Arthurian Characters

King Arthur

Son of Uther Pendragon and Lady Igraine; rules from Camelot with Queen Guinevere. Wields Excalibur and leads the Knights of the Round Table. Sources include Geoffrey of Monmouth and Thomas Malory (Le Morte d’Arthur). Taken to Avalon after the Battle of Camlann.

Merlin

Powerful wizard and advisor to Arthur. Identified dragons beneath Vortigern’s collapsing tower; credited with the Round Table and Stonehenge. Trapped in an enchanted tomb by Nimue/Vivien (the Lady of the Lake).

Queen Guinevere

Daughter of Leodegrance and wife of Arthur. Known for her illicit affair with Sir Lancelot. Rescued by Lancelot from being burned at the stake. Spent her final days in the Tower of London or a convent.

Sir Lancelot

Foremost Knight of the Round Table; called "du Lac" (raised by Lady of the Lake) and "Knight of the Cart." Fathered Sir Galahad with Elaine of Corbenic. His affair with Guinevere led to his exile in France.

Sir Galahad

Renowned for purity and honor; illegitimate son of Lancelot and Elaine. The only knight capable of sitting in the Siege Perilous. Successfully completed the quest for the Holy Grail alongside Percival and Bors.

Sir Percival

Knight raised in the woods who joined the Grail quest. Failed an early encounter with a bleeding lance but eventually healed the Fisher King. Named as the father of Lohengrin in Germanic sources.

Sir Gawain

Arthur’s nephew and son of Morgause. Hero of the 14th-century epic "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," involving a beheading game with Lord Bertilak.

Mordred

Arthur’s illegitimate son and traitor who usurped the throne while Arthur was in Gaul. Killed by Arthur at the Battle of Camlann.

Tristan and Iseult

Lovers who ingested a powerful potion. Tristan was a knight bringing Iseult to marry his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall. Their story inspired Richard Wagner’s opera "Tristan und Isolde."

The Lady of the Lake

Also known as Nimue or Vivien. Bestowed Excalibur upon Arthur, gave Merlin his powers, and raised Sir Lancelot. Frequently associated with the isle of Avalon.