#la cote male taile

[gwalch-mei]

i think brunor n mordred first starting bonding over their shared love of “throwing rocks at lancelot until he cries”

[queer-ragnelle]

oh oh… dinadan or la cote mal fet for the vulgate:)))

I’ve been attacked with brain worms

Bad news my friend, neither of these characters appear in the Vulgate! Might I interest you in some La Tavola Ritonda instead?

Name key: Amorotto = Lamorak Brunoro = Brunor Daniello = Daniel Dinadano = Dinadan Lancilotto = Lancelot Tristano = Tristan

Send me a character and I’ll reply with a Vulgate passage!

[amicablestone]

I've been reading through Le Morte d'Arthur and I think it's interesting how it used the fact a lot of the episodes are basically rehashes of each other to really highlight what differences there are between them.

like I totally buy that Maledysaunt was trying to protect La Cote Male Taile because we've just seen Linet basically play the same role, but she was 100% trying to get Gareth killed so she could get a more famous knight.

side note, but Linet's great. Why does it feel like every modern retelling of Arthur ends up being "look how gross and mean real knigts where" and not "lets watch a sardonic necromancer(?) and a long-suffering pretty boy mow though enough color-coded warriors to get a sternly worded letting from Saban"? Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places.

[blkkatsuki]

Inside us r 2 wolves

[gringolet]

TOP TEN MOST BABEY KNIGHTS

baby fights time

5. Galahad

too weird and catholic and repressed to be higher on this list. comes to court at 18 which is older than half of the knights (gawain and lancelot were both like 16). however, he is trying his best and he was really young and had such a burden and he makes me sad and he was just akid and he was trying his best

4. Brunor or la cote male taile

GOTH BABY GOTH BABY hes dinadans youngest brother who comes to court to kill lancelot low key and you know what low key i fucking support him. he wears the coat his dad was MURDERED IN and its too big for him and thats so. sad and goth and baby i dont even. baby boy. unlike a lot of fair unknowns he kind of fails at a lot of things and has to get help and you know what good for him. friends with mordred which is so fun on him. hes just a teen who listens to mcr and i adore him

3. Gareth or beaumains

a competent baby. hes 18 when he comes to court and has all his adventures a year later. he has like 8 dads which is so powerful of him. trans coded which is so cool of him. the babiest brother of the orkneys. knows how to cook. pretty hands. he does attempt to have premarital sex like 3 times which is. fun. lancelot and gawain think hes so baby and funny that they just follow him around for a year giving him presents theyre so funny. 

2. Morien

canonically twelve years old. hes a middle schooler. why does he have a sword. hes so baby hes just. he just wants to kick his dads ass and drag him back to africa to marry his mom and frankly good for him. beats up lancelot then has him and gawain just follow him around for a while, classic baby move. hes a baby boy and an angel and has vibes like hes really into naruto unironically.

1. Percival

baby boy baby. i love him so fucking dearly. comes to court at 15 which is so young and makes me so sad he was so young and im going to destroy the grail with a brick. someone asks him what his name is and he says he thinks its probably darling, because thats what his mother calls him. sees a group of knights and thinks they are angels. is just trying his fucking best. so baby that gawain takes like one look at him and is like oh u are my baby brother now.i would die for this random child i found in the woods yesterday. and i agree with him. percival is the most baby and i would die and kill for him

[daisyachain]

like 80% of the preceding stories: though sir gawaine was imperfect, a courteous and respectful knight; and morgan le fay was arthur's healer

the vulgates and malory: i don't know, suddenly i can't perceive characterization int he texts

[wheremyhotchocolate]

All the Knights of the Round Table I could remember ranked

Because I was bored and need to express my love/hatred for these characters.

NOTE: I am well aware that there are a shit-ton of Knights, but I decided to just work with 50 because I’m supposed to be asleep and some of them don���t have enough of a personality for me to make accurate judgments on them

Also, I gave a brief description thingy of them for reasons.

