Sir Bors

Sir Bors


As I was out riding early this morning, I came across an old man riding a donkey through the woods. The sight put quite a smile on my face, reminding me of my earliest encounters with Sir Bors. It was not that I met Bors riding a donkey through the woods; our terms of introduction were slightly more hostile. It was how he made his way to Camelot that I find amusing.

Sir Bors was from a small country village in the very far north. He knew nothing of Camelot in those early days when he first set out from his home. He would later tell me that just after leaving his village on his great quest to find some adventure, he came across an old man riding a donkey. Sir Bors, always very polite and proper, saluted him as they passed. The old man, clearly seeing an opportunity for some fun, stopped the young knight. After hearing Sir Bors' story of leaving home, he pulled the lad's leg a bit. He told him of a land in the south where fire fell from the sky. This got Sir Bors' attention, and he quickly turned south in search of this place, sure that it would fill his desire for adventure. Sir Bors did not at that time realize the old man was just having some fun teasing him.

This brings me to my first encounter with the young knight. I had been tracking a looter for several days, and my hunt had taken me to the bad lands of the south, an area filled with volcanoes. Apparently Sir Bors had found his way there several days earlier. Believing he had found the land the old man spoke of, he went wandering through it for days. Little did he know, it was not a place that many were fond of. Very few men ever entered those bad lands. Upon heading in, Sir Bors lost his way and could not get out. He hadn't seen a single person in quite some time, and being a little frightened by several days' worth of volcano eruptions, I think my appearance startled him. Trying to find this looter, I had been sneaking through the area making as little noise as possible. As I turned a corner, I happened upon this weary young knight, who quickly drew his sword and attacked me. It was not much of a battle, for the boy was exhausted and could barely swing his sword. I knew he was a knight by his armor and fighting tactics, and figured he was probably a bit delusional from the hardships of the land. I merely defended myself instead of looking to do harm to the boy. After only a few seconds, one of the volcanoes spit a load of hot ash right in between us, knocking us to the ground and torching our shields.

This was all Sir Bors could handle. The knight, having never seen or heard of a volcano, was frightened out of his mind by this fire-breathing sky the old man spoke to him of. His eyes were bigger than oranges after being knocked down by the hot burst of ash, and he fainted right in front of me as he tried to stand. I slung the young knight over his horse, and retired my hunt for the looter, returning to Camelot to give the boy a place to recover. It wasn't long before the boy came to his senses, and I then explained the situation to him. The knight was clearly embarrassed by his gullible character and his actions, and asked if he could stick around for a few days doing some work to make up for his attack on me. I agreed, and those few days has turned into many years... Sir Bors has been at Camelot ever since.


Cover Page

Sir Galahad



Image: How Sir Bors was Saved from Killing His Brother, H.J. Ford, King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table, 1902.

Story: The Adventure of Sir Bors, King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table, Andrew Lang, 1902.

Note: This retelling is quite different from Andrew Lang's original version. Here, King Arthur is the narrator, whereas Lang's version was told in the third person narrative with no specific narrator. This is a story of Arthur's earliest encounters with Sir Bors, while Lang's version was just a story of Sir Bors' adventures.

Lang's story has Sir Bors meet a man riding a donkey early in the story, but the encounter is quite different than in this retelling. The man in Lang's version is a holy man who takes communion with Sir Bors and gives him instructions for his quest. Sir Bors is actually in search of the Holy Graal. On his quest, Sir Bors comes across his brother, and they begin to battle. They are stopped by a burst of fire from the sky. In this retelling, Sir Bors fights King Arthur, and the burst of fire is actually ash sprayed from volcanoes in the area.

In Lang's story, Sir Bors finds a ship after battling his brother. On this ship is Sir Percivale, and the two sail off together. In this retelling, King Arthur cares for Sir Bors and returns to Camelot with him. The two versions of this story have their differences, but both use a burst of fire from the sky as a preventative event that becomes crucial to the story.

The next story tells of the adventures of Sir Galahad.



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