Sir Galahad 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 Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Carbonek and is renowned for his gallantry and purity. He is perhaps the knightly embodiment of Jesus in the Arthurian legends. He first appears in the Lancelot-Grail cycle, and his story is taken up in later works such as the Post-Vulgate Cycle and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur.
Early Life[]
The circumstances surrounding the conception of the boy Galahad are explained by Malory and derive from the Lancelot-Grail cycle: Elaine, the daughter of King Pelles (the Fisher King), uses magic to trick Sir Lancelot into thinking that she is Queen Guinevere, who Lancelot loves. Sir Lancelot and Elaine sleep together; on discovering the deception, Lancelot at first tries to kill Elaine for her complicity. Upon realizing that they have conceived a son together, he is immediately forgiving, though he returns to Camelot rather than marrying or remaining with Elaine.
The young Galahad is born and placed in the care of a great aunt, who is an abbess at a nunnery, to be raised there. According to the Vulgate Cycle, "Galahad" was Lancelot's original name, but it was changed when he was a child. At his birth, therefore, Galahad is given his father's own original name. Merlin prophesies that Galahad will surpass his father in valour and be successful in his search for the Holy Grail.
Quest for the Holy Grail[]
George Reeves in The Adventures of Sir Galahad
Upon reaching adulthood, Galahad is reunited with his father Sir Lancelot, who knights him at King Arthur's court at Camelot during Pentecost, where he is accompanied by a very old knight who immediately leads him over to the Round Table and unveils his seat at the Siege Perilous, an unused chair that has been kept vacant for the sole person who will accomplish the quest of the Holy Grail. Sir Galahad is promptly invited to become a Knight of the Round Table, and soon afterwards, King Arthur's court witnesses an ethereal vision of the Holy Grail. The quest to seek out this holy object is begun at once. Galahad for the most part travels alone, smiting his enemies, rescuing Sir Perceval from twenty knights and saving maidens in distress, until he is finally reunited with Sir Bors and Sir Perceval. These three knights then come across Sir Perceval’s sister who leads them to the grail ship. After many adventures, Sir Galahad and Sir Perceval find themselves at the court of King Pelles and Eliazar, his son. These men are very holy and they bring Galahad into a room where he is finally allowed to see the Holy Grail. Galahad is asked to take the vessel to the holy city of Sarras.
After seeing the grail, Galahad makes request that he may die at the time of his choosing. So it is, while making his way back to Arthur’s court, Sir Galahad is visited by Joseph of Arimathea, and thus experiences such glorious rapture that he makes his request to die. After bidding Perceval and Bors farewell, Galahad is taken up to heaven by angels.
Alternate Legends[]
Though Galahad is best known as a pure knight connected with the Holy Grail, a few medieval manuscripts portray him quite differently, particularly those which are rooted in Celtic myths. For example, in The Story of the Crop-Eared Dog, Galahad goes on a violent quest for revenge, accompanied by a knight who has been transformed into a monstrous dog. While on the quest, Galahad marries. This is very atypical of his behavior in the Grail legends, as is his invocation of multiple gods, reflecting earlier religious traditions. Galahad survives the quest, and it is suggested that he will succeed Arthur as king.
Media[]
- In the 1998 miniseries Merlin, the title character meets Galahad and his parents while looking for a suitable regent for Camelot while Arthur searches for the Grail. Merlin brings Lancelot back with him, and after the sorrows that subsequently befall Camelot, the Lady of the Lake reveals that Merlin was meant to pick Galahad and that his mistake proves how human he truly is.
- Galahad is a major character in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where his near-seduction in the Castle of Maidens ironically contrasts his reputation as eternally chaste. He also appears in Spamalot, its musical adaptation, though the Castle incident is omitted.