Launcelot de Lake

Also known as: Sir Lancelot / Sir Launcelot / Sir Launcelot de Lake · Family: Arthurian · Role: knight · First appears: Book II, Chapter VIII

Life events

Merlin prophesies that Launcelot de Lake and Tristram will fight as the world's greatest knights.(Book II, Chapter VIII)
- With: Merlin Sir Tristram
- “Here shall be in this same place the greatest battle betwixt two knights that was or ever shall be”
Merlin revealed that only Launcelot or Galahad could wield Balin’s sword, foretelling Gawaine’s death.(Book II, Chapter XIX)
- With: Merlin Galahad Sir Gawaine
- “This is the cause, said Merlin: there shall never man handle this sword but the best knight of the world, and that shall be Sir Launcelot or else Galahad his son, and Launcelot with this sword shall slay the man that in the world he loved best, that shall be Sir Gawaine.”

courtship with Sir Tristram “Here shall be in this same place the greatest battle betwixt two knights that was or ever shall be, and the truest lovers, and yet none of them shall slay other. And there Merlin wrote their names upon the tomb with letters of gold that should fight in that place, whose names were Launcelot de Lake, and Tristram.”
rivals with Sir Tristram “Here shall be in this same place the greatest battle betwixt two knights that was or ever shall be, and the truest lovers, and yet none of them shall slay other. And there Merlin wrote their names upon the tomb with letters of gold that should fight in that place, whose names were Launcelot de Lake, and Tristram.”
with Sir Tristram (Merlin prophesies that they will fight and calls them the truest lovers.) “Here shall be in this same place the greatest battle betwixt two knights that was or ever shall be, and the truest lovers, and yet none of them shall slay other.”

child: Galahad (Launcelot is identified as Galahad's father.) “there shall never man handle this sword but the best knight of the world, and that shall be Sir Launcelot or else Galahad his son”
with Sir Gawaine (Merlin prophesies that Launcelot will slay Gawaine, whom he loves best.) “Launcelot with this sword shall slay the man that in the world he loved best, that shall be Sir Gawaine.”

rivals with Sir Gawaine “As the book rehearseth in French, there were many knights that overmatched Sir Gawaine, for all the thrice might that he had: Sir Launcelot de Lake, Sir Tristram, Sir Bors de Ganis, Sir Percivale, Sir Pelleas, and Sir Marhaus, these six knights had the better of Sir Gawaine.”
with Sir Gawaine (Sir Launcelot de Lake overmatched Sir Gawaine.) “As the book rehearseth in French, there were many knights that overmatched Sir Gawaine, for all the thrice might that he had: Sir Launcelot de Lake, Sir Tristram, Sir Bors de Ganis, Sir Percivale, Sir Pelleas, and Sir Marhaus, these six knights had the better of Sir Gawaine.”

with Damosel of the Lake (She arranged that Sir Pelleas would not encounter Sir Launcelot in jousts or tournaments.) “the Damosel of the Lake made by her means that never he had ado with Sir Launcelot de Lake, for where Sir Launcelot was at any jousts or any tournament, she would not suffer him be there that day, but if it were on the side of Sir Launcelot”
with Sir Pelleas (Sir Pelleas never had an encounter with Sir Launcelot because of the Damosel of the Lake’s arrangement.) “the Damosel of the Lake made by her means that never he had ado with Sir Launcelot de Lake”

Extracted from the original text of Le Morte d'Arthur. Made with Rho MD.