In Arthurian legend,
Sir Kay is
Sir EctorSir Ector is the father of Sir Kay and the foster father of King Arthur in the Arthurian legend. Sometimes a king instead of merely a lord, he has an estate in the country as well as properties in London. In The Once and Future King T. H...
's son and
King ArthurKing Arthur is a legendary British leader who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defense of Britain against the Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated...
's foster brother and later
seneschalA seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli...
, as well as one of the first
KnightsKnights of the Round Table were those men awarded the highest order of Chivalry at the Court of King Arthur in the literary cycle the Matter of Britain. The table at which they met was created to have no head or foot, representing the equality of all the members. Different stories had different...
of the
Round TableThe Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his Knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of...
. In later literature he is known for his acid tongue and bullying, boorish behavior, but in earlier accounts he was one of Arthur's premier warriors. Along with
BedivereIn Arthurian legend, Sir Bedivere is the Knight of the Round Table who returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. He serves as King Arthur's marshal and is frequently associated with Sir Kay. Sir Lucan is his brother, Sir Griflet is his cousin. The Welsh give him a son and daughter named Amren and...
, with whom he is frequently associated, Kay is one of the earliest characters associated with Arthur.
Sir Kay
Kay is ubiquitous in Arthurian literature but he rarely serves as anything but a
foilA foil is a person that contrasts with another character in order to highlight various features of the main character's personality: to throw the character of the protagonist into sharper relief...
for other characters. Though he manipulates the king to get his way, his loyalty to Arthur is usually unquestioned. In the Vulgate Cycle, the Post-Vulgate and
Thomas MalorySir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. The antiquary John Leland believed him to be Welsh, but most modern scholarship assumes that he was Sir Thomas Malory of Newbold Revel in Warwickshire...
's
Le Morte d'ArthurLe Morte d'Arthur is Sir Thomas Malory's compilation of some French and English Arthurian romances...
, Kay's father Ector adopts the infant Arthur after
MerlinMerlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
takes him away from his birth parents, Uther and
IgraineIn Arthurian legend, Igraine is the mother of King Arthur. She becomes the wife of Uther Pendragon, but her first husband was Gorlois; her daughters...
. Ector raises him and Kay as brothers, but Arthur's parentage is revealed when he draws the
Sword in the StoneExcalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes' attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
at a tournament in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. Arthur, serving as squire to the newly-knighted Kay, loses his foster brother's sword and uses the Sword in the Stone to replace it. Kay shows his characteristic opportunism when he tries to claim it was he that pulled the sword from the stone, making him the true
King of the Britons, but he relents and admits it was Arthur. He becomes one of the first Knights of the Round Table and serves his foster-brother throughout his life.
Kay's father is called Ector in later literature, but the Welsh accounts name him as Cynyr Fork-Beard. In
Erec and EnideErec and Enide is Chrétien de Troyes' first romance, completed around 1170. Consisting of 7000 lines written in Old French, the poem is the earliest known Arthurian romance in any language besides the Welsh Culhwch and Olwen, which likely predates its surviving manuscripts...
,
Chrétien de TroyesChrétien de Troyes was a French poet and trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. Little is known of his life, but he seems to have been from Troyes, or at least intimately connected with it, and between 1160 and 1172 he served at the court of his patroness Marie of France, Countess of...
mentions he had a son called Gronosis, who was versed in evil, while the Welsh give him a son and daughter named Garanwyn and Celemon. Romance rarely deals with Kay's love life, an exception being Girart d'Amiens'
Escanor, which details his love for Andrivete of
NorthumbriaNorthumbria or Northhumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now north-east England and southern Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory: the Humber...
, whom he must defend from her uncle's political machinations before they can marry.
The Welsh Cai
In
Welsh literatureWelsh literature may be used to refer to any literature originating from Wales or by Welsh writers:*See Literature of Wales for literature in the Welsh language*See Literature of Wales for literature in the English language...
, where he is called "Cai Hir" ("Kay the Tall"), he is a powerful, hot-tempered champion. He and Bedivere are two of the six knights chosen to accompany
CulhwchCulhwch , in Welsh mythology, is the son of Cilydd son of Celyddon and Goleuddydd, a cousin of Arthur and the protagonist of the story Culhwch and Olwen...
on his quest in the
MabinogionThe Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions...
romanceAs a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about the marvelous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight errant,...
Culhwch and OlwenCulhwch and Olwen is a Welsh tale about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors that survives in only two manuscripts: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, ca. 1400, and a fragmented version in the White Book of Rhydderch, ca. 1325. It is the longest of the surviving Welsh prose...
