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Arthurian Fiction

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ab Uthyr, Beardsley, d'Acqs, de Borron and 15 others
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Profiles

  • King Arthur, Vulgate Cycle (deceased)
    See also: Arthur ab Uthyr, {Fictional, Early Welsh Texts} Early French Vulgate Cycle, dating from the early 13th Century, is also called the Lancelot-Grail . See
  • King Arthur, Chretien de Troyes Text (deceased)
    See also: Arthur ab Uthyr, {Fictional, Early Welsh Texts} de Troye's text, written in Old French, dates from the 2nd half of the 12th Century. Full texts are available online:
  • King Arthur, Malory Text (deceased)
    See also: Arthur ab Uthyr, {Fictional, Early Welsh Texts} Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur , composed in the middle of the 15th century, and published in 1485 by William Caxton, is the version of the Arthuri...
  • King Arthur of Britain, {Fictional, Monty Python Text} (c.490 - c.537)
  • Terry Gilliam
    Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam (1940-) is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor, comedian and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Terry's trademark

Arthurian Fiction is a sub-project of Fictional Genealogy. This project collects and identifies people for whom no historical evidence exists. Use this project for people who are medieval inventions from the many stories of Arthurian romance.

The Many Strands of Tradition

There are several strands of tradition blended into our modern idea of King Arthur:

1. The truly archaic sources, such as Nennius. Not much genealogy there, but this is where we might see the historic Arthur.

2. The Welsh tradition, which has Arthur at the center of a group of people descended from Amlawdd Wledig, king of the Britons.

3. The pseudo-historical account of Geoffrey of Monmouth (c1136), which differs in some major ways from the Welsh tradition. Minor additions from adaptations by Wace (Roman de Brut, 1155), and Layamon (Brut, c1200).

4. The romances of Chrétien de Troyes (late 12th century) and his successors, which turned the Arthurian material into a rollicking good time and a lot of purely invented (and often allegorical) genealogy.

5. Robert de Boron (early 13th century) seems to have been the person responsible for merging the Arthurian Quest for the Holy Grail with Christian themes to produce the story we have today. in two works, Joseph d'Arimathe and Merlin, he developed the story that Joseph of Arimathea used the cup from the Last Supper to catch the last drops of blood from Jesus's body. This cup became the Holy Grail, which Joseph's family brought to the vaus d'Avaron, the valleys of Avaron in the west, which later poets changed to Avalon and identified with Glastonbury, where they guarded it until the time of King Arthur and the coming of Perceval.

Arthurian Trees on Geni

Genealogies

In medieval times King Arthur was regarded as an historical person, so there are several manuscript genealogies that purport to give his ancestry. An easy-to-use summary and comparison of the different manuscripts appears at King Arthur's Pedigree and Family: A Sourcebook.

Descent of Arthur

Welsh Tradition

  1. Llŷr
  2. Brân
  3. Caradoc
  4. Cynan
  5. Cadwr
  6. Eudaf
  7. Morfawr
  8. Tudwal
  9. Cynfawr
  10. Custennin ("Constantine")
  11. Uthyr Pendragon
  12. Arthur

Reference: Bonedd yr Arwyr (Descent of the Heroes), Mostyn MS. 117, late 13th century.

Descent of Igraine

Welsh Tradition

  1. Llŷr
  2. Brân (Bendigeid Vran)
  3. Karadoc
  4. Evdaf
  5. Kynan
  6. Kadien
  7. Gwrvawr
  8. Ffrwdwr
  9. Kynwal
  10. Amlawdd
  11. Igraine

Reference: Bonedd yr Arwyr (Descent of the Heroes), Mostyn MS. 117, late 13th century.

According to John of Glastonbury c1350

  1. Helaius
  2. Joshua
  3. Aminabad
  4. Castellors
  5. Manael
  6. Lambord
  7. (unnamed son)
  8. Igraine

According to Gruffudd Hiraethog (died 1564)

  1. Evgen
  2. Joshua
  3. Garcelot
  4. Manael
  5. Lambor
  6. Amalawdd
  7. Igraine

Descent of Sir Lancelot

In the Vulgate / Post-Vulgate Tradition

  1. Nascien
  2. Celdioine
  3. Narpus
  4. Nascien
  5. Eian
  6. Jonaans
  7. Lancelot
  8. Ban
  9. Lancelot, married Elaine
    1. Galahad

