Galehaut (or Galaha ''l/u''t, Galeho ''l''t, Gallehau ''l''t, Galhault, Galetto, et al.) is a half-giant knight and sovereign prince in the

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...

. He is most prominent within the

Lancelot-Grail The ''Lancelot-Grail'', also known as the Vulgate Cycle or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is an early 13th-century French Arthurian literary cycle consisting of interconnected prose episodes of chivalric romance in Old French. The cycle of unknown author ...

prose cycle where he is a noble enemy turned an ally of King Arthur as well as an inseparable friend (and possible lover, according to some interpretations of the early 13th-century ''"Lancelot propre"'', from the

Vulgate Cycle The ''Lancelot-Grail'', also known as the Vulgate Cycle or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is an early 13th-century French Arthurian literary cycle consisting of interconnected prose episodes of chivalric romance in Old French. The cycle of unknown author ...

) of Arthur's champion Lancelot. The figure of Galehaut should not be mistaken with Lancelot's son,

Galahad Sir Galahad (), sometimes referred to as Galeas () or Galath (), among other versions of his name, is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Si ...

(which is also Lancelot's own birth name), and some other similarly named characters.

Legend

Galehaut, lord of the Distant Isles (''le sire des Isles Lointaines''), appears for the first time in the

Matter of Britain The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...

in the "Book of Galehaut" section of the early 13th-century Prose ''Lancelot Proper'', the central work in the series of anonymous

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intellig ...

prose romances collectively known as ''

'' (the Vulgate Cycle). An ambitious, towering figure of a man, he emerges from obscurity to challenge King Arthur for possession of Arthur's realm of

Logres Logres (among various other forms and spellings) is King Arthur's realm in the Matter of Britain. It derives from the medieval Welsh word '' Lloegyr'', a name of uncertain origin referring to South and Eastern England (''Lloegr'' in modern Welsh ...

. Though unknown to Arthur and his court, Galehaut has already conquered lands and acquired considerable power, loyal followers, and a reputation for personal valor and noble character. Both the Vulgate Cycle and the Prose ''Tristan'' describe him as "the son of the Fair Giantess" (''fils de la Bele Jaiande''), given the name Bagotta in ''

La Tavola Ritonda ''La Tavola Ritonda'' (''The Round Table'') is a 15th-century Italian Arthurian romance written in the medieval Tuscan language. It is preserved in a 1446 manuscript at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Florence (''Codex Palatinus 556''). It wa ...

'', and the evil human lord Brunor, both of whom are later killed by

Tristan Tristan (Latin/ Brythonic: ''Drustanus''; cy, Trystan), also known as Tristram or Tristain and similar names, is the hero of the legend of Tristan and Iseult. In the legend, he is tasked with escorting the Irish princess Iseult to we ...

who takes over their castle in the Prose ''Tristan''. Galehaut also has a sister, named Delice in the Prose ''Tristan'' and Riccarda in the Italian version ''I Due Tristani''. IRHT 17074 2 P

In the ensuing war, it becomes clear that Galehaut's army is going to win against Arthur's. However, Galehaut is so awed by the battlefield prowess of one of Arthur's knights, the mysterious

Black Knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...

, that for his sake he renounces a certain victory and surrenders to Arthur for a chance to spend a night alone with the enigmatic hero. The knight, who turns out to be the young Lancelot, gratefully accepts Galehaut's companionship. What follows is a tale of Galehaut's love for Lancelot, interpreted by some modern scholars as a chivalric bond and deep male friendship and by others as explicit homosexuality, in which Galehaut figures as the central character as he becomes the

tragic hero A tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragedy. In his ''Poetics'', Aristotle records the descriptions of the tragic hero to the playwright and strictly defines the place that the tragic hero must play and the kind of man he must be. Aristotle ba ...