(another is
GwalchmeiGawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
, or Gawain), and he displays such feats of heroism as slaying the
giantThe mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
Wrnach, rescuing
MabonMabon ap Modron is a figure of Welsh mythology, the son of Modron. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, decending from a divine mother-son pair...
son of
ModronIn Welsh mythology, Modron was a daughter of Afallach, derived from the Gaulish goddess Matrona. She may have been the prototype of Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend...
from his watery prison, and making a dog's leash from the beard of Dillus the Bearded. Superhuman abilities are attributed to Cai in much Welsh literature; the poem
Pa Gur mentions he had battled the monstous cat
Cath PalugCath Palug, also Cath Paluc, Cath Balug, Cath Balwg, Chapalu, Capalu, or Capalus, literally "Palug's cat", or maybe from the Welsh 'palug,' meaning 'clawing,' was a monstrous cat in Welsh legend. . It was said to haunt the Isle of Anglesey, and to have killed and eaten nine score warriors...
, and the
Welsh TriadsThe Welsh Triads are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three....
name him as one of the "Three Enchanter Knights of Britain", claiming he had the ability to grow as tall as a tree. In
Culhwch the stubborn Cai has a falling out with Arthur, who writes a song poking fun at his killing of Dillus the Bearded, but elsewhere he is Arthur's loyal companion. In the Life of St.
CadocSaint Cadoc or Cadog , Abbot of Llancarfan, was one of the 6th century Welsh saints, whose vita twice mentions King Arthur. The Abbey of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorganshire, which he founded circa 518, became famous as a centre of learning...
(c.1100) he was alongside Arthur and Bedivere in dealing with King
GwynllywSaint Gwynllyw Milwr or Gwynllyw Farfog, pronounced "G-win-th-loo", known in English in a corrupted form as Woolos the Warrior or Woolos the Bearded was a Welsh king and religious figure....
of
GwynllwgGwynllŵg was a kingdom of mediæval Wales and later a Norman lordship and then a cantref.- Location :It was named after Gwynllyw, its 5th century or 6th century ruler and consisted of the coastal plain stretching between the Rhymney and Usk rivers, together with the hills to the north...
's abduction of St.
GwladysSaint Gwladys ferch Brychan or St Gladys , was the beautiful Queen of Saint Gwynllyw Milwr and one of the famous saintly daughters of King Brychan of Brycheiniog. She was the mother of one of the most revered Welsh saints, Saint Cadoc 'the Wise'.-Traditional history:The mediæval lives of Saint...
from her father's court in
BrycheiniogBrycheiniog was a small independent kingdom of South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the powerful south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Normans between 1088 and 1095, though it remained...
.
In the
Welsh RomancesThe Three Welsh Romances are three tales associated with the Mabinogion. They are versions of Arthurian tales that also appear in the work of Chrétien de Troyes. Critics have debated whether the Welsh Romances are based on Chrétien's poems or if they derive from a shared original...
(specifically
Owain, or the Lady of the FountainOwain, or the Lady of the Fountain is one of the Three Welsh Romances associated with the Mabinogion. It is analogous to Chrétien de Troyes' Old French poem Yvain, the Knight of the Lion...
and
Peredur son of EfrawgPeredur son of Efrawg is one of the three Welsh Romances associated with the Mabinogion. It tells what is essentially the same story as Chrétien de Troyes' unfinished romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail, but it contains many striking differences from that work, most notably the absence of the...
), Cai assumes the same boorish role he takes in the continental romances. However, manuscripts for these romances date to well after
Chrétien de TroyesChrétien de Troyes was a French poet and trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. Little is known of his life, but he seems to have been from Troyes, or at least intimately connected with it, and between 1160 and 1172 he served at the court of his patroness Marie of France, Countess of...
, meaning that Cai as he appears there may owe more to Chrétien's version of the character than to the indigenous Welsh representation.
Kay in later legend
Kay and Bedivere appear in
Geoffrey of MonmouthGeoffrey of Monmouth was a British clergyman and one of the major figures in the development of British history and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
's
Historia Regum BritanniaeThe Historia Regum Britanniae is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written c. 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the kings of the Britons in a chronological narrative spanning a time of two thousand years, beginning with the Trojans founding the British nation...
, and aid Arthur in defeating the Giant of Mont Saint Michel. Geoffrey makes Kay the count of
AnjouAnjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
and Arthur's steward, an office he holds in most later literature.
