The Knights of the Round Table are the knightly members of the legendary fellowship of King Arthur in the literary cycle of the Matter of Britain, in which the first written record of them appears in the Roman de Brut written by the Norman poet Wace in 1155. In the Arthurian romance tradition, the Knights are an order in the service of Arthur, tasked with ensuring the peace of the kingdom and charged with leading the quest for the Holy Grail. The Round Table at which they met was supposed to represent the equality of all the members. Different stories presented different numbers of the Knights, ranging from only 12 to as many as 150 or more.
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Their total number (always symbolic) and the names vary depending on the text. The first sources state 24, 36 or 72. For Robert de Boron, for whom the Round Table is a replica of the table of the Last Supper, they are fifty. In some versions, including Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, they are 150 ("three times fifty" is a phrase that is often found in Welsh or Irish texts, which means "a large number" or even "immeasurable"). Bedivere, Gawain and Kay are the oldest characters associated with Arthur. Those most popular and best known today may include:
| Knights of the Round Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Other names | Introduction | Other medieval works | Notes |
| Aglovale | Agloval, Sir Aglovale de Galis | The Life of Sir Aglovale de Galis | King Pellinore's eldest son | |
| Agravain | Agravaine | Lancelot-Grail, Le Morte d'Arthur | Second son of King Lot (of either Lothian or Orkney) and Arthur's sister Morgause | |
| Arthur | Arthur Pendragon, Arturus | Y Gododdin, c. 7th century | Many | High King of the Britons, ruler of Logres and lord of Camelot |
| Bagdemagus | Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, 1170s | Meleagant's father and ruler of Gorre | ||
| Bedivere | (Welsh: Bedwyr, French: Bédoier) Bedevere | Pa Gur yv y Porthaur, c. 10th century | Vita Cadoc, Culhwch and Olwen, Stanzas of the Graves, Welsh Triads, Historia Regum Britanniae, Le Morte d'Arthur, numerous others | Returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake, brother to Lucan |
| Bors the Younger | Son of Bors the Elder, father of Elyan the White; in some versions Arthur's successor | |||
| Brunor | Breunor le Noir, La Cote Male Taile ("The Badly-shaped Coat") | Knight who wears his murdered father's coat, brother of Dinadan and Daniel | ||
| Cador | (Latin: Cadorius) | Historia Regum Britanniae, The Dream of Rhonabwy | Raised Guinevere as his ward, father to Constantine, described in some works as Arthur's cousin | |
| Calogrenant | Colgrevance, Cynan | Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, 1170s | Le Morte d'Arthur | Cousin to Sir Yvain |
| Caradoc | (Latin: Caractacus) (Welsh: Caradog Freichfras, meaning Caradoc Strong Arm) (French: Carados Briefbras) | Perceval, the Story of the Grail, the Mabinogion | Rebelled against Arthur when he first became king, but later supported him. Sometimes two characters, Caradoc the Elder (a king) and Caradoc the Younger (a knight) | |
| Claudin | Lancelot-Grail, Le Morte d'Arthur | Virtuous son of the villain Claudas | ||
| Constantine III of Britain | Historia Regum Britanniae, c. 1136 | Le Morte d'Arthur | Arthur's cousin and successor to his throne, Cador's son | |
| Dagonet | Arthur's court jester | |||
| Daniel von Blumenthal | Daniel von Blumenthal, 1220 | Knight found in an early German offshoot of Arthurian legend | ||
| Dinadan | Prose Tristan, 1230s | Le Morte d'Arthur | Son of Sir Brunor the Senior | |
| Ector | Hector, Antor, Ectorius | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | Le Morte d'Arthur | Raises Arthur according to Merlin's command, father to Kay |
| Elyan the White | (French: Helyan le Blanc) | Son of Bors | ||
| Erec | Unclear; first literary appearance as Erec in Erec and Enide, c. 1170 | See Geraint and Enid | Son of King Lac | |
| Esclabor | Exiled Saracen king, father of Palamedes, Safir, and Segwarides | |||
| Feirefiz | Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, early 13th century | Half-brother to Percival and King Arthur's nephew | ||
| Gaheris | Le Morte d'Arthur | Son of King Lot and Morgause, brother to Gawain, Agravaine, and Gareth, and half-brother to Mordred | ||
| Galahad | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur | Bastard son of Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic, the main achiever of the Holy Grail | |
| Galehault | Galehalt, Galehaut | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | A half-giant foreign king, a former enemy of Arthur who becomes close to Lancelot | |
