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Medieval legends are a huge layer of human culture. They had a strong influence on the consciousness of the people of those times and on the development of literature.
The knight is the main character of the legends, the image of the hero. It was the knights who were endowed with nobility, honor, generosity. A great many legends have been created, and each has its own hero. The article tells the stories of the most famous knights.
10 Lohengrin – Knight of the Swan
Once Princess Elsa, after the death of her father, wanted to marry the cruel knight Telramund. Elsa’s father never agreed to this marriage, but the knight claimed otherwise.
Elsa’s honor needed to be defended in a duel, but no one wanted to mess with Telramund. The noble knight of the Swan came to her aid.
Later, she and Elsa got married, but on the condition that she never find out her husband’s real name. The curiosity of his wife won, and the couple had to disperse.
The knight revealed the secret – his name was Lohengrin. He was a knight of the Holy Grail who arrived in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden in distress. The virgin could not be asked about his origin. Lohengrin had to leave, and Elsa could not stand the separation from her husband and died.
9. Tristan
The character of the popular Celtic legend about the sublimity of love. The name of the knight in translation means “sad”.
Tristan went on a journey for the girl Iseult, whom his king Mark wanted to marry. The knight saved her from the dragon. The young people fell in love with each other, but Iseult had to marry King Mark. The knight’s ill-wishers told Mark about Tristan’s relationship with his wife. The ruler was angry, but soon forgave them.
He sent Tristan to seek his happiness in other countries. He died during the fight. Isolde came to her lover and died nearby from grief. King Mark ordered that the young people be buried together on the ocean.
8. Siegfried
This hero had a huge impact on the development of German romanticism. Siegfried, or Sigurd, is famous for having killed the dragon. According to one version, the knight smeared himself with his blood and gained invulnerability. Further, the story resembles the ancient Greek myth of Achilles.
Siegfried had only one vulnerable spot left – a small area on his back. Once he helped the king to woo the Irish queen. To do this, he secretly participated in a jousting tournament instead of the ruler. When the deception was revealed, the queen forced her vassal to take revenge on Sigurd. While hunting, a servant speared him in the only weak spot on his back.
7. Gawain
One of the Knights of the Round Table and the most popular characters from the King Arthur series. In addition, his nephew and possible heir to the throne. The name comes from the word “hawk”.
Gawain was a famous adventurer and darling of women. His name appears in numerous medieval novels. In the 13th century, he became an object of imitation and the embodiment of the “knight-errant”.
In all legends, the character is noble and bold. Unlike many other heroes, Gawain is already an adult with a mature character. A knight seeks adventure not out of lofty goals, but out of a love of danger.
6. In Galahad
The illegitimate son of Lancelot, he also became a Knight of the Round Table.
Galahad was one of the seekers of the Holy Grail. The knight was so pure and pure that, unlike his comrades, he could contemplate the holy cup for a long time.
One day he found a sword stuck in a stone. The inscription on the stone said that only the best of the knights could draw the weapon.
The hero did it with ease. After the deed, King Arthur proclaimed Galahad the greatest knight that ever lived.
5. Percival (Parzival)
The knight is also included in the cycle of works about the knights of the Round Table. He participated in the search for the Holy Grail, during which he was able to remove the old curse from himself, but his purity was not enough to see the cup for more than a moment.
4. Lancelot of the Lake
All his life Lancelot loved Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur, and faithfully served her. According to one version, Gwen cheated on her husband with a knight. According to others, there was no betrayal. However, the search for the Holy Grail turned out to be meaningless for Lancelot, for some reason he was sinful and could not even see the cup.
It is also interesting that the knight conceived a son, Galahad, from a woman who took the form of Guinevere.
Most versions are inclined to believe that the hero still had a connection with the queen. This explains the reasons for the confusion in Camelot and the pursuit of Arthur.
3. King Arthur
Historians admit the existence of a prototype of Arthur in real life. King Arthur is the center of the British epic, the legends about him have not lost their fame for several centuries.
Arthur is said to be the son of King Uther Pendragon. The wizard Merlin endowed the boy with courage and strength. After the death of Uther, the country plunged into chaos, and only Arthur reunited the kingdom.
During the turmoil due to the betrayal of Guinevere with the knight Lancelot, Arthur went in pursuit of him. The king left his nephew, Mordred, as viceroy. He turned out to be a traitor, and trouble began again in Britain. The real ruler returned and killed him, but also died himself. The sad ladies took the dying Arthur by boat to the island of Avalon. As legend has it, Arthur will return when Britain needs to be rescued.
2. Sid Campeador
This is a historical figure, military, political figure and hero of Spanish legends. “Kampeador” is translated as a military genius or a winner. Sid is considered a hero, he fought against tyrants regardless of their religion.
At first, Cid served King Sancho II, then his brother, Alfonso. Campeador until the last days defended his state from conquest. When Sid died in battle, his wife put armor on him and put him on a horse so that the morale of the army would not fall at the sight of the deceased governor.
1. Roland
The best knight of Charlemagne is mentioned in historical documents only once. During the next battle, Roland, dying, blew his horn. The king heard this, returned to the opponents and avenged them for the death of the best fighter.
Roland has been considered a symbol of the ideal warrior since the 11th century. Glory came to him after writing the French heroic writing “The Song of Roland”. This song was very popular not only in France, but throughout Europe. It praises the courage of the knight, tells about his exploits.
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