In the works of
Chrétien de TroyesChrétien de Troyes was a French poet and trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. Little is known of his life, but he seems to have been from Troyes, or at least intimately connected with it, and between 1160 and 1172 he served at the court of his patroness Marie of France, Countess of...
, Kay assumes the characteristics he is most associated with today. He retains his hot-headedness and fiery temper from Welsh literature, but he is more or less an incompetent braggart. Chrétien uses him as a scoffer and a troublemaker; a foil for heroic knights like
LancelotIn the Arthurian legend, Sir Lancelot is one of the Knights of the Round Table. He is typically considered to be one of the greatest and most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
,
YwainSir Ywain is a Knight of the Round Table and the son of King Urien in Arthurian legend. The historical Owain mab Urien, on whom the literary character is based, was the king of Rheged in Great Britain during the late 6th century...
, or
GawainGawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
. He mocks the chivalric courtesy of Sir
CalogrenantSir Calogrenant, sometimes known in English as Colgrevance, or, in ancient Welsh, Cynan ap Clydno, is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is a cousin to Sir Ywain, and his courtesy and eloquence were known throughout the kingdom....
in
Yvain, the Knight of the LionYvain, the Knight of the Lion is a romance by Chrétien de Troyes. It was probably written in the 1170s simultaneously with Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, and includes several references to the action in that poem...
, and he tricks Arthur into allowing him to try to save
GuinevereGuinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. She was most famous for her love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot, which first appears in Chrétien de Troyes' Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart...
from
MaleagantMaleagant is a villain from Arthurian legend. In a number of versions of a popular episode, Maleagant abducts Guinevere, necessitating her rescue by King Arthur and his knights. The earliest surviving version of this episode names the abductor Melwas...
in
Lancelot, the Knight of the CartLancelot, the Knight of the Cart is an Old French poem by Chrétien de Troyes. Chrétien probably composed the work at the same time as or slightly before writing Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, which refers to the action in Lancelot a number of times...
, which ends in his humiliating defeat. In
Perceval, the Story of the GrailPerceval, the Story of the Grail is the unfinished fifth romance of Chrétien de Troyes. Probably written between 1181 and 1191, it is dedicated to Chrétien's patron Philip, Count of Flanders....
, Sir Kay grows angry with
PercevalPercival or Perceval is one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. In Welsh literature his story is allotted to the historical Peredur...
's naïveté and slaps a maiden who says he will become a great knight; Perceval avenges her later when he breaks Kay's shoulder.
Wolfram von EschenbachWolfram von Eschenbach was a German knight and poet, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of his time. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry.-Life:...
, who tells the same story in his
ParzivalParzival is a major medieval German epic poem attributed to the poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, written in the Middle High German language. The poem is commonly dated circa the first quarter of the 13th century...
, asks his audience not to judge Kay too harshly, as his sharp words actually serve to maintain courtly order.
Scholars have pointed out that Kay's scornful, overly boastful character never makes him a clown, a coward or a traitor, except in the
GrailAccording to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers...
romance
PerlesvausPerlesvaus, also called Li Hauz Livres du Graal , is an Old French Arthurian romance dating to the first decade of the 13th century...
, where he murders Arthur's son Loholt and joins up with the king's enemies. This strange work is an anomaly, however, and Kay's portrayal tends to range from merely cruel and malicious, as in the
Roman de Yder or
Hartmann von AueHartmann von Aue was a leading poet of the Middle High German period.He belonged to the lower nobility of Swabia, where he was born. After receiving a monastic education, he became retainer of a nobleman whose domain, Aue, has been identified with Obernau on the River Neckar. He also took part in...
's
Iwein to humorously derisive and even endearing, as in
Durmart le Gallois and Girart d'Amiens's
Escanor.
Oddly, given his ubiquity, Kay's death is not frequently dealt with. In Welsh literature, it is mentioned he was killed by Gwyddawg and avenged by Arthur. In Geoffrey of Monmouth and the
Alliterative Morte ArthureThe Alliterative Morte Arthure is a 4346 line Middle English poem, retelling the latter part of the legend of King Arthur. The poem is one of the most significant works in the short-lived revival of alliterative verse in the 14th century.- History :...
, he is killed in the war against the
RomanThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
emperor Lucius, while the Vulgate Cycle has him die in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, also in battle against the Romans.
Modern adaptations
Kay is a main character in the first two books of
T. H. WhiteTerence Hanbury White was an English author best known for his sequence of Arthurian novels, The Once and Future King, first published together in 1958.-Biography:...
's
The Once and Future KingThe Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T. H. White. It was first published in 1958 and is mostly a composite of earlier works....
,
The Sword in the StoneThe Sword in the Stone is a novel by T. H. White, published in 1938, initially a stand-alone work but now the first part of a tetralogy The Once and Future King. Walt Disney Productions adapted the story to an animated film, and the BBC adapted it to radio.-Plot summary:The novel is about a young...
and
The Queen of Air and DarknessThe Queen of Air and Darkness, originally titled The Witch in the Wood, is a novel by English writer T. H. White. It is the second book in his epic work, The Once and Future King...
. His portrayal is based on Malory's account of Arthur's upbringing, but White adds a number of new elements to the story, including one in which the young Kay kills a dangerous
griffinThe griffin is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. As the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle was the king of the birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Griffins are normally...
with the aid of
Robin HoodRobin Hood is a hero in English folklore, a highly-skilled archer and outlaw. In particular, he is known for "stealing from the rich and giving to the poor," assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men"...
and
Maid MarianMaid Marian usually named Lady Marian Fitzwalter of Leaford , is the female companion to the legendary English outlaw Robin Hood. Stemming from another, older tradition, she became associated with Robin Hood only in the sixteenth century.-History:The earliest Medieval Robin Hood stories gave him...
. White's Kay is quick-witted and often mean, but always a loving foster brother to Arthur, whom he calls "the Wart". Kay appears in the 1963
Walt Disney StudiosWalt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company:Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since 1954 were released under the name of the parent company, then named Walt Disney...
film adaptation of
The Sword in the StoneThe Sword in the Stone is a 1963 fantasy animated comedy film, produced by Walt Disney originally released to theaters on December 25, 1963...
, in which his boorishness and cruelty to the young Arthur are played up.
Kay is the main character of
Phyllis Ann KarrPhyllis Ann Karr, born July 25, 1944, is an American author of fantasy, romances, mysteries, and non-fiction. She is best known for her "Frostflower & Thorn" series and Matter of Britain works.-Life and family:...
's 1982 novel
Idylls of the QueenIdylls of the Queen: A Tale of Queen Guenevere is a 1982 novel set in the framework of the King Arthur myths written by American author Phyllis Ann Karr. It deals with an event specifically related in Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur involving an attempted assassination of a Knight of the...
. Expanding on a scene from the classic tales in which a knight is poisoned at Guinevere's feast and the queen is accused of the crime, Karr turns her story into a murder mystery with Kay as the detective attempting to discover the truth.
In
Thomas BergerThomas Berger may refer to:* Thomas Berger , American author* Thomas R. Berger , Canadian politician...
's 1978
Arthur Rex: A Legendary NovelArthur Rex: A Legendary Novel is a 1978 novel by American author Thomas Berger. Berger offers his own take on the legends of King Arthur, from the heroic monarch's inauspicious conception, to his childhood in bucolic Wales, his rise to the throne, his discovery of the great sword Excalibur, his...
, Kay is a somewhat foppish, sharp-tongued
gourmandA gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure in food. The word has different connotations from the similar word gourmet, which emphasises an individual with a highly refined discerning palate, but in practice the two terms are closely linked, as both imply the enjoyment of good food.An older...
. Relieved to be freed from his bucolic upbringing in Wales, he takes charge of the kitchens at
CamelotCamelot is the most famous castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the fabulous Arthurian...
and yearns to make it a more sophisticated court. Arthur good-naturedly complains that Sir Kay is always serving him rich foods, when the king would rather just have simple meals. Kay supplies occasional comic relief in the book, but ultimately fights and dies with honor in the last battle against
MordredMordred or Modred is a character in the Arthurian legend, known as a notorious traitor who fought King Arthur at the Battle of Camlann, where he was killed and Arthur fatally wounded. Tradition varies on his relationship to Arthur, but he is best known today as Arthur's illegitimate son by his...
's host.
In the 1970s HTV-series
Arthur of the BritonsArthur of the Britons is a British television show about the historical King Arthur. Produced by the HTV regional franchise, it consisted of two series, released between 1972 and 1973...
, Kai was portrayed by
Michael GothardMichael Alan Gothard was an English actor, best remembered for the television series Arthur of the Britons and for his role as the mysterious villain Emile Leopold Locque, in the 1981 James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only.- Early life :Michael Gothard was born in London in 1939...
. In this version of the legend, he is a Saxon orphan, raised amongst the Celts as a brother to Arthur, by his adoptive father Llud.
External links