1.       Sir Mordred (I have a thing for questionable morals and misunderstood characters. I could write an essay on my love for him)

2.       Sir Galahad (pure boy. Deserved better. I also ship him with Mordred)

3.       Sir Gareth (SUNSHINE BOY)

4.       King Galehaut (underrated and probably definitely gay for Lancelot)

5.       Sir Kay (lovable asshole)

6.       Sir Gawain (“and Sir Gawain lay in his gay bed”)

7.       Sir Dinadan (”he probably walked across the channel”)

8.       Sir Palamedes (most relatable)

9.       Sir Percival (other sunshine boy)

10.   Sir Ferifis (sunshine boy the third)

11.   Sir Bedivere (he yeeted the sword back into the lake)

12.   Sir Yvain the Lion (lions are cool, much like Yvain)

13.   Sir Astamore (underrated bb…plus his name is cool)

14.   Sir Lamorak (didn’t deserve this shit)

15.   Sir Dragonet (comic relief)

16.   Sir Balin (he’s trying, ok??)

17.   Sir Brunor/La Cote Male Taile (everyone thought he was a joke till he saved the queen from a lion)

18.   King Pellinore (He’s funny in the movies)

19.   King Leodegrance (was entrusted with the table after Uther’s death)

20.   Sir Ywain the Bastard (needs better)

21.   Sir Daniel (defeated Gawain, that be cool)

22.   Sir Agravain (less-lovable asshole, but still lovable)

23.   Sir Tristan (that love story tho)

24.   Sir Lancelot (overrated, but still cool)

25.   Sir Lucan (loyal wingman)

26.   Sir Hector de Maris (doing his best)

27.   Sir Caradoc the Younger (that moment when you were named after your dad but he wasn’t really your dad)

28.   Sir Ector/Hector (Arthur’s foster dad, congrats on sticking with him this long)

29.   King Bagdemagus (he was important once)

30.   Sir Aglovale (overshadowed by Percival’s glory, good boy)

31.   Sir Morien (Aglovale’s son and a POC)

32.   Sir Tor (wants to be cool)

33.   Sir Ironside (underrated ex-murderer)

34.   Sir Safir (#makeSafirpopularagain)

35.   Sir Pelleas (married Nimue and I’m jealous)

36.   Sir Sagramore (angry and virtuous, much like me)

37.   Sir Gingalain (he gave up his love and his name is amazing)

38.   Sir Elyan (needs more love)

39.   Sir Segwarides (you banged my wife but it’s cool)

40.   Sir Bors the Younger (only grail knight not to die and now he’s sad)

41.   Sir Lionel (he has a cool ass birthmark)

42.   Sir Constantine (succeeded Arthur which are some big shoes to fill)

43.   Sir Griflet (also yeeted the sword into the lake)

44.   Sir Adragain (was a Knight of the Round Table before it was cool)

45.   Sir Ulfius (Uther’s wingman)

46.   King Uriens (a bit of a dick to Morgan? Not cool)

47.   Sir Mador de la Porte (kind of an idiot)

48.   Sir Gaheris (I have this weird hatred for Gaheris after reading The Idylls of the Queen, so F him)

49.   Sir Maleagant (evil)

50.   Sir Pinel (FUCK this guy. Like Gaheris, The Idylls of the Queen made me hate him. I could make an essay on why I hate him. He’s such a dick)

[thisisevenharderthannamingablog]

And here we have the adventure of La Cote Male Taile, featuring Lancelot in the role of mother hen. 

[sanddef]

Okay so we have Beaumains (pretty hands), La Cote Male Taile (the evil-shaped coat), Morte Jeune (dead youth) and Kelemon as a honorary mention because it means "child of Kei"

Contrast that with Goreu (the best) and anyway Kay has favorites and they're Kelemon and Goreu but mostly Goreu

Can someone make a list of all the nicknames Kay's given people I want to make a point

[smugglers-bible]

La Cote Male Taile

The day has much to recommend itself. Sunshine lying brightly over green fields. Shaded woods, dappled and cool. A tower at the base of the hill with a lion trapped inside so excited by rage that its throaty roar is now more of a hissing pant which distracts only marginally from the gleam of fang and claw.

God’s own country.

The same tower, bars shattered. A woman screams. Twelve knights flee while La Cote Male Taile watches from the road.

“And here I was worried,” he says, scabbard landing in the dust, “that the world was running out of cowards.”

[lettersfrommalory-blog]

How Sir Lancelot Wrote a Letter Unto Guenever and How the Squire Lost His Way

So then it befell[1] that LANCELOT, soon after[2], found himself longing for word of GUENEVER, so LANCELOT sent by squire letters to the Lady. The squire was fresh[3], and knew not the way unto CAMELOT well, so he found himself in a passing[4] strange forest. 