in the story. Galehaut, just as he has surrendered to Arthur, gives way before Guinevere, yielding Lancelot to her. He also joins Arthur's Knights of the Round Table, and later gives refuge to Lancelot and Guinevere in his land of Sorelois during the False Guinevere episode. He ultimately dies at the age of 39 by longing for Lancelot, having been separated with him (Lancelot was first kidnapped by

Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay (, meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan ''n''a, Morgain ''a/e Morg ''a''ne, Morgant ''e Morge ''i''n, and Morgue ''inamong other names and spellings ( cy, Morgên y Dylwythen Deg, kw, Morgen an Spyrys), is a ...

and then went mad and disappeared) and after receiving false news of his death. Lancelot, at the end of his own life, is buried next to Galehaut at his castle of

Joyous Gard Joyous Gard (French ''Joyeuse Garde'' and other variants) is a castle featured in the Matter of Britain literature of the legend of King Arthur. It was introduced in the 13th-century French Prose ''Lancelot'' as the home and formidable fortress ...

in the tomb that he had built to consecrate and eternalise their companionship. Long after his death, Galehaut continues to be commonly recalled as an exemplar of greatness. Since the early 13th century, there have been numerous retellings of the life, loves and chivalry of Lancelot's career and the story of his adulterous liaison with Queen Guinevere has always been part of every significant account of King Arthur. The second, overlapping love story, however, the one related in the Prose ''Lancelot'', in which Galehaut sacrifices his power, his happiness, and ultimately his life for the sake of Lancelot, has been largely forgotten. The character himself reappears in a number of Arthurian tales, in several different languages, but without the same significance. The best known retelling in English, the 15th-century '' Le Morte d'Arthur'' of

Thomas Malory Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author of ''Le Morte d'Arthur'', the classic English-language chronicle of the Arthurian legend, compiled and in most cases translated from French sources. The most popular version of ''Le Morte d'Ar ...

, reduced him to just a relatively villainous minor "

frenemy "Frenemy" (also spelled "frienemy") is an oxymoron and a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy" that refers to "a person with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry" or "a person who combines the characteristics of a friend ...

" of Lancelot, leaving Guinevere without a rival for Lancelot's affections, besides also relating a part of the Tristan side of the story in the part "The Book of Sir Tristrams de Lyons". Malory however gives a reminiscence of Galehaut's traditional role to a similarly named but different Knight of the Round Table named Galahodin, a character taken from Galehaut's son in law and successor, Galehodin from the Vulgate (in the ''Tavola Ritonda'', Galehaut's heir is his son named Abastunagio). Malory furthermore created another of Lancelot's companions (and his own relative) similarly named Galyhod. In Italian romance ''Tristano Riccardiano'', Galehaut dies of his wounds following a duel with Tristan in an attempt to avenge the slaying of his parents, forgiving him in the end.

Legacy

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...

says in the fifth canto of ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'', ''Galehaut'' was the book that Paolo and Francesca had been reading, when they yield to their love. Dante mentions Galehaut nf. V, 137as both the book itself and the author of it, intermediary between Lancelot and the Queen. And

Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was some ...

, moved by the great lord's generosity, uses his name as the subtitle of his '' Decameron'' ("Il Principe Galeotto"). In Spanish, ''galeoto'' is still an archaic word for a pimp.galeoto
in the '' Diccionario de la Real Academia Española'', 22nd edition. Compare to the role of

Pandarus Pandarus or Pandar (Ancient Greek: Πάνδαρος ''Pándaros'') is a Trojan aristocrat who appears in stories about the Trojan War. In Homer's ''Iliad'' he is portrayed as an energetic and powerful warrior, but in medieval literature he b ...

in English culture. Subsequent novels, plays, poems, and films have accepted that simplification of the tale. Indeed, Galehaut has become so obscure that modern readers sometimes mistake the name for a mere variant of

. Galahad is the "pure", the "chosen" knight who achieves the quest for the

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracu ...

in a part of the Arthurian legend quite distinct from the story in which Galehaut appears. There is no connection between the two figures.

Legend

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading