Agravain
Encyclopedia
Sir Agravain or Sir Agravaine is a nephew of King Arthur
and a Knight of the Round Table
in Arthurian legend. He is the second son of King Lot of Orkney and Lothian
and Morgause
, full brother to Gawain
, Gaheris
and Gareth
. His half-brother and most frequent associate in the Post-Vulgate Cycle
is Mordred
. His mother's parents were Gorlois
and Igraine
; she was a sister of Elaine
and Morgan le Fay
and maternal half-sister to King Arthur.
Agravain is described as handsome and a capable fighter, but unlike his heroic brothers Gawain and Gareth, Agravain has a reputation for malice and villainy. He plays an important role in most cyclical Arthurian literature, from the Vulgate Cycle to Malory
's Le Morte d'Arthur
when he exposes his aunt Guinevere
's affair with Lancelot
. Though Gawain, Gaheris and Gareth try to stop them, he and Mordred conspire to catch the adulterers together. In some versions he is killed by the escaping Lancelot, in others he dies defending Guinevere's execution from Lancelot's forces along with Gaheris and Gareth. In either case, it is not his death but Gaheris' and Gareth's that inspires Gawain's wrath toward Lancelot, as Gawain had warned Agravain not to spy on Lancelot.
Throughout the stories Agravain participates in acts of villainy such as the murders of Sir Lamorak and Sir Dinadan, but sometimes his acts are not so malign. He participates in a number of adventures early in the Vulgate Cycle, and sometimes even does heroic deeds. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
where he is called "Agravain of the Hard Hand" he is named in a list of respectable knights; this combined with his unobjectionable depiction in Chrétien de Troyes
' Perceval
suggests his reputation might not have been so un-heroic prior to the Vulgate.
In modern Arthuriana
, his characterization has only gotten worse. In his poem "The Defence of Guenevere," the Victorian pre-Raphaelite poet William Morris describes Agravain as the murderer of his mother. In The Once and Future King
by T. H. White
, it is again Agravain, not Gaheris as in Malory, who murders their own mother, in addition to being the "bully" of the family, and killing a unicorn in their childhoods. In that work he is a drunken, bloodthirsty coward, though intelligent and not altogether unsympathetic.
Conversely, the 1995 movie First Knight
(starring Richard Gere
as Lancelot) depicts Agravaine as heroic; he is portrayed by Liam Cunningham. This is the result of a strange anomaly in Malory; though always depicted as an outspoken enemy of the Queen, Agravaine is nonetheless chosen as one of her knights when she rides out on May Day (a journey that begins the episode dealt with in the film).
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
and a Knight of the Round Table
Round Table (Camelot)
The Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his Knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of...
in Arthurian legend. He is the second son of King Lot of Orkney and Lothian
Lothian
Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....
and Morgause
Morgause
Morgause , known in earlier works as Gwyar or Anna, is the sister or half-sister of King Arthur in the Arthurian legend. In her earliest appearance she is Arthur's full sister by Uther Pendragon and Igraine; Gwyar is her name and she is the mother of Gwalchmei...
, full brother to Gawain
Gawain
Gawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
, Gaheris
Gaheris
Gaheris is a figure of Arthurian legend, a knight of the Round Table, and a son of Morgause and King Lot of Orkney and Lothian. His brothers are Gawain, Agravaine, Gareth and Mordred, a half-brother. His mother is a daughter of Gorlois and Igraine, and a sister of Elaine and Morgan le Fay...
and Gareth
Gareth
Sir Gareth was a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian Legend. He was the youngest son of Lot and of Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus making him Arthur's nephew, as well as brother to Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, and half brother of Mordred...
. His half-brother and most frequent associate in the Post-Vulgate Cycle
Post-Vulgate Cycle
The Post-Vulgate Cycle is one of the major Old French prose cycles of Arthurian literature. It is essentially a rehandling of the earlier Vulgate Cycle , with much left out and much added, including characters and scenes from the Prose Tristan.The Post-Vulgate, written probably between 1230 and...
is Mordred
Mordred
Mordred or Modred is a character in the Arthurian legend, known as a notorious traitor who fought King Arthur at the Battle of Camlann, where he was killed and Arthur fatally wounded. Tradition varies on his relationship to Arthur, but he is best known today as Arthur's illegitimate son by his...
