Sir Gareth /ˈɡærəθ/ was a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian Legend. He was the youngest son of Lot and of Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus making him Arthur's nephew, as well as brother to Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, and half brother of Mordred. He is the subject of Book VII in Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, which tells how he became a knight.
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According to Malory's tale Gareth comes to Camelot in disguise as a kitchen boy and is set to work by Kay, who always gives him difficult work, teases him as a lowly kitchen boy and nicknames him "Beaumains" or "Good Hands" (alternatively "Beautiful Hands" or "Fair Hands"). Gareth goes to the aid of Lynette (sometimes Lyonet, Lyonette, or Linet), to save her sister Lyonesse (or Lyonorr) from the Red Knight of the Red Lands. He is accompanied by the dwarf Melot, who knows his true identity.
However, Lynette takes Gareth as a mere kitchen boy and constantly derides him. On the way he defeats the impressive Sir Perarde, Black Knight, and takes his armor and horse. He then meets Sir Pertolope, the Green Knight, who mistakes him for his brother, the Black Knight. Lynette tells the Green Knight that he is a kitchen boy and begs him to rid her of him. Gareth overcomes the Green Knight but spares his life in return for the knight's swearing to serve him. He then in much the same fashion defeats Sir Perymones, the Puce Knight (sometimes the Red Knight but not to be confused with the one of the Red Lands), and Sir Persaunte (Persant of Inde), the Indigo Knight, both of whom also swear to serve him.
Lynette finally sees that Gareth's calm acceptance of her abuse is very knightly and that he must be a very good knight indeed. He arrives at Lyonesse's castle, where she is besieged by the Sir Ironside, Red Knight of the Red Lands. He fights him all day and finally prevails, although the Red Knight had the strength of seven men. He intends to kill him as he himself had slaughtered all the other knights who came to save the lady Lyonesse but the Red Knight explains that he was doing so because the lady he loved made him swear to kill Lancelot and the only way to get his attention was to kill the knights. Gareth spares him, making him swear to serve him and also go to Arthur's castle and apologize to Lancelot. Afterwards, and despite some difficulties, Gareth marries Lyonesse. [1]
Some years later Gareth is killed accidentally (along with his brother Gaheris), by Lancelot, during the rescue of Guinevere. This leads to the final tragedy of Arthur's Round Table; Gawain refuses to allow King Arthur (his Uncle) to accept Lancelot's (truly sincere) apology for the deaths of his two brothers. Lancelot genuinely mourns the death of Gareth, whom he almost loved like a son, or younger brother. But Arthur is forced by Gawain's and Mordred's insistence to go to war against Lancelot, (in spite of the fact that Mordred's grief is largely faked, due to his desire to become King). This leads to the splitting of the Round Table, Mordred's treachery in trying to seize the throne and Guinevere, Gawain's death from an old unhealed wound, and finally Arthur and Mordred slaying each other in a last battle.
The legend of Gareth and Lynette has been reinterpreted by many writers and poets, the most renowned being Alfred Lord Tennyson in Idylls of the King. In this version the "colored" knights are replaced by knights associated with various times of day: the final knight is known as Night or Death and is the most feared of the three though ultimately the weakest. Gareth marries Lynette.
In other versions Gareth marries Lynette's sister, whom he rescues, and Gaheris marries Lynette. Theodore Goodridge Roberts authored the short story "For To Achieve Your Adventure", in which Lynette knows she is sending Gareth into an ambush, and her derision is an attempt to make him give up for his own protection. Vera Chapman's novel The King's Damosel gives a complete version of Lynette's life.
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