#Lancelot cycle

[bigfootboyband]

In marrying some of my favorite Arthurian poetry and bbc’s Merlin, here is a small sketch of Gwaine clad in queerness of sexuality and gender.

If you'd like to support me, you can do so here <3

#art #digital art #bbc merlin #gwaine #bbc merlin gwaine #gawain #gawain and the green knight #Lancelot cycle #merlin

[queer-ragnelle]

i’m new to arthuriana but love your posts nonetheless

i am just curious about the many references to gawain sleeping with so many people when, to my understanding, in sir gawain and the green knight he specifically breaks this promiscuous behaviour and makes sure he doesn’t sleep with the wife of the duke

(i apologize if this is a stupid question!)

hello anon!

welcome to arthuriana and thank you so much for the kind words. this is not a stupid question at all! the truth is gawain is nothing if not inconsistent between texts haha. he's different from other knights such as lancelot who pines solely for guinevere across text after text, in that it seems every author wanted to create their own special gal for gawain. he therefore has numerous women attached to him, and when readers try to reconcile those many texts into a single story thread, it gives the impression our mans gawain gets around! (and he does!) i have several examples here to illustrate this so i'll put it below a cut.

for all the textual variance, sir gawain and the green knight is the exception that proves the rule—meaning that it's perhaps the only text in which gawain is abstinent. we know this because one of the five virtues attributed to the five points of his pentacle crest on his shield is chastity.

furthermore, on the wife's second seduction attempt, gawain pleas his own inexperience with "love" (ie: women).

whether or not that's true is up for debate, but it's worth mentioning, as it's a departure from other texts where his virile prowess is well-known, and in the knight of the two swords, he openly boasts about his own attractiveness and popularity. (humble guy, that gawain!)

there are several examples of gawain's reputation with the ladies preceding him and actually benefitting his odds of getting laid. one of my favorites is from lancelot part II in the vulgate. gawain had just cured his brother agravaine of an illness and agravaine's amie basically wingwoman's her sister.

goated of her. so gawain pencils it in on his calendar. later, he locates the castle, sneaks in, and succeeds in bedding the maiden. she's not named here, although malory later refers to her as "the lady of lys," and accredits her as the mother of gawain's three sons, (although the couple never formally wed).

among the strangest of examples is the middle english text the carle of carlisle, in which the carle brings gawain to the bedchamber and orders him to make out with his wife. but things quickly heat up...

so the carle stops gawain from outright cuckholding him, then leads gawain to his daughter's chambers, gives them his blessing, and locks them inside. at the end of the text, gawain marries her.

now i would be remiss not to mention my beloved the wedding of sir gawain and dame ragnelle. i think it's notable that ragnelle specifically asks for gawain by name, much like the lady of lys did (according to her sister and her warm reception of him).

now the conclusion of this poem brings us to another theme of gawain's which ties into his many partners, and that is his consistent subservience to ladies. he breaks the curse on ragnelle by granting her "sovereignty" in the relationship. this seems to be another aspect of character which sets gawain apart from other knights, as this is not a chaste expression of courtly love, but a precursor to fornication, and draws the attention of strong-willed ladies, such as ragnelle, with whom he is "a coward," or according to the translation notes, "submissive."

then again in roman van walewein, he's already famous by the time he meets his ladylove, ysabele, and whilst tied up in her father's prison, he leaves the decision of his own life in her hands.

which then results in their coming together because this is a gawain story and he always gets the girl.

even in the post vulgate, which we can all agree portrays every single character at their absolute worst (and is therefore invalid<3), gawain's choice of words consistently upholds the lady's desires above his own. at first, gawain intended wingman for pelleas by pretending he, pelleas, was dead to begrieve arcade. he discovers instead that she's elated by pelleas's supposed passing, so she and gawain fall in love. but even after admitting his feelings, he still takes great pains to frame the final crossing of that line as her choice, and only relents when she makes her intentions plain.

he might also just like it when women boss him around if his treatment from orgeluse in parzival by wolfram von eschenbach is any indication.

similarly to the knight of two swords, in parzival, gawain is aware of his fame, fosters it, and then employs his orgeluse brain worms as a motivation for sparing lives instead of like...morality.

i think what's particularly interesting about gawain's relationship history is that many of his partners are named, whereas it's pretty common for damsels and maidens in medieval texts to exist without identities of their own. there are so, so many named, interesting, fully developed women linked to gawain, it's actually pretty awesome! here are a few more:

lunette in yvain: knight of the lion by chrétien de troyes...

amurfina in the crown by heinrich von dem türlin...

bloiesine in the 4th perceval continuation by gerbert de montreuil...

marjorie in gawain and marjorie by oscar fay adams (if we extend our search through the 20th century!)...

and on and on forever! so in conclusion, gawain has been pulling bitches for many hundreds of slutty, slutty years, and from what modern retellings i've read, authors have no intention of interrupting this trend. i hope that helps clear things up somewhat. thanks for the ask!