There he met with a dwarf who proffered[5] to lead him through the forest. The dwarf said unto the squire, “ I shall help you through this forest, if ye[6] will let me go with you.” 

“I cannot take you,” said LANCELOT, “for I have no tell[7] of your coming to the KING, and he would become angry.” 

The dwarf, full of sorrow, thought well on it before saying, “Then ye shall give unto me a boon[8] when I ask it of you.” 

And so LANCELOT agreed to the request of the dwarf and led he them into the forest. 

[1]Befell:bifallen(v.)Alsobivallen,-feallen.Forms:p.bifel(l,-vell,-fill,-vill;bifeol,-ful(l;ppl.bifalle(n,-valle(n.[;OEbefeallan, fallan; bifēol (lbifeallen.] To come to pass, come about, happen, occur; -- (a) with noun or pron. as subj.; bifel the cas, it so happened; (b) with a subj. clause (with or without a preceding hit, it); (c) without a subject or with impers. hit, it.I chose this particular opening for my entry because it is a favorite way to introduce new scenarios by Malory. He uses this particular word 23 times in Le Morte, and of those 23, 11 of them are introductions to a personal pronoun. It should also be noted that after the word befell either the word ‘that’ and a pronoun follows or a description of time. Examples include: “THEN Queen Igraine waxed daily greater and greater, so it befell after within half a year, as King Uther lay by his queen, he asked her, by the faith she owed to him, whose was the body” (I.III.I), THEN it befell that Arthur and many of his knights rode a-hunting into a great forest” (VI.VI.I), and “It befell upon a day La Beale Isoud came unto Sir Tramtrist, and told him of this tournament” (I.IX.III).  

[2] My first inclination was ‘not long after’ however upon inspection this preposition was not in use at the time, however Malory did use the reverse ‘after long’ on occasion. Though the MED defines after-long (adv. & prep.) From end to end, lengthwise; alongside, along, I believe in the Caxton translation they use this to define periods of time, however this still does not fit. It appears that there was no negation of time in this manner therefore, I chose to use “soon after’ which Malory uses frequently. 

[3] frē̆sh (adj.) Also frech, fresk, fres(se, freesh, freish, vresse, vreish & fersh, firsh, firesc, versh, verss(e, verisse. [ OE fersc (cp. MDu. versch, OHG frisc) & OF fres, freis, (fem.) fresche (from Gmc .).]1.(a) Of recent making or occurrence, new, recent. Mallory uses this word 19 times. Examples: “Fair young knight, dismay you not, for had ye been fresh when ye met with me, as I was, I wot well that I should not have endured so long as ye have done; and therefore for your noble deeds of arms I shall show to you kindness and gentleness in all that I may” (IX.VIII.II), and “ And without the pavilions hung three white shields on truncheons of spears, and great long spears stood upright by the pavilions, and at every pavilion's door stood three fresh squires, and so Sir Launcelot passed by them and spake no word” (VI.VII.III). 

[4] passing(e (adv.) Also passende & (N) passand & (error) passyge. 2. Surpassing, pre-eminent; outstanding; extreme. Occasionally: excessive, very numerous. The OED states this term is now rare and usually used in poetry. Mallory uses it 253 times. Examples: “ And so by means King Uther sent for this duke, charging him to bring his wife with him, for she was called a fair lady, and a passing wise, and her name was called Igraine” (I.I.II), and “And there Sir La Cote Male Taile hurt and wounded him passing sore, and put him from his horse as he had been dead” (IX.III.IV).

[5] profre (n.) Also profer(e, proferre, propfer, propher, proffer, profur(e.[ AF profre (cp. CF porofre) & ML profrum.]1.(a) An act of offering or presenting a gift; an offer of a gift, money, reward, help, etc.; (b) an offer of battle, a challenge; a peace offer or proposal, an offer to surrender; fig. the Devil's challenge in spiritual struggles; ~ of pes; maken ~, to make peace; maken ~ to, challenge (sb.) to battle; (c) an offer of love; (d) an offering or a sacrifice. The word ‘offer’ is used once in Le Morte D’Arthur. Every other instance the word ‘proffered’ is used. I looked in several versions of the Caxton edition and they all show the same single use of ‘offer’. The only idea I’ve come up with is the one time ‘offer’ is used it when Excalibur is set on the altar in front of the Arch-bishop. Perhaps ‘offered’ is used to signify it is in offering to God.

