#sir malory

[mordred-galahad]

The (Non-)Christian Knight in Malory: A Contradiction in Terms? by Dorsey Armstrong

[illustratus]

Elaine, the Lily Maid of Astolat by Sophie Gengembre Anderson

[queer-ragnelle]

Do you have a guide/a recommended reading list for getting into Arthurian legends? I’ve been really getting into it in the past few months but I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of the foundations of it. (If you don’t and this is too big of an ask totally feel free to ignore this lol)

hello, anon.

i don't currently although i have plans to add another page to my blog listing medieval texts as well as links to download pdfs of them. i have english translations of texts originating in belarussian, dutch, french, german, hebrew, italian, latin, middle english, and last but not least, welsh.

in the mean time, i've collected for you some key texts that are readily available to read for free online!

le morte d'arthur by sir thomas malory [part 1] [part 2]

the history of the britons by nennius [here]

the mabinogion translated by lady charlotte guest [here]

four romances by chrétien de troyes [here]

parzival by wolfram von eschenbach [part 1] [part 2]

the wedding of sir gawain and dame ragnelle translated by thomas hahn [here]

sir gawain and the green knight translated by j. r. r. tolkien [here]

better translations/formatting forthcoming! enjoy. :^)

[gawrkin]

Reminder: The Elaines... don't have to be called "Elaine"

To break it all down with the major Elaines (most of whom came from Vulgate Cycle):

Elaine of Astolat - was orignally nameless when first introduced Vulgate cycle and was just called the "Damsel of Ascolat"

Elaine of Corbenic - Was originally named Amite or Helizabel when first introduced in Vulgate Cycle

Elaine of Benoic - While called Elaine in the Vulgate Cycle, other alternative names for her include Clarine (her name in the earlier german Lanzelet) or Gostanza (from the later Tavola Ritonda)

Elaine of Garlot - was not originally called Elaine when first introduced in Vulgate, instead her name was Blasine

Elaine the Peerless: Introduced in Vulgate Cycle, she is only the one who has no alternative name.

Special Mention: Pellinore's daughter - who is sometimes called Elaine - is nameless when first introduced in Post-Vulgate. Some variants called her "Alyne" instead.

So, apart from Elaine the Peerless (who is only relevant to Hector de Maris) and maybe Miss "Astolat", none of the above women explicitly need to be called "Elaine".

[lit-in-thy-heart]

trying to read all of malory and quickly coming to this conclusion:

(ID in alt)

[mimsylost]

[Mordred & Guinevere] 2024 Comic for May Day Parade

Prompt - Morbid Month of May

a 11 page comic for Mordred & Guinevere:

It is loosely based on le morte darthur but has some speed-forwarding of events.

Please enjoy!

[inkliinng]

Thrift haul!

[sickfreaksirkay]

[enchantedbook]

Le Morte d'Arthur, Thomas Malory Artist : Aubrey Beardsley, 1893

[dullyn]

I wish more women in Arthurian legends had names. Like why does Dagonet's wife not have a name? She is a key component of why he went mad, and the man who stole her away has a name but not her. Same with how Malory names any female side character Elaine, even if in earlier texts she has a different name.

[cesarescabinet]

For @caer-gai's Arthuriana August! Prompt Three: Warm + Cozy

Since Agravaine was the subject of the last prompt, I figure I balance it out this time around. My Agravaine's a big ol' nerd who has a tendency to sacrifice sleep for his hobbies, so here's Laurel trying to convince him to put the pen down and go back to bed for his own sake. Despite appearances, Agravaine is rather soft for Laurel at the end of the day--one of the few people he can admit has the honor.

Reference under cut:

[mordred-galahad]

LYNETTE 😭 I LOVE YOU LYNETTE 😭

[illustratus]

''The Holy Grail, covered with white silk, came into the hall.'' by William Henry Margetson

[queer-ragnelle]

which is the best/your favorite modernized version of le morte d'arthur? i'm slowly making my way through the middle english but it would probably help me to also read a "translated" version

Keith Baines, hands down. He's done a lot of formatting which makes it much easier to read, plus abridged a lot of the repetition.

When you're done with that, you could check out Morte d'Arthur (1984), a narrated play that quotes Malory directly. Having someone read it out with a visual aid makes for an enjoyable watch.

Good luck!

[gawrkin]

The Heroine and the Villainess

You know... going through some modern arthuriana like DC superheroes, John Booreman's Excalibur, Fate Franchise, Mists of Avalon, etc. and seeing Morgan le Fay being made into Mordred's Mother made realize the biggest irony in Arthurian Mythology:

Morgan le Fay and Queen Guinevere switched roles

Originally, Queen Guinevere was the villainess, the traitor wife who willingly married Mordred and, as Layamon says it, "did many sorrows upon the land that [Mordred and Guinevere] lost their souls" In certain tales, like Lanval, she's an actively promiscuous and dishonorable lady even before Mordred's treachery, trying to get noble knights killed if they don't do as she pleases. The Welsh Triads even had her as the Fourth and Worst of the Unfaithful wives of Britain, above even Isolde, Mark's wife and Tristan's lover.

It's so bad John Rhys recorded an old welsh folk rhyme about how awful Guinevere is:

"Gwenhwyfar ferch Gogfran Gawr Dryg yn fechan, gwaeth yn fawr" "Guinevere, daughter of Giant Gofran Bad when little, worse when great"

Meanwhile, Morgan le Fay was originally a benevolent fairy, if not a heroine in her own right. A distant, magical lady who was Arthur's sister, the ruler of a paradisical island, a healer and protectress of heroes.

And ever since Geoffrey of Monmouth, it is Morgan who is Arthur's Savior. Vita Merlini, Didot Percival, Vulgate Cycle, Post Vulgate, Le Morte D'Arthur... all the significant and influential works of the mythos all agree: Morgan comes to Arthur's aid after the final battle of Camlann, rescuing her dying brother and bringing him over to her realm to be healed, and by extention, promises the hope of Arthur's return.

It is Morgan le Fay who ensures the return of the "Once and Future King"

Fast forward a few centuries, and few cultural trends later...

Guinevere became the misunderstood heroine. Someone who is said to be the Most Virtuous Queen, the Best and Greatest Lady living, who did no wrong in loving man who wasn't her husband - who ironically wasn't Mordred, but a new character, Lancelot, the Greatest Knight of all Time, bar Galahad.

Whilst Morgan was turned into an evil, promiscuous sorceress. A vile and heinous woman who harrasses and seduces many knights in her schemes against Arthur's Court, especially the aforementioned Lancelot. In an even more egregious transformation, Modern Arthuriana goes further and associates Morgan with Mordred, typically as his mother, and works with him to bring down Camelot and Arthur.

So in short, the heroine became a villainess and the villainess became a heroine.

And Mordred went from Guinevere's Partner-in-Crime to a mama's boy under Morgan.

[lit-in-thy-heart]

when you need a secret identity but creativity isn’t your forte:

[ID: a cropped picture of a page from Book 8 ('Sir Tristram de Lyonesse') of Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur. The highlighted line, spoken by Sir Tristram in disguise in Ireland, reads: 'my name is Tramtrist'. End ID.]