| Sir Gareth | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Real Name |
Gareth |
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First Appearance |
The First Continuation of Perceval, the Story of the Grail |
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Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Gareth was a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is the youngest son of King Lot and Queen Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus making him Arthur's nephew, as well as brother to Gawain, Agravain and Gaheris, and either a brother or half-brother of Mordred. Gareth is particularly notable in Le Morte d'Arthur, where one of its eight books is named after and largely dedicated to him, and in which he is also known by his nickname Beaumains.
Gareth and his brothers defect from their father King Lot and take service with King Arthur, participating in the early battles against the Saxon invaders of Britain and in the war against King Claudas on the continent. As the youngest and often most chivalrous of the Orkney princes, Gareth later prevents his brothers Gawain and Agravain from killing their other sibling Gaheris in revenge for the murder of their mother the Queen of Orkney, condemns his brothers for their killing of Lamorak, and attempts to dissuade Agravain and Mordred (the youngest of the Orkney brothers) from exposing the secret love affair between Lancelot and Arthur's wife Queen Guinevere.
Gareth arrives unarmed in protest after he is ordered by King Arthur to help guard the execution of Queen Guinevere. Nevertheless, he ends up accidentally killed by the battle-mad Lancelot during the rescue of the queen, along with his brother Gaheris. Gawain refuses to allow Arthur to accept Lancelot's sincere apology for the deaths of his brothers. Lancelot genuinely mourns the death of Gareth, whom he loved closely like a son or younger brother, but Arthur is forced by Gawain's insistence to go to war against Lancelot. This leads to the splitting of the Round Table, Mordred's treachery in trying to seize Guinevere and the throne, Gawain's own death from an unhealed wound he suffered in his duel with Lancelot, and Arthur and Mordred slaying each other in the final battle.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
All Published appearances of Sir Gareth before January 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances can be found below:
- The First Continuation of Perceval, the Story of the Grail
- Le Morte d'Arthur
- Vulgate Cycle
- Prose Tristan
- Idylls of the King
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- New Comics #3
- Knights of the Round Table #1
- Four Color #540