[6] yẹ̄ (pron.) Also yeȝ, yhe, ȝe, ȝhe, ge, ie, iye, iȝe, (N or early) yie, ȝie, gie & (early) ȝeo, geo, (K) hye, (SEM) hie & (error) e, (errors) y, þe, he. Contractions: ȝet (= ye hit), yave (= ye have). 1c. As subject of a verb or occas. an implied verb, with singular referent: you, thou;—occas. used derisively:(a) used for a king, queen, or other ruler;(b) used for a master, an elder, or a social superior. Ye is the second person, plural, objective pronoun. Ye is used over 3000 times in Le Morte. 

[7] tellen (v.) Also tel(le, tele, til(le & (early SWM) tællen, tealen, (early infl.) tellenne & (error) tollen. Forms: sg.2 tellest, etc. & (early) telæ, (error) te; sg.3 telleth, etc. & tellethe, telth(e, tellet, -it, telliȝt, telluth(e, (SW) telt, (16th cent.) tellus & (early) tælleð, tællæð & (errors) telled, telleȝ, (error) tolth; pl. tellen, etc. & tellethe, tellus & (error) tellad; impv. telleth, etc. & (error) tellyd; p.sg.1 & 3 tōld(e, tōlid, tould(e, tē̆ld(e, telt, telled, tauld. 1a.(a) make mention (of sth.); talk (to sb.)  bi mouth, say (sth. to sb.)... 

[8] bọ̄n (n.(2)) Also bone, boin(e. Pl. (early) bọ̄nen & bọ̄nes. 2.A petition or request; asken, bidden, praien ~, ask (sb.) for a favor, make a request, petition or beg (sb. for sth.); haven ~, receive a favor or grant, have fulfillment of one's wish; graunten, yeten ~, grant (sb.) a request. Mallory uses this word a total of 22 times. Examples: “ Sir, said Tristram, as for that, I beseech you of your mercy that you will forgive it her, and as for my part, God forgive it her, and I do; and so much it liked your highness to grant me my boon, for God's love I require you hold your promise” (VIII.II.IXX), and  THEN upon a day King Anguish asked Sir Tristram why he asked not his boon, for whatsomever he had promised him he should have it without fail”(VII.XXIV.I). 

[queer-ragnelle]

La Tavola Ritonda PDF is now available to read! Enjoy!

ID: When Isotta had returned to the pavilion, the tables were set out and food was prepared, and when water had been brought for their hands they sat down to eat. As they ate, Gariette looked out and saw Palamidesso going by looking for them, and pointed him out to Sir Tristano. Tristano got up and went to meet him, taking him by the hand and leading him into the pavilion, where he disarmed and sat at the table. They all passed that night in great joy.

Medieval Literature scans | Arthurian Retellings scans | Ko-fi ⤥Italian Name Guide Below Cut

Prose Tristan Gang

King Meliadus of Liones (Meliodas of Lyonesse)

Queen Eliabella (Elizabeth)

Tristano (Tristan)

King Marco of Cornovaglia/Tintoile (Mark of Cornwall/Tintagel)

King Amoroldo of Irlanda (Morholt of Ireland)

King Languis of Irlanda (Anguish of Ireland)

Queen Isotta the Blonde (Isolde 1)

Gouvernale (Governal)

Brandina (Brangaine)

Dinadano (Dinadan)

Daniello (Daniel)

Brunoro the Black/Ill-Cut Coat (Brunor le Noir/La Cote Male Taile)

Dinasso the Seneschal (Dinas)

King Scalabrino (Esclabor)

Palamidesso the Pagan (Palomides/Palamedes)

Isotta White Hands (Isolde 2)

Gheddino (Kahedrin)

Logres

King Artù of Camellotto/Longres (Arthur of Camelot/Logres)

Queen Ginevara (Guinevere)

Chieso the Seneschal (Kay)

Lucano (Lucan)

Fata Morgana (Morgan le Fay)

Pulzella Gais (Morgan's daughter)

Merlino the Prophet (Merlin)

Orcadians

King Lotto (Lot)

Queen Albagia of Organia (Morgause of Orkney)

Calvano the Lover (Gawain)

Agravano (Agravaine)

Gariens (Gaheris)

Gariette (Gareth)

Mordarette (Mordred)

Welsh

King Pellinoro of Gaules (Pellinore of Wales)

