Sir Gareth

Also known as: Beaumains / Gareth / Gareth of Orkney / Sir Beaumains / Sir Gareth of Orkney · Family: Orkney · Role: son of King Lot’s wife · First appears: Book I, Chapter XIX

In Book I, Gareth came to King Arthur’s court with his mother, Dame Morgawse, and his brothers Sir Gawaine, Sir Gaheris, and Agravine, while Sir Mordred was also his brother through their mother. His father was King Lot, and in Book VI Sir Kay called him Beaumains. In Book VII, he revealed his kinship to Sir Launcelot—“Then, sir, he said, my name is Gareth, and brother unto Sir Gawaine of father and mother.”—and Sir Launcelot gave him knighthood. Though King Arthur had given him food for a year and permitted him to pursue Linet’s adventure, Queen of Orkney later reproached the court for making her son a kitchen knave.

As Beaumains, Gareth rescued a captive knight, travelled with Linet through perilous passages, and fought the knights who opposed him. At Sir Gringamore’s castle he demanded the return of his dwarf, then accepted Sir Gringamore’s hospitality and remained near Dame Lionesse, who revealed that she had caused the dwarf’s removal. Gareth and Dame Lionesse pledged themselves to one another—“And then they troth-plight each other to love, and never to fail whiles their life lasteth.”—while Linet staunched and healed his wounds and Dame Lionesse lent him a ring for the tournament. Gareth defeated many knights and kings, including Sir Ironside, Sir Persant, Sir Perimones, Pertolepe, and the Duke de la Rowse, who afterward gave him homage and fealty. After fighting Sir Gawaine, the brothers reconciled through Linet’s intervention, and King Arthur approved Gareth’s love for Dame Lionesse. They married at Michaelmas, and several knights and lords entered Gareth’s service.

In later books, Gareth was companion to Sir Dinadan, Sir Palomides, Sir Tristram, Sir Ironside, and others, and he joined Sir Gawaine and Sir Uwaine in battle and quest. He left his brothers’ company because he understood them to be murderers of good knights, yet he continued to fight beside Sir Gawaine on the quest and later aided Sir Launcelot while disguised, defeating more than thirty knights. King Arthur then promised to love and trust him more. At Carlisle, Sir Launcelot accidentally slew Gareth and Sir Gaheris amid the fighting; Sir Gawaine asked why he had killed Gareth, who had loved him above all men, and Sir Launcelot afterward acknowledged that he had slain his own friend.