#arthurian legend #arthurian legends #arthuriana #sir gawain #gawain #sir gawain and the green knight #sgatgk #the vulgate cycle #the prose lancelot #the lancelot graal cycle #the carle of carlisle #the wedding of the sir gawain and dame ragnelle #roman van walewein #parzival #knight of the lion #the crown #perceval continuations #4th perceval continuation #gawain and marjorie #oscar fay adams #quotes #resource #ask #favorite ask to date thank you<3333 #my post

[gawrkin]

The French Arthurian Narratives really, really, really don't gel with Welsh Law.

So basically:

Morgan would have just divorce Urien using any bullshit excuse, backed up by magic.

Lancelot would've just paid blood-money for damages done to Arthur and Gawain's kin. (Not that it would stop Gawain if Gareth - and specifically Gareth - is killed, but still)

Guinevere would have just been divorced, beaten and/or humiliated like Rhiannon, but death penalty would have been unnecessary and excessive, especially if Arthur's sympathetic to his wife.

Arthur and Guinevere could've initiated divorce anytime for any reason. Especially, when there's a seven-year time period of cohabitation that determines whether or not Gwen is entitled to half of Arthur's property. Childless!Guinevere really makes it even questionable that Guinevere could've kept her queenship past three years, much less seven.

So, all in all, the Arthurian story we know and love only works if its culturally the French High Middle Ages (12-13th Century)

#sir lancelot #cyfraith hywel #welsh law #king arthur #arthuriana #arthurian legend #arthurian legends #arthurian mythology #queen guinevere #vulgate cycle #le morte d'arthur #morgan le fay #celtic law #urien of rheged #lancelot grail #hywel dda

[liminalpsych]

Reading the Vulgate Cycle and just. Y’all. Everyone. Why does anyone bother with Malory, this is so much better.

As an example. Malory’s Morte d’Arthur, the scene where Lancelot wears Kay’s armor and wreaks some havoc on the way back to Arthur’s court:

It’s so dry. SO DRY. How did he make that boring?

The same scene in the Vulgate Cycle, written 2.5 centuries earlier:

#le morte d’arthur #Thomas Malory #vulgate cycle #vulgate #Arthurian literature #arthuriana #lancelot grail

[alicole-sideblog]

hey, Arthuriana tumblr, can anyone point me to where can I read the Vulgate Cycle? They don't have it on Project Gutenberg.

#arthuriana #arthurian mythos #arthurian literature #vulgate cycle #lancelot-grail

[vulpiximisa]

on his way to send an email (Ep 11)

#pixi post #nanatsu no taizai #mokushiroku no yonkishi #the four knights of the apocalypse #the seven deadly sins #4koa #4kota #lancelot (4kota) #lancelot (4koa) #sin (4kota) #sin (4koa) #the way i went feral at the walk cycle

[wisteria-lodge]

ugh, does anyone else think that Sir Galahad is SUCH an annoying OC??? He's a better fighter AND more pure than Sir Lancelot AND the youngest knight of the round table and has a special magic seat that only he can sit in. And now he's like finding the holy grail when we all know that's Percival's thing???? and if that wasn't enough, just HAD to make him the kid of one of the leads. Didn't even make him Lancelot and Guinevere's kid, which at least would have been a cool AU because now he's in line for the throne maybe. No, had to make him Lancelot and Elaine's kid, even though Lancelot's main THING is he's obsessed with Guinevere. OOC. do better.

#just a bit of fun #arthurania #sir galahad #just kidding we love you #author of the lancelot-grail cycle

[keepthemacramesecret]

one thing that IS funny abt the continued decade long reaction to merlin’s finale actually, is that everyone still acts like it was such a crazy move to kill arthur at the end as if ‘le morte d’arthur’ (and other stories with the same title translated/transliterated slightly differently) is not basically Thee foremost piece of arthurian literature in terms of overall story arc. u literally cannot do a king arthur adaptation and NOT end it with arthur dying in the battle of camlann like. thats part of the established legend. that is not the surprising part here.

#the surprising part is spending the whole last episode LEAVING the battle #and focused entirely on merlin and arthur travelling alone together in a last ditch effort to save him even though they both know it wont #but using the time to Experience Feelings and relearn who eachother is after dramatic revelations #also obv i am aware of the lancelot grail cycle as well but if were looking at arthurian lit thats focused on arthur #it is for sure le morte d arthur #a

[malorydaily]

The literature of the medieval aristocracy is suffused with the language of honour. It portrays a culture obsessed with reputation, with individual and collective pride, with avoiding shame and taking forceful, frequently violent, revenge for insults.