Prezzivale lo Galese (Percival of Wales)

Amorotto di Gaules (Lamorak of Wales)

Adriano (Drian)

Agravale (Aglovale)

French

King Bando of Benoich (Ban of Benwick)

Dama del Lago (Lady of the Lake)

Lancilotto of Gioisa Guardia (Lancelot of Joyous Guard)

Astore di Mare (Hector de Maris)

Lionello (Lionel)

Bordo (Bors)

Briobris (Biloberis)

Galasso (Galahad)

Others

Brunoro the Brown (Brunor father of Galehaut)

Bagotta (Fair Giantess)

Galeotto (Galehaut)

Sagramore (Sagramore lol)

Meliagans (Meleagant/Melwas)

King Brando of Magus (Bademagus)

Beast Glatisanti (Questing Beast/Glatisants)

[blkkatsuki]

Hiiii Brunor Le Noir fans<33*crickets chirping*

[gringolet]

i've only known brunor for a very short while, but i do really like him

so good and correct and i havent even talked about the kicker. kay nicknames brunor 'la cote male taile' because he shows up to court wearing his murdered fathers oversized and cut up surcoat, still covered in blood. hes so. hes so. makes him a hot chocolate and fixes him a snack.

[queer-ragnelle]

hey awhile ago you posted like a reading list for stuff about Galahad and I was wondering if you had anything similar about Dinadan? I'm reading Malory at the moment and have been entranced by his normal guy swag

Hello there!

Ultimately my goal for my retellings page is to have a JavaScript-based theme that allows for book sorting with tags, which includes characters, so one can find whatever they want to read. In the mean time, I’ll list out some recommendations of medieval literature, retellings, even some screen appearances for Dan!

Medieval Literature

La Tavola Ritonda (Tristan & The Round Table)

This is an Italian rendition of the Prose Tristan (where Dinadan originates from). I prefer it in every way to the Prose Tristan. I love it so much that I scanned it myself! It predates Le Morte D’Arthur! So while Dinadan’s brothers Daniel & Brunor are in it, Brunor is not yet nicknamed La Cote Male Taile, that doesn’t come until Malory. Dinadan’s apparent queerness (whether that be interpreted as asexuality or something else) shines here. There’s even a part where Tristan plays a prank on him by sneaking into his bed & kissing him, pretending to be their host who was interested in Dinadan earlier, & Dinadan not only freaks out in the moment (duh) but then refuses to forgive Tristan & gives him the silent treatment for several chapters. I find this compelling that Dinadan is given an emotional depth here he’s rarely afforded, & sticks to his guns, even though Tristan whines that he wants Dinadan to talk to him, (without really apologizing…). All names are in Italian, so while “Dinadano” is recognizable as Dinadan, others are harder to place. Here’s a name guide I made in case you need it!

Byelorussian Tristan

Divdan [Dinadan] makes a small appearance in this text during a joust. It's said he's "more pleasing to the maidens than to the other knights." What did the Russian storyteller mean by this?

Le Román de Tristan le roman de Palamede (in French)

This story is in French & has yet to be translated into English. But I’ll put it here anyway just in case you’re able to read that or as a reminder for later when it does get translated. Anyway Dinadan is here as a good friend of Palamedes.

Retellings

The Fortunate Island by Max Adeler

Really whacky story. I haven't finished reading it yet, but it's full of crackships, including a version of Dagonet interested in Ysolt, who in turn loves, Bleoberis who is too poor to marry anybody. Shenanigans. Anyway Dinadan is interested in this girl Matilda only for Agravaine, of all people, to propose to her immediately after being introduced. Hilarious. Someone should remind these guys they're both queer. In any case Matilda slaps him because she really is interested in Dinadan. The story is more reminiscent of the 1880s culture than medieval, with Dinadan sharing a smoke with Matilda's father then offering her a drag. Dinadan continues to have a weird rivalry with Agravaine for her affection as Agravaine apparently cannot tell she's uninterested. Typical Orkney bro behavior to interpret violence as love. So even though this story depicts Dinadan differently than his "allergic-to-love" medieval counterpart, he remains the most sensible of the characters. Which is close enough.