| Galeschin | Galeshin | The Vulgate Cycle | Son of Elaine of Garlot and King Nentres, nephew of Arthur | |
| Gareth | Beaumains | Le Morte d'Arthur, Idylls of the King | Also a son of King Lot and Morgause, in love with Lyonesse | |
| Gawain | (Latin: Walwanus, Welsh: Gwalchmai, Irish: Balbhuaidh) | Culhwch and Olwen, c. 11th century | Conte du Graal, Lancelot-Grail cycle, Prose Tristan,Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Le Morte d'Arthur and many short Middle English romances | Another son of King Lot and Morgause, father of Gingalain |
| Geraint | Geraint and Enid | Enid's lover | ||
| Gingalain | Guinglain, Gingalin, Gliglois, Wigalois, etc., also Le Bel Inconnu, or The Fair Unknown | Le Bel Inconnu | Gawain's son | |
| Gornemant | Gurnemanz | Perceval, the Story of the Grail | Parzival | Mentor to Perceval |
| Griflet | Girflet, Jaufre | Jaufré | A cousin to Lucan and Bedivere | |
| Hector de Maris | Ector de Maris | Quest du Saint Graal (Vulgate Cycle) | Half-brother of Lancelot, son of King Ban; Bors and Lionel are his cousins | |
| Hoel | (Welsh: Howel, Hywel) | The Dream of Rhonabwy, Geraint and Enid | Son of King Budic of Brittany, father to St. Tudwal | |
| Kay | (Welsh: Cai, Latin: Caius) | Pa Gur yv y porthaur? 10th century | Many | Ector's son, foster brother to Arthur |
| Lamorak | Prose Tristan, c. 1235 | Lancelot-Grail Cycle | Son of King Pellinore, brother to Tor, Aglovale, Percival, and Dindrane. Lover of Morgause | |
| Lancelot | Lancelot du Lac, Lancelot of the Lake, Launcelot | Erec and Enide, c. 1170 | Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, Lancelot-Grail, many others | Son of King Ban from France, most famous for his affair with Queen Guinevere, father of Galahad. Most prominent Knight of the Round Table |
| Lanval | Landevale, Launfal, Lambewell | Marie de France's Lanval, late 12th century | Sir Landevale, Sir Launfal, Sir Lambewell | Enemy of Guinevere |
| Leodegrance | Leondegrance | Guinevere's father, King of Cameliard | ||
| Lionel | Lancelot-Grail, early 13th century | Son of King Bors of Gaunnes (or Gaul), brother of Bors the Younger | ||
| Lucan | Sir Lucan the Butler | Le Morte d'Arthur | Servant to King Arthur, Bedivere's brother, Griflet's cousin | |
| Maleagant | Malagant, Meleagant, perhaps Melwas | Unclear, a similar character named "Melwas" appears in the 12th century Life of Gildas | Lancelot-Grail, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur | Abductor of Guinevere |
| Mordred | Modred (Welsh: Medrawd, Latin: Medraut) | Annales Cambriae, c. 970 | Many | In the Rond Table stories, Arthur illegitimate son through Morgause |
| Morholt | Marhalt, Morold, Marhaus | Tristan poems of Béroul and Thomas of Britain, 12th century | Tristan poems of Eilhart von Oberge, Gottfried von Strassburg, Prose Tristan, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur | Irish knight, rival of Tristan, uncle of Iseult |
| Morien | Moriaen | Dutch romance Morien, 13th century | Half-Moorish son of Aglovale | |
| Pelleas | Pellias | Post-Vulgate Cycle, 1230s | Le Morte d'Arthur | In love with Ettarre, later lover of Nimue |
| Pellinore | Lancelot-Grail, Post-Vulgate Cycle | King of Listenoise and friend to Arthur | ||
| Percival | (Welsh: Peredur) Perceval, Parzifal | As Percival, Erec and Enide, c. 1170 | Perceval, the Story of the Grail, Lancelot-Grail, many | Achiever of the Holy Grail; King Pellinore's son in some tales |
| Safir | Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, Prose Tristan | Son to King Esclabor, brother of Segwarides and Palamedes | ||
| Sagramore | Sagramor | Lancelot-Grail, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Prose Tristan, Le Morte d'Arthur | Ubiquitous Knight of the Round Table; various stories and origins are given for him | |
| Segwarides | Le Morte d'Arthur, Prose Tristan | Son of Esclabor, brother of Safir and Palamedes | ||
| Tor | Le Morte d'Arthur | Son of King Ars, adopted by Pellinore | ||
| Tristan | (Latin/Brythonic: Drustanus; Welsh: Drystan; Portuguese: Tristão; Spanish: Tristán) Tristran, Tristram, etc. | Beroul's Roman de Tristan | The two Folies Tristans, Marie de France's Chevrefeuil, Eilhart von Oberge, Gottfried von Strassburg, Prose Tristan, Post-Vulgate Cycle, Le Morte d'Arthur | King Mark's son or relative, Iseult's lover |
| Urien | Uriens | Historical figure | Welsh Triads | King of Rheged (or Gorre), father of Yvain (Owain mab Urien), husband of Morgan le Fay |
| Yvain | (Welsh: Owain) Ywain, Ewain or Uwain | Based on the historical figure Owain mab Urien | Historia Brittonum, Yvain, the Knight of the Lion | King Urien's son |
| Yvain the Bastard | Ywain the Adventurous, Uwain le Avoutres | |||