Character Study: King Lot

In Arthurian legend, King Lot is generally the king of Lothian and sometimes Orkney and Norway ^GM as well. There is historical basis as there appears to have been a king in the fifth century in the Lothian area who was headquartered near Edinburgh. ^RC

Lot is typically considered the father of Sir Gawain, one of the Knights of the Round Table. Depending on the source, he is married either to King Arthur's half-sister Anna ^GM or Morgause. ^TM There is even an argument to be made that he was married to Morgan Le Fay. ^RL

Lot is sometimes portrayed as an ally of Arthur's ^GM and at other times the leader of a rebellion against him. Some accounts have Lot taking over the British armies after Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father, became ill. However, when Uther died and Arthur was named king, Lot rebelled. ^EBK In some versions, Lot is defeated at Bedegraine and then becomes Arthur's ally. ^PV In other versions of the story, Lot remains a bitter enemy of Arthur until he is killed by King Pellinore. ^TM

King Lot as portrayed by James Perefoy in 2011's 'Camelot,'
image from violetjovovich.blogspot.com

In Otter and Arthur and the Round Table, Lot is King Arthur's primary enemy. Lot had a bitter rivalry with Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father, and maintained his desire to destroy the family after Arthur came to power. This hatred against Arthur is deepened when Lot marries Arthur's sister, Morgan (a composite of Anna, Morgause, and Morgan Le Fay). They bear a child, Mordred, who will maintain the hatred against Arthur.

Also see Morgan's character study.

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Resources:

• ^RC Ronan Coghlan The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends Barnes & Noble Books. (1993)
• ^EBK EarlyBritishKingdoms.com
• ^GM Geoffrey of Monmouth Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136)
• KingArthursKnights.com
• ^RL Wikipedia entry on Roger Sherman Loomis (authority on Arthurian literature)
• ^TM Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (1485)
• ^PV Post-Vulgate Cycle (c. 1230-1240)
• Wikipedia entry on King Lot

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Character Study: Sir Kay

Sir Kay (aka Cai, Caius, Cei, Kai, Kei, Kes, Keu, Kex, or Queux) is one of the earliest figures to appear in Arthurian legend, having surfaced in the tenth century poem Pa Gur, classic early Welsh texts such as Culwch and Olwen, and the 12th century French poem Tristan and Iseult. The Vulgate Cycle and Le Morte d’Arthur established the story of Kay’s father, Sir Ector, adopting Arthur and raising him as Kay’s foster brother. When Arthur became king, Kay became the senseschal at Camelot, which meant he oversaw operations at the castle such as the supervision of the servants. He was one of the first Knights of the Round Table. The works of Chrétien de Troyes depicted Kay as a troublemaker prone to incompetence, stubbornness, bragging, and a volatile temper. He is often depicted of manipulative of his brother, but ultimately as one of Arthur’s most loyal knights. Different accounts have Kay being killed by the Romans or in the war against Mordred, Arthur’s traitorous son. The 13th century French Arthurian romance Perlesvaus is one of the few sources which characterizes Kay as a traitor with him murdering Arthur’s son, Loholt.

image from tumblr.com/tagged/sir kay of Peter Mooney as Kay in the Starz TV series, Camelot

Otter and Arthur and the Sword in the Stone follows Kay and Arthur as they are tutored by Merlin. The book unfolds the familiar tale of Arthur as a squire for Kay in a jousting tournament. Arthur searches frantically for a replacement when Kay’s sword turns up missing and ends up pulling the sword from the stone and becoming king. In the sequel, Otter and Arthur and the Round Table, Kay has been made seneschal at Camelot, but is secretly plotting against his brother. He aligns himself with Arthur’s bitterest enemies – King Lot and Morgan, Lot’s wife and Arthur’s half-sister. Resources: Anonymous Culhwch and Olwen (c. 1100) Chrétien de Troyes Lancelot, le Chevalier de la Charrette (Lancelot, the King of the Cart) (c. 1162) Chrétien de Troyes Perceval, le Conte du Graal (Perceval, the Story of the Grail) (c. 1180) Ronan Coghlan (1993). The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends Barnes & Noble Books. EarlyBritishKingdoms.com KingArthursKnights.com Sir Thomas Malory Le Morte d'Arthur (1485) Perlesvaus (early 13th century) Vulgate Cycles (c. 1225-1240) WK Wikipedia.org: Sir Kay

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