#arhturian mythology

[queer-ragnelle]

Hello, I saw your answer (and therefore explanation) of Gawain and his many lovers and wondered if you also had some insights into the relationship between Kay and Bedivere? Was that a solely adventure buddies kinda thing or a little bit more perhaps? Anyways I hope you have a lovely evening

hey there!

oh yay i love them! i incorporated a lot of bedivere into my kay webweaving post and in my book series i modeled their relationship after real life knights sir john clanvowe and sir william neville. let's get into it! :^)

for starters, kay and bedivere are two of the oldest arthurian characters, so their "history" is long. which is very fun! in the mabinogion, kai and bedwyr refer to each other as "companions." the word is sometimes applied to all members of arthur's fellowship (ie "companion" of the round table) but i really enjoy the idea that it can speak to a deeper connection than "coworker." let's look at a couple passages.

in culhwch and olwen, kai and bedwyr are sent by arthur on a quest. their introductions are back to back with a list of their fun magical powers. notably, bedwyr's opens like this.

they are the definition of "comes as a set, do not separate." their apparent inseparability becomes a theme from here. later, kai works some blacksmithing, prompting this exchange.

literally what is this supposed to mean? if "companion" refers to all of arthur's men, then explain this...wild. off to a strong start. then comes the rescue of mabon, where kai and bedwyr ride together on the back of a huge salmon.

and here's some kickass artwork of this adventure by margaret jones, which i scanned for all to read!

but wait, there's more. last note about the mabinogion is that kai has his own turn of phrase referring to bedwyr's missing hand, which can seem a bit mean-spirited, but is received as more of an inside joke.

crazy stuff. okay. brace yourself for our boy geoffrey of monmouth's the history of the king's of britain. here kay and bedivere gain roles that go hand in hand, seneschal and cupbearer ("server" and "butler" in this translation). when arthur has to fight and kill the giant of mon saint michael, he chooses only two people to bring with him. guess who.

later, during the war, they are assigned to co-command one of the factions.

and then.....the ending. bedivere is slain, and kay sacrifices himself in the effort to retrieve his body.

sick and twisted narrative choices, geoff. i'm looking away.

to answer your question, yeah, i think together they make the most wonderfully annoying middle management married couple in camelot and menace all their employees in an ever-revolving door of "go ask my husband" that drives everyone mad. arthur finds it highkey hilarious<3

thanks for asking!

[trueknights]

About Me

I am a historical fantasy writer. I love the concept of knight & strong moral codes. While most of what you will see on this blog will center around historical research, and fantasy research, I will also write fanfiction for fandoms who's characters and stories fall under the "knight" umbrella (for me, that means any character or world bound by a code of honor to do good).

What is a true knight? A true knight is a knight who embodies the ideals and values of chivalry. Thus, my user name is True Lady Knights, as I believe Ladies-in-Waiting also value the same code of conduct as knights, and are often overlooked.

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Tag list: #history #fantasy #Original Work #fanfic #tudor history #art #discussion #theories #bbc merlin #arwen undomiel #queen guinevere #arthurian mythology #arhturian legend

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