[...]

Yvonne Robreau has demonstrated just how complex medieval notions of honour could be through an exhaustive study of honour and shame in the fourteenth-century Lancelot-Grail Cycle. Honour is expressed as something ‘interior’, a matter of an individual’s worth, that must be defended and protected from insults. Yet it is also spoken of as an abstract commodity that can be gained or lost through actions. Furthermore, honour can be a verb: one could ‘do honour’ to another, by surrendering to a superior opponent in combat, by welcoming them with appropriate ceremony or by giving suitable gifts. There are also a number of other words with parallel or similar meanings, such as gloire, nom, renom, los, hautesce, digneté and pris.

James Titterton, 'Por pris et por enor: Ideas of Honour as Reflected in the Medieval Tournament' in The Medieval Tournament as Spectacle: Tourneys, Jousts and Pas d’Armes, 1100–1600

#malorydaily #Book 1 #james titterton #tournaments #general: history #lancelot-grail cycle

[allottavabassa]

You want me to sit normally in a chair? The thing that killed Sir Brumand?

#siege perilous #vulgate cycle #lancelot-grail #arthurian legend #sir brumand

[dreamsrunfaster]

#this is all dude but don't worry!!!! i have my girlbosses and pathetic wet shecats too!!! #if this gets enough traction i may even do another post who knows #lancelot #gauvain #gawain #marie de france #marie of france #vulgate cycle #arthurian romance #arthuriana #medieval literature #medieval lays #medieval romance #saints lives #medieval saints lives #saint katherine #saint catharine #saint catherine #ok that's enough spellings of her jeez #galehaut #apparently the internet agrees with me it should be galehaut #le bel inconnu #guigemar #lanval

[camelotpunk]

Only two days left until preorders open!! Here's a little glimpse at our front cover by the wonderful @pyjamac!

Preorders open on Friday August 5th at 6 PM EST! You can follow us here and on Instagram and turn on post notifications to make sure you don't miss it!

FAQ // Our Contributors // Instagram

#arthurian legend #arthuriana #lancelot du lac #le morte d'arthur #vulgate cycle #king arthur #arthur pendragon #zine #charity zine #medlit #hear ye hear ye #sneak peeks #steampunk #cyberpunk #fanart #digital art

[queer-ragnelle]

Lancelot, my best friend Lancelot

Lancelot Part II: The End of Galehaut's War with Arthur; the Meeting of Lancelot and Guenevere.

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

#arthurian legend #arthuriana #arthurian mythology #arthurian legends #arthurian literature #lancelot #sir lancelot #lancelot du lac #vulgate #vulgate cycle #the vulgate #quotes #snowrassa #ask

[gawrkin]

LOL.

Go get him, girls.

#arthuriana #arthurian legend #arthurian mythology #arthurian legends #queen guinevere #sir lancelot #vulgate cycle #sir kay

[liminalpsych]

Okay, Arthuriana tumblr. What is this phenomenon called, why is it a thing, and why does it work?

I feel like I’m missing cultural context.

“Now I beg you to tell me who you are. Don’t hide it, by whatever you love most in the world.”

“On my honor,” said the king, “you’ve conjured me in such terms that I will tell you the truth.”

“Now I pray you,” she said, “in the name of whomever you love most in this world, to remove your helmet so I can see your face plainly.”

When he heard these words, he was sadder than words can express, but removed his helmet.

"by what you love most, tell me the thing you are reluctant to tell me"

"well, since you said it THAT way, now I HAVE to"

Only explanations I can think of:

Sociocultural context of the time/place that I’m missing (most likely)

Medieval Arthurian fanfic trope (very possibly)

Arthurian knights = fae

#vulgate cycle #Lancelot-grail #arthuriana #arthurian literature

[minaglobe]

The holder of the Grail

click for better quality!

So if you don't know, I have been working lately on an Arthurian retelling type of story. Stuff about it is on my main blog under the tags #mina's arthur thing and #the cycle of the grail.

Also I wrote a lot I haven't posted so if you wanna read feel free to dm me :D

The designs (plus one that I haven't drawn yet):

The kngihts from the background:

#art #my art #mina's Arthur thing #the cycle of the grail #yes that's a play on 'the vulgate cycle" #lancelot du lac #guinevere #arthur pendragon #percival #galahad #gawain #the green knight #dinadan #arthurian retelling #i wrote some cool lore for this story so if you are here from the tag feel free to go to my main and look around #anyway