Family of Arthur

Welsh Tradition

  1. Uthyr Pendragon, married Eigr (daughter of Amlawdd / Anlawd Wledig)
    1. Arthur, married Gwenhwyfar (daughter of King Ogrfan / Gogrfan Gawr, and sister of Gwenhwyach)
      1. Kyduan / Cydfan, son of Arthur and Eleirch (daughter of Iaen)
      2. Amr / Anir / Amhar, son of Arthur
      3. Gwydre, son of Arthur
      4. Llacheu, son of Arthur
      5. Duran, son of Arthur
    2. Madawg / Madoc ap Uthyr, brother of Arthur
      1. Eliwlod
    3. Gwyar, sister of Arthur
      1. Gwalchmei (= Gawain)
    4. Rica, half-brother of Arthur on his father's side
      1. Gormant

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth c. 1136

  1. (unknown father of Aldroenus and Constantine II)
    1. Aldroenus, 4th King of Brittany after Conanus Meridiadocus
    2. Constatine II, King of Britain, married a wife "born of a noble family, whom Archbishop Guithelinus had himself brought up.
      1. Constans, a monk, then made King of Britain by Vortigern
      2. Aurelius Ambrosius, King of Britain
      3. Utherpendragon, King of Britain, seduced Ygerna, duchess of Tintagel (wife of Gorloïs, duke of Tintagel). In other sources Gorloïs is called Hoel or Rica.
        1. Arthur, married Guinevere, who "was descended from a noble Roman family and had been brought up in the household of Duke Cador [successor of Gorlois]."
        2. Anna, married Loth of Lodensia, Duke of Lothian and later King of Norway *
          1. Gawain, son of Anna and Loth
          2. Mordred, son of Anna and Loth
            1. (unnamed son of Mordred)
            2. (unnamed son of Mordred)
      4. (unnamed sister of Aurelius Ambrosius), married Budicius II, King of Brittany *
  • Elsewhere in the same book Hoel I, King of Brittany is described as a son of Budicius and Arthur's sister, but this is thought to be an error for Aurelius Ambrosius' sister. And, elsewhere in the same book Loth of Lodensia is said to have married an unnamed sister of Aurelius Ambrosius, but this is thought to be an error for Arthur.

According to the French Vulgate Merlin 13th century

  1. Constant
    1. Pendragon
    2. Uther, married Ygraine
      1. Arthur, married Guinevere

According to Sir Thomas Malory 1485

  1. Uther, married Igraine (see below)
    1. Arthur, married Guinevere
      1. Mordred, incestuous son of Arthur and his half-sister Morgause
  2. (unnamed), Duke of Tintagel, married Igraine (see above)
    1. Morgause, married Lot
      1. Gawain, son of Lot and Morgause
      2. Mordred, incestuous son of Arthur and Morgause
    2. Morgan le Fay, married King Urien of Gore
      1. Owain
    3. Elaine, married King Nentres of Garlot

Family of Igraine

Welsh Tradition

  1. Amlawdd Wledig ("Prince Amlawdd")
    1. Eigr, daughter of Amlawdd, married Uthyr Pendragon
      1. Arthur
    2. Goleuddydd, daughter of Amlawdd, married Cilydd (son of Celyddon)
      1. Culhwch, married Olwen (daughter of Ysbaddaden, a giant)
    3. Rieingulid, daughter of Amlawdd, married Bicanus
      1. St. Illtud "the Knight"
    4. (daughter of Amlawdd), married Custenhin
      1. Goreu mab Custenhin
    5. Llygatrud Emys, maternal uncle of Arthur
    6. Gwrbothu Hen, maternal uncle of Arthur
    7. Gweir Gwrhyt Ennwir, maternal uncle of Arthur
    8. Gweir Baladir Hir, maternal uncle of Arthur

According to the French Vulgate Merlin 13th century

  1. Duke Hoel
    1. Ygraine, married (1) Duke of Tintagel, (2) Uther
      1. Arthur (by Uther), married Guinevere

According to Sir Thomas Malory 1485

  1. Igrayne, married (1) Duke of Tintagel, (2) Uther
    1. Morgause (by Duke of Tintagel), married Lot of Lothian, relationship with brother Arthur
    2. Elayne (by Duke of Tintagel), married King Nentres of Gorlois
    3. Morgan le Fay (by Duke of Tintagel), married King Urriens of Gore
      1. Uwayne
    4. Arthur (by Uther), married (1) Guinevere, relationship with sister Morgause

Family of Loth

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth c. 1136

  1. (unknown), "There were in York three brothers sprung from the royal line"
    1. Augueslus, King of Albany
    2. Urian, ruler of Moray
      1. Ywain, King of Albany
    3. Loth, Duke of Lothian and later King of Norway, married Anna, sister of King Arthur
      1. Gawain, son of Anna and Loth
      2. Mordred, son of Anna and Loth
        1. (unnamed son of Mordred)
        2. (unnamed son of Mordred)

Sources

Conventions

  • The About Me should specifically identify the original source.
  • On Master Profiles, the curator note should include a summary. For example, Fictional Character from the 13th century Estoire de Graal.

Resources

For additional resources see:
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