Galehaut

Galehaut (or Gallehault), Sire des Lointaines Isles (Lord of the Distant Isles) appears for the first time in Arthurian literature in the early-thirteenth-century prose Lancelot, the central work in the series of anonymous French prose romances collectively called the Lancelot-Grail or Arthurian Vulgate Cycle. An ambitious, towering figure of a man, he emerges from obscurity to challenge King Arthur for possession of his entire realm. Though unknown to Arthur and his court, Galehaut has already acquired considerable power, loyal followers, and a reputation for nobility of character. In the ensuing military engagements it is clear that Galehaut’s forces are more than capable of defeating Arthur’s. One thing alone prevents the challenger from succeeding: he is so awed by the battlefield performance of the King’s most ardent defender, that for his sake he renounces certain victory and surrenders to Arthur. Lancelot gratefully accepted Galehaut’s companionship. What follows is a tale of friendship and self-denial, in which Galehaut figures as a major—indeed, as the pivotal — character: he becomes the doomed person in the story. For Lancelot, just as he has surrendered to King Arthur, he will give way before Guenevere, yielding the young Lancelot to her in an especially memorable scene. Lancelot forever has this profound attachment to Galehaut.