. His mother's parents were Gorlois
Gorlois
Gorlois was a Duke of Cornwall and Igraine's first husband before her marriage to Uther Pendragon, according to the Arthurian legend...
and Igraine
Igraine
Igraine , in Arthurian legend, is the mother of King Arthur. She is also known in Latin as Igerna, in Welsh as Eigyr, in French as Igerne, in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur as Ygrayne— often modernized as Igraine—and in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival as Arnive...
; she was a sister of Elaine
Elaine (legend)
Elaine is a name shared by several different female characters in Arthurian legend.-Elaine of Astolat:Elaine of Astolat, also known in some texts as Elaine the Fair or the Fair Maid of Astolat and as The Lady of Shalott in Lord Alfred Tennyson's same-titled poem, is a maiden who falls in unrequited...
and Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay , alternatively known as Morgane, Morgaine, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend. Early works featuring Morgan do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a fay or magician...
and maternal half-sister to King Arthur.
Agravain is described as handsome and a capable fighter, but unlike his heroic brothers Gawain and Gareth, Agravain has a reputation for malice and villainy. He plays an important role in most cyclical Arthurian literature, from the Vulgate Cycle to Malory
Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. The antiquary John Leland as well as John Bale believed him to be Welsh, but most modern scholars, beginning with G. L...
's Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table...
when he exposes his aunt Guinevere
Guinevere
Guinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
's affair with Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
. Though Gawain, Gaheris and Gareth try to stop them, he and Mordred conspire to catch the adulterers together. In some versions he is killed by the escaping Lancelot, in others he dies defending Guinevere's execution from Lancelot's forces along with Gaheris and Gareth. In either case, it is not his death but Gaheris' and Gareth's that inspires Gawain's wrath toward Lancelot, as Gawain had warned Agravain not to spy on Lancelot.
Throughout the stories Agravain participates in acts of villainy such as the murders of Sir Lamorak and Sir Dinadan, but sometimes his acts are not so malign. He participates in a number of adventures early in the Vulgate Cycle, and sometimes even does heroic deeds. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance outlining an adventure of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. In the poem, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his...
where he is called "Agravain of the Hard Hand" he is named in a list of respectable knights; this combined with his unobjectionable depiction in Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes
Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet and trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. Perhaps he named himself Christian of Troyes in contrast to the illustrious Rashi, also of Troyes...
' Perceval
Perceval, the Story of the Grail
Perceval, the Story of the Grail is the unfinished fifth romance of Chrétien de Troyes. Probably written between 1181 and 1191, it is dedicated to Chrétien's patron Philip, Count of Flanders...
suggests his reputation might not have been so un-heroic prior to the Vulgate.
In modern Arthuriana
Matter of Britain
The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the body of literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and its legendary kings, particularly King Arthur...
, his characterization has only gotten worse. In his poem "The Defence of Guenevere," the Victorian pre-Raphaelite poet William Morris describes Agravain as the murderer of his mother. In The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T. H. White. It was first published in 1958 and is mostly a composite of earlier works written in a period between 1938 and 1941....
by T. H. White
T. H. White
Terence Hanbury White was an English author best known for his sequence of Arthurian novels, The Once and Future King, first published together in 1958.-Biography:...
, it is again Agravain, not Gaheris as in Malory, who murders their own mother, in addition to being the "bully" of the family, and killing a unicorn in their childhoods. In that work he is a drunken, bloodthirsty coward, though intelligent and not altogether unsympathetic.
Conversely, the 1995 movie First Knight
First Knight
First Knight is a 1995 American medieval film based on Arthurian legend, directed by Jerry Zucker. It stars Richard Gere as Lancelot, Julia Ormond as Guinevere, Sean Connery as King Arthur and Ben Cross as Malagant....
(starring Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
as Lancelot) depicts Agravaine as heroic; he is portrayed by Liam Cunningham. This is the result of a strange anomaly in Malory; though always depicted as an outspoken enemy of the Queen, Agravaine is nonetheless chosen as one of her knights when she rides out on May Day (a journey that begins the episode dealt with in the film).