The Birth of Galahad by Richard Hovey

Dinadan first appears in this drama after he’s rescued from his imprisonment at the hands of the enemy Roman forces. He’s listed in the cast as “friend of Tristram of Lyonesse” which is cute but made funny as Dinadan complains about having to bring reinforcements to the war while Tristram stayed home. Dinadan whinges about Tristram’s tryst with Iseult. Meanwhile nobody who's been away since the start of the war has even heard of her yet, while Launcelot claims he knows nothing. Dinadan's loose lips get a pass here, he was a prisoner of war for who knows how long. They beat his manners right out of him!

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain

Dinadan doesn’t play a huge part in this novel, but chapter 4 is named for him, “Sir Dinadan the Humorist.” He has the characterization of a washed up jester/failed comedian. The main character Hank is kind to him though & tries to laugh at his jokes, if only because Dinadan had spared him the scrutiny/mockery he affords some other knights.

The Song of Dinadan by Ernest Rhys

This collection has a short lay dedicated to Dinadan which is reminiscent of his discussion regarding love he has with Isolde in Le Morte d'Arthur.

Sir Dinadan in The Goose Girl by Theodore Goodridge Roberts

This is a short story originally published in 1951 but republished with the anthology The Chronicles of the Round Table edited by Mike Ashley. It's silly & light-hearted. Dinadan is forced to leave his squire with a hermit after he gets sick, then he encounters a goose girl who tells him of a castle held prisoner by a brutish knight from outside the moat, for if he can't have the damsel within, no one can. Dinadan bemoans that all his quests result in entanglement with women but he follows the goose girl to try & defeat the knight because he "needs the money." The goose girl squires for him & saves his life multiple times as the knight & his squire fight dirty despite Dinadan's insistence on chivalry

The Enchanted Cup by Dorothy James Roberts

A retelling of Tristram/Isoud’s romance. Dinadan takes on a slightly different role here as he’s older than Tristram & more of a mentor. (Gouvernail is still here; Tristram is collecting father figures in this one.) But Dinadan is the first member of the Round Table that Tristram meets & he finds his quick wittedness endearing. Tristram also finds him fascinating because he’s so short & “prefers eating to fighting,” as Andret said, so Dinadan challenges what Tristram expected a knight to be. Dinadan has his usual “I’d rather not fight unless I have to” attitude & still holds fast to his opinions about love, although he’s less animated about it here compared to other stories where he’s combative. He comes across as wise rather than spirited in his opinions, particularly because Tristram’s prepared to risk it all for Isould, & Dinadan finds himself in Tristram’s corner when it comes time to choose sides. Anyway I really love the prose & banter in this book. Great dialogue, really feels natural & holds my attention. It’s extremely 1950s in its handling of Palamides, not kind to him at all, but barring that, it’s really solid.

Child of the Northern Spring by Persia Woolley

Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley

Guinevere: The Legend in Autumn by Persia Woolley

Dinadan is present in all three books of the trilogy, but mostly the second one. He's Tristan's best friend & right hand man. Dinadan reminds Tristan of his manners & formalities his hastier companion often neglects. They're both musicians & bond over a love of music. My biggest warning with this series is that Isolde is a child bride, so every plot line surrounding her, including Dinadan's criticisms of her relationship with Tristan, hit different. The whole Prose Tristan gang is here though, including Branwen, Palomides, & Lamorak.

The Ballad of Sir Dinadan by Gerald Morris

Dinadan is the main character! Woo hoo! He’s the less popular brother of Tristan. The book emphasizes Dinadan’s queerness which is enjoyable to read. He’s in his early twenties so he’s just heading out into the world & exploring himself at the same time. He goes on many adventures, including joining Kai & Bedivere to aid Culhwch in his tasks so he can marry Olwen, developing a deep friendship with Brangienne & Palomides, & having to come to his brother Tristan’s aid whenever his fragile mental state gets him into trouble out in the wilderness. All the while Dinadan connects with those around him through a love of music. He plays the rebec! He reappears in later books for the resolution of the Squire’s Tales series. Even though this book is in the middle of the series, it can be read independently, although I do recommend the entire thing.

Sir Tristan is Just Awful by Jeffrey Wikstrom

This is the third book in a five book series that parodies Le Morte d'Arthur. I haven't read this series in full yet as someone only recently made it into PDFs for me to share, but Dinadan retains his sarcastic humor & queer swag. It's implied he & Palomides have sex, so make of that what you will!

