Sir
Galahad
I came across an
old map of Logris this morning, and had a good laugh reflecting on my
recruitment of Sir Galahad, and his adventures in that strange land.
Years ago, before the round table was of the stature it is today, I had
to actively seek out knights to join my cause. Sir Galahad was one of
these early knights. I had heard of this courageous young man through
the grapevine, and in testing to see if he was a worthy of sitting at
the round table, I sent him on quite a quest.
I found a women on
the streets here in Camelot, and told her I would pay her handsomely if
she would lead an expedition. She agreed, and I sent her to the home of
Sir Galahad, far to the north. She arrived in the middle of the night
and woke him, not telling him she was sent by me, but explaining that
she knew of a great quest which required his presence. I remember the
woman told me after returning that Galahad was so excited upon hearing
this that he arose and fetched his sword and made ready, forgetting he
was in his stockings!
The woman led
Galahad for three days through forests and valleys on their way to the
sea. She took the longest road she knew, seeing if the knight would
grow aggravated and retire, but to his credit he did not. They reached
the sea and, leaving behind their horses, boarded a ship full of
peasants, which took them to the entrance of Logris. This ship does not
enter the land of Logris though; to go in, one must board a much
smaller vessel and sail around the whirlpool and between the two
towering rock obstacles at the entrance.
Once again on dry
land in Logris, the woman led Galahad to a small hut in the woods,
where lay a sword, half sheathed, there inside. Myths have told for
years that this sword lay unguarded because only the hands of a pure
knight might grasp it, and as no knights have much reason to go to
Logris, it remained there for years. This was said to be one of the
finest swords ever crafted, made by small gnomes from Logris. The myth
told that he who unsheathed it might carry it with him the rest of his
days. The woman explained all of this to Galahad, and later told me
that Galahad, extremely skeptical of the situation, slowly reached for
the sword. Eyes closed and looking the other way for fear his hand
might
rot off, or something else terrible, he grabbed the sword and
unsheathed it
quickly, and without harm, much to his satisfaction.
I had to know if
Sir Galahad was a suitable choice for my company, and if he was worthy
of trust. The sword of Logris proved to me he was. The woman had been
instructed to lead Galahad back to Camelot if he completed the quest
successfully. When he returned, I told him of everything, and Galahad
has had a seat here since.
Story: The
Adventure of Sir Galahad, King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table,
Andrew Lang, 1902.
Image: Sir
Galahad at the Secret Shrine, Rossetti Archive Textual
Transcription.
Author's Note: This version of the Adventure of Sir Galahad differs in
several ways from Andrew Lang's original version. First, Lang's version
of the story was written in the third person narrative style with no
identified narrator. King Arthur was not a part of the story at all. In
this version however, he is narrating the story.
In Lang's telling, a woman comes to Galahad and talks him into going on
a quest with her. However, this woman is not sent by King Arthur as she
is in my version. The woman leads Galahad to the shore of an ocean,
where they board a ship, just like in the retelling. But, in Lang's
story, they board a ship that is occupied by Sir Percivale and Sir
Bors. These two knights were left out of this version.
In Lang's story, the whirlpool presents a problem to the knights and
the gentlewoman. They must board a different ship to pass by a
whirlpool, and it is believed that only those of faith and without
hidden sin my pass. They are successful in their attempt. On the ship
they find a sword, and this is where the sword in my story comes in.
The sword on the ship may only be grasped by a very special knight. Sir
Bors and Sir Percivale both try, and neither are able to grasp it. They
plead with Galahad to try, and he is able to hold this special sword.
After this, the four leave the ship and set off on land to embark upon
a number of adventures, which are not talked about in Lang's story; it
is only said they set off on adventures.
There are
parallels between the sword in this story and the sword in Lang's
original version, but in my version, the sword was crafted by gnomes,
and it was found in a cottage in some woods instead of on a ship, as it
was in Lang's version.