I’m excluding the works of Rosemary Sutcliff, Mary Stewart, Gillian Bradshaw, and Joan Wolf.

With that in mind, here’s all the Bedi media I recommend!

Medieval

Cullhwch and Olwen

An obvious banger. Bedwyr is missing a hand, but can make three spear thrusts faster than anyone else. He is repeatedly referred to as Cai's "companion."

The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth

Bedevere helps Caius & Arthur kill the giant of Mont St Michael. After Bedevere is slain in battle, Caius suffers a mortal wound while retrieving his body from the field.

The Vulgate

Bedivere is mostly present in early Vulgate & then again in Post Vulgate. Lots of scenes repeated from the previous stories like fighting the giant of Mont St Michael & war in Rome.

Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory

Bedivere present throughout the story but most iconicly, it was Malory who depicted Bedivere as Arthur's last knight & the one to throw Excalibur back into the lake.

Retellings

The Story of The Grail and The Passing of Arthur by Howard Pyle (1910)

Howard Pyle's series is near & dear to me, highly recommend. The illustrations are great, although there isn't one of Bedi throwing the sword back into the lake. Sad.

Merlin by Edwin Arlington Robinson

A small role, but Bedivere is introduced as "a man whom Arthur loved, As he had loved no man save Lancelot."

Arthur the Bear of Britain by Edward Frankland (1944)

Bedwyr is Arthur's kinsman, described as "that black hairy man with charms in his ears." He has a close friendship with Kai & is the last champion standing.

The Eagles Have Flown by Henry Treece (1954)

The Great Captains by Henry Treece (1956)

The Green Man by Henry Treece (1966)

Treece wrote the same story three different ways, with Kai & Bedwyr as Arthur's closest companions, & Medraut as the wedge between them. Each book stands on its own as a complete story. The Eagles Have Flown is an illustrated chapter book for a younger audience so it has less of the darker themes the other two contain (such as incest & torture).

The Queen’s Knight by Marvin Borowsky (1955)

Bedivere is referred to by Launcelot as his "sweet friend." He's constable of Camelot. Although Lucan is the point of view character, he doesn't seem to be the brother of Bedivere here. Bedivere is a skilled knight who wins honor at the tournament early in the novel. He's most prominent in the last quarter or so where he helps battle against Mordred, preceding Arthur is death.

The Pendragon by Catherine Christian (1979)

Let me preface this by saying that I haven't read the book yet. But it is the story of Arthur's life from the perspective of Bedivere, & right from the first page of the frame story with old man Bedivere, he says he resides near Arthur's burial place "to die like an old dog, close by my master's grave." Sick & twisted concept, Catherine!

The Legend of King Arthur novelization by Andrew Davies (1979)

Novel based on the amazing show & written by the same person. As with the show, Bedivere comes in clutch at the end to rescue Guinevere from Mordred, then throw Arthur's sword back to the Lady of the Lake. There's an illustration of him at the top of the chapter!

The Quest for Olwen by Gwyn Thomas, Kevin Crossley-Holland, & Margaret Jones (1988)

Illustrated picture book of Culhwch & Olwen, two page spread of Cai & Bedwyr riding the giant salmon to rescue Mabon.

The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn (2005)

Bedivere is the main love interest of this book. It opens with his final touching farewell to Arthur.

For Camelot's Honor by Sarah Zettel (2005)

This is a Geraint/Enid romance. But Bedivere is prominent here, described as, "The senior among them was called Bedivere. Some adventure or accident had taken his right hand above the wrist, but he accepted the cup neatly with the one that remained to him. While his hair and beard had gone winter-grey, his brown eyes were still keen, taking in every detail of their hall. His back and shoulders were both broad and straight. He was said to be one of Arthur’s ten champions, who were his high council."

Bedivere: The King’s Right Hand by Wayne Wise (2011)

Bedivere is Arthur's childhood friend. A certified horsegirl. His father was Bedwyr, the last man to see Uther Pendragon alive. Bedivere is very much in love with Arthur & follows him around like a puppy. Lucan is his elder brother who is trained by Ector for more administrative tasks. Kay is older than Arthur & Bedivere, & takes full advantage of that, but it generally a good dude. Didn't care for the Arthur/Morgan romance but all the other young characters were great. They included Lancelot, Guinevere, Gawain, Agravaine, Owain, & Tristan.

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (2024) [review]

Bedivere is one of the main point of view characters. Born without his hand, he has always felt less-than & incomplete. He accompanies his family to the joust in the big city where Arthur pulls the sword from the stone. Thus begins Bedivere's life long devotion to him & unrequited love story. Overall I really enjoyed the character but the end of the book & resolution to Bedivere's character arc sucked.

Movies

Knights of the Round Table (1953)

Bedivere's role here is minor, but he's the first knight shown traveling with Arthur & Merlin. He wears white/red floral tabard it's cute. He pops in & out of the story throughout & remains loyal to Arthur to the end, although it's Lancelot who throws Excalibur into the sea.

Sword of Lancelot (1963)

Bedivere is among the knights of the Round Table right from the opening scene, alongside Kay, Lancelot, Gawain, Dagonet, Mordred, Lamorak, Tor, Merlin, & Arthur. He is Arthur's advisor, & stays home during the war with Arthur. He is the first to tend to Gareth after he's stabbed by Lancelot on his way out of the castle, & shown calming Gawain during his outbursts after in the resulting war.

Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1975)

Bedivere is introduced as he presides over a witch trial, which is really just a girl with a carrot strapped to her face.

Culhwch ac Olwen (1990)

Bedivere is chosen by Arthur, along with Kai, to accompany Culhwch on his quest. The animation style is almost like paper puppets, very cool. It's entirely in Welsh without English subtitles.

Morte d'Arthur (1984)

Bedivere fulfills his exact role as it happens in Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory.

King Arthur: Excalibur Rising (2017)

Bedivere is shown throughout the introduction battling at Camlann alongside Arthur, Merlin, & Kay. He then throws Excalibur back to the lake. 20 years later, Arthur's bastard son Owain has grown up. Bedivere is shown caring for an ailing Kay. Bedivere runs into some bandits on the street & is captured, where he eventually runs into Owain, likewise captured. He explains to him he is Arthur's son & heir. This movie is not good. But BediKay is in it. That's the review.

Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot (2020)

Bedivere & Lucan are introduced in Camelot at table with Mordred, who has usurped the throne whilst Arthur is away in Rome. Bedivere is openly opposed to Mordred's rule, but manages to keep away from his ire long enough to escape with Lucan & contact Arthur. They meet Arthur & his men, including Tristan & Lancelot, at the border with fresh horses. Bedivere is present for the final battle that challenges Mordred's men & reclaims the throne for Arthur. He's last seen chanting "Hail! Hail King Arthur!"

Kaamelott First Installment (2021)

Bedivere is introduced at Bors & Lionel's impromptu Round Table meeting at Gaunes. He is the elder brother of Lucan & his cousin Griflet, who are both children also seated at the table with him. Their presence is brief but I hope they are more prominent in the sequel!

TV Shows

The Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949)

Bedivere pops in for several episodes as one of Arthur's support knights, along with Gawain.

BBC The Legend of King Arthur (1979)

Bedivere is a young knight introduced near the end of the series with his cousin, Girflet. They act as secret messengers between Guinevere & Arthur after Mordred has usurped the throne & holds Guinevere hostage. At the end, Bedivere throws Excalibur back to the Lady of the Lake, & helps Arthur into the barge to ride for Avalon.

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I think we need more crows here

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vulgate i, the story of merlin

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lavender marriage fail 😞

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Erec has finally been locked up in jail! Unfortunatly they also took gawain now everyone has to rescue them. 😞

(lanzelet)

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I'm sorry, why does dodinel the wildman live in a eldritch marsh worthy of a dark soul game???

(from lanzelet)

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Them 💖💖💖

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vulgate i, the story of merlin

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vulgate i, the story of merlin

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i mean, where else was ywain supposed to put his lion??? in the living room???

(also this comic has a secret gringolet in it, you can connect the dots to figure out what happened)

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baby mordreds

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baby mordreds

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March to Camelot: an arthurian palette challenge for march 2025

When: March 1st to 31st Rules: The objective is to try to draw something Arthurian inspired by each word prompt using the palette provided. This could be anything from a full illustration to a character design. You have 5 days to complete each prompt, except for the last prompt where you get 6 days. If you have any questions, please feel free to send an ask. Finally, remember to tag your work #march to camelot or @ me so I can reblog and share your work. Happy drawing!

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It's always saddening that Merlin is so well known as Arthur's top wizard when my fav shapeshifting enchanter (chronically ill coded) knight Menw ap teirgwaedd (son of three cries) is right there! Like when he's first introduced in Culhwch and Olwen he's noted for his ability to conjure illusions which they use to avoid having to fight the monstrous hound but when the king of giants tried to throw a dart to try and kill his friends, he catches it with his bare hands and throws it straight at him! The only other guys who is able to throw the dart back being is culhwch (who of course has plot armour being the protag and all) and bedwyr, BLOODY BEDIVERE, Arthur's ultimate spear fighter who can counter nine spears with only one of his own!

He is also asked by Arthur to see if the Twrch Twych the giant boar has the magic shears, an important mcguffin for the story, so that he can fight the boar and collect the treasure. Menw shapeshifts into a bird and finds the shears in between the boar's ears. However, at this point in the story, the giant boar has destroyed a third of Ireland's population so Menw tried to snatch the shears from the boar's ears. This goes badly for Menw as he couldn't grab the shears, only a few of the boar's bristles. This alerts Twrch to his presence and he shakes some poison from his body onto him. From this Menw never 'fully recovered'. Despite this, he still helps Arthur hunt down the Twych Twrch on horseback along with bedwyr and the remaining warriors. True MVP

Extra fun facts:

He's also mentioned in the dream of rhonabwy where he is mentioned to be a trusted advisor of Arthur.

He also appears in the triads as having learnt one of the 'three great enchantments of britain' from Uther Pendragon.

He's also mentioned as having a son Annynawg but no wife in Culhwch (it being aroace week I think, I find his lack of romantic partners to be quite interesting)

Anyways if you couldn't tell, I love this guy, he's got being both an enchanter skilled in illusion making and shapeshifting and a warrior skilled in darts, he feels so unique as a knight of Arthur and like despite being disabled from some wound this doesn't stop him from being a part of Arthur's retinue and being a part of the action...

Anyways, if any of you guys include him in a story or make art of him (or come across something with him in it) tell me and I'll reblog it! Put him in the limelight!

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stuck at my desk waiting for work assets to come through does anyone have a little knight (or adjacent) they would like me to draw 🧍‍♂️

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remembering how to draw mr and mr yaoi, old man (ft one young kay/cai)