Lancelot by Gwen Rowley

Gawain by Gwen Rowley

Two romance books in a series, one about Elaine/Lancelot & the other Ragnelle/Gawain. However, Dinadan is a prominent side character. Lancelot technically came first, but they can be read in either order. The whole incident with the dress from Le Morte d’Arthur is in both books, as their timelines overlap a bit from the respective points of view. Dinadan is a friend of Gawain’s that shows up again in the Lancelot book many years after the events of the Gawain book ended. I really enjoy his character here, he’s pretty funny.

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

Brand new book that just came out this year. The true main character is an OC named Collum, but Dinadan is one of the last surviving members of the Round Table, & several chapters are dedicated to his backstory from his own perspective. Without spoiling too much (since it’s so new), Dinadan is explicitly queer here, as well as some other characters. He’s friends with Palomides here who evidentially knows the secret of his queerness before any others. I will say, Dinadan doesn’t feel very much like his medieval counterpart in terms of characterization, he doesn’t express any negative opinions about love. He feels more like a guy the author happened to call Dinadan. However, I still enjoyed the book!

Movies

Camelot (1967)

In this musical, Guinevere recruits three champions in the hopes of defeating Lancelot, including Lionel, Sagramore, & Dinadan! She has a duet with each of them. Dinadan is present for the Lusty Month of May song as well. He gets a whole joust with Lancelot that turns bad. Winds up a super important catalyst character for the plot!

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1970)

Animated adaptation of Mark Twain’s book of the same name. The most faithful one too. It adapts the "Sir Dinadan the Humorist" chapter from the book. Dinadan rides through during a joust after the first bout ends to crack jokes with Arthur & Hank. He then falls off his horse. This movie also includes Dinadan’s brother, La Cote Male Taile.

And that's all I have for you! Unfortunately, Dinadan doesn't appear in any Tristan/Isolde movies at all, which is a huge bummer. Ironically, the movies he does appear in lack Tristan/Isolde entirely! But he's got some great literary appearances I think you'll enjoy.

A note: The archive I usually download books from is currently down, so a couple links go to the Internet Archive or The Camelot Project where they can be read but not obtained. When I'm able to download and archive the books, I'll update the links so everyone can save the PDFs themselves, especially because The Camelot Project's formatting is hard on the eyes. But most of the links lead to PDFs you can download right now!

Hope that gives you plenty of Dinadan to enjoy. Take care!

[queer-ragnelle]

YES and the majority of adaptations completely fumble both these things. The Bing Crosby musical from 1949 has Hank, Sagramore, and Arthur frolicking around singing in commoner clothes for the majority of the segment. It’s got very little to do with any self reflection or compassion.

And you’re right Hank is wild and most adaptations can't handle his freak. The best ones in my opinion would be:

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1970)

This animated movie is the most faithful to the book. It covers a lot of ground, stretching through the fall of Camelot which most adaptations cut out. Hank still feels like Hank, he’s an arms manufacturer, so it makes sense he has a gun (so many just give him a gun from no where?), he gets to smoke his pipe and meet a variety of knights of the Round Table. It’s so accurate, La Cote Male Taile even directs Hank to Morgan’s castle, just like the book. Clarence isn’t made annoying which is a common problem. Sandy is cute, she tells Hank stories about other knights including Palomides & Aglovale of all characters. Whoever made this loved Arthurian Legend. Good narratively, bad to look at. I think there's like 10 frames in the whole thing. Pretty uggo.

New Adventures of a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1988)

This movie is insane. (affectionate) It diverges from the book significantly but it’s right in the title that it’s “new” so they’re forgiven. It’s a 2.5 hour meditation on life/death. It literally opens with Lancelot & Mordred discussing a dream they shared & then preparing to ring this bell in the Valley of Death which draws out your life force (it seems allegorical for the Holy Grail) when the “Iron Dragon” barrels towards them & Mordred flees. Lancelot ends up pulling Hank out of the wrecked plane—he’s a commercial airline pilot. He’s so deranged from moment one, crawling around on the Round Table smoking a cigarette & name dropping the knights he recognizes by their coats of arms. (Kay mention!) He’s just like me fr. But basically all the knights are wandering around a desolate wasteland looking for Eldorado. Yes really. Hank keeps returning to the “Iron Dragon” & hanging out with the skeletons of his dead coworkers & has vivid flashbacks of them all hanging out in the cockpit. He ends up winning Sandy from Sagramore & takes her with him, she’s also a freak. They have sex in a cave only for Hank to wake up in Morgana’s bed??? Insane. Apparently Hank’ll do anything a pretty lady tells him so he signs a contract with Morgana to be her king or something. She bites him & he signs in blood??? Then he wakes up again & he’s back in the cave but there’s no Sandy. Was she a tool of Morgan? Who knows! He runs into Arthur, who has taken it upon himself to dress as a commoner, & this movie takes it a step further as Arthur & Hank are sold into slavery. So they’re all in chains & Arthur refuses to get chummy with the slave driver & when Arthur starts shouting that they’re all people he gets beaten. Crazy movie. Also extreme in the religious symbolism they literally show a guy getting crucified. Hank becomes Jesus. It’s a whole thing. Anyway so once they’re back at Camelot, Morgana reveals that Hank has signed her contract & Hank sets it on fire because he’s a coward who won’t admit he messed up. Mordred ends up challenging him & they battle on top of the Round Table. Mordred wins & puts the sword point at Hank’s throat & Hank has a vision of death. So he panics & takes out a gun he had pulled from the airplane & shoots Mordred in the chest. Morgana freaks out & sobs over his body as Arthur descends his throne toward the chaos. He removes his gauntlet & throws it at Hank. Then all the knights of the Round Table throw in their gauntlets. They’re going to war against Hank for killing Mordred! So it cuts to them all in the desert wasteland, Hank is like Connecticut Rambo he has a machine gun somehow don’t worry about it. But Morgana & Arthur are in armor & embrace, they’re combining their forces to kill Hank. A huge battle ensues & Hank mows down knights with bullets. But the ending happens abruptly when Morgana sets the plane on fire & the explosion kills everyone. Hank keeps having dream visions of death (& Merlin) talking in his head so it’s all surreal at the end until Lancelot & Mordred’s conversation from the intro plays again, about the bell & how it drains your life force but they will be brave & do it. It ends on a long shot of Lancelot pulling the bell all alone as the only survivor of the story… for now. Standing ovation from me. Insanely powerful. I love when weirdo directors transform a story into something brand new. Viktor Gres I’m in your walls.

A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1995)

This movie changes a lot as well but it’s enough to be interesting. Hank is a senior in high school in a garage band who accidentally electrocutes himself with an amp. He wakes up in the outskirts of Camelot where some people are fearful of his glasses, amp, & band t shirt of “false idols.” A knight rides up & offers to take the scary guy away to King Arthur so the people don’t have to fear. As they approach Camelot, the knight reveals herself to be Sandy! Kay & Ector help her dismount, then she introduces Hank to her fiancé Galahad & his dad Lancelot. Galahad doesn’t like that Sandy wears armor but he can die mad about it because Lancelot supports her. Anyway Arthur is fascinated by Hank but both Merlin & Morgan are his advisors so they’re like “burn him.” Obviously he survives & gets to hang out. He has Clarence in this one & he’s pretty cute & interesting. So Galahad is the romantic rival & he’s kind of a dickhead but not so much so to be really awful. Hank also gives Arthur helpful marriage advice by telling him to bathe & then says the king has a secret visitor who turns out to be Lancelot it was so homoerotic? Out of no where??? Anyway Guinevere returns & is happy her man is clean now thanks Hank. Arthur & Hank (& Clarence) do go undercover in commoner clothes & I really like how it’s handled here. They encounter this woman & her daughter Linet at this cottage & basically ask if they can stay for dinner since they’re traveling. The woman says yes & as the guests are eating, Arthur notices the hosts aren’t eating, & asks Linet why, she says “Not hungry.” So the hospitality ritual of Arthuriana is utilized here to show Arthur the error of his own ways imposing on people who have so little & still find the generosity to share. Fascinating. Ultimately the resolution for the Galahad situation is that they were going to have a joust & Galahad had a special lance to joust with so Hank makes his own secret weapon which is an umbrella that electrocutes people when they open it so he gets Galahad to do that to “keep his armor dry” & electrocutes him. Galahad sees god, & fucks off to find the Holy Grail. Hilarious. Hank is so chaotic. Anyway Hank gets back to his own time & all is well.

I fear I’ve been pavloved into liking Connecticut Yankee. I’m always excited to find something “new” and there’s so many adaptations of Connecticut Yankee that my dislike has turned to like. Maybe even love in some cases. Yikes.