Sir Lancelot du Lac Sword. (2024)

LA ESPADA DE LANCELOT DU LAC

Sir Lancelot du Lac orLancelot of the Lake lived in the Middle Ages, during a period dominated byknights which lasted from the 12th to the 14th century AD. Sir Lancelot isthe protagonist of a series of legendary tales which are part of theArthurian cycle. The central figure of the stories is the famous King Arthurand the Knights of the Round Table. As is commonly known, Arthur was themythical King of Camelot who played a leading role in many adventures, withthe help of his most loyal knights, such as the search for the Holy Grail.

One of these knights, who was equal in fame and honour to Arthur, was SirLancelot. The legend goes that Sir Lancelot was the son of Ban of Benwick, aFrench monarch who was an ally of King Arthur, and of Elena. As he was young,when his parents died, Sir Lancelot was put into the care of the legendaryLady of the Lake, wife of the wizard Merlin. She was the one who taught himknightly ideals, trained him to use the sword and educated him on Britishcustoms. However, there are versions that state that Sir Lancelot wasactually the son of the Lady of the Lake and of King Ban.

The figure of Sir Lancelot has inspired the creation of the Lancelot sword

When Sir Lancelot reached his youth he was taken by theLady of the Lake to King Arthur's court. Amazed by his honour, his skillwith the sword and his bravery in combat, King Arthur decided to accept himas a knight of the Round Table. This was how Sir Lancelot became a loyalknight, companion and friend of King Arthur. Together they went on toexperience multiple adventures. However they did not only share wartimeadventures but also a lover, Queen Guinevere.

The romance between Lady Guinevere and Sir Lancelotbegan when King Arthur sent him in search of Guinevere to her castle tobring her to Camelot where she would marry Arthur. During the journey thetwo young people fell in love; this moment undoubtedly marked the beginningof the end of order in the kingdom of Camelot. Sir Lancelot decided toremain chaste in respect and loyalty to his queen and king. He continued togo on adventures accompanied by his inseparable sword as a true medievalknight.

Representation of Guineverearming knight with Sir Lancelot's medieval sword

The basic equipment of a medievalknight consisted of several essential items. Firstly, as defensive material,the medieval warrior had a coat of mail which the soldier wore over a tunic,with a rather small pointed shield; and a cylindrical helmet which he couldwear with or without a nose protector. As regards offensive weapons, hecould be equipped with a crossbow or lance. However the most importantweapon for a knight was the sword which enabled him to engage in hand tohand combat. The most common medieval sword had a straight blade with adouble cutting edge and was over one metre in length. The sword was usedwith a single hand, so the hilt was short; with the other hand the soldierheld the shield.

Lancelot sword, the medieval knight's essential weapon

Design of knight Lancelot of the Lake's sword with scabbard

In his adventure in search of the Holy Grail, SirLancelot reaches the fortress of King Pelles, who guarded the holy relics.In this castle lived Elaine, King Pelles' daughter. The princess fell at thefeet of the handsome knight and declared her love for Sir Lancelot. Thelatter refused, maintaining his strict attitude of remaining loyal toGuinevere. However, Elaine drugged the knight, making him spend the nightwith him. From this meeting another famous knight from Arthurian tales wouldbe born, Sir Galahad.

After this the shamed Sir Lancelot returned to Camelot, where QueenGuinevere, green with envy, expelled him from. The knight accompanied onlyby his sword went on to roam for months through the British woodland untilQueen Guinevere granted his pardon. Shortly after, Arthur along with hisknights embarked on the journey in search of the Grail. During thisadventure many knights died, to such an extent that Arthur's power wasseriously damaged. At this time, Arthur's court entered into crisis. Some ofthe knights of the Round Table disapproved of the foreign Sir Lancelot,envying his relationship with the king; therefore, they started a civil waragainst King Arthur. The excuse was to be a trap that they prepared for SirLancelot and Guinevere. King Arthur discovered the forbidden love andcondemned both lovers. The war between the followers of the queen and thoseof the king was significant. The confrontation ended with the pardon ofQueen Guinevere by the king and the exile of Sir Lancelot, who returned toFrance.

The Knights of the Round Tablearmed with their swords

Ever since that battle, Camelotnever recovered. It was Mordred, son of Arthur, fruit of his incest withMorgana, who usurped the throne from his father, thereby starting a newcivil war. At this time, some knights loyal to Arthur and companions of SirLancelot asked the latter to come to the aid of the monarch. The loyalsoldier accompanied by his sword came to the aid of King Arthur but failedto arrive on time. Arthur died and lost Camelot.

After this difficult event, QueenGuinevere decided to join a monastery and commend the rest of her days tothe Lord. The path of Sir Lancelot was to be similar, as he became a hermitguarding the coffin of Arthur in the same chapel where he lay. One of hisfinal achievements before dying was that of burying the body of the deceasedQueen Guinevere next to King Arthur so that both could sleep together foreternity.

The story of the adventures of Sir Lancelot belongs tolegend, however, it is likely that the author Chrétien de Troyes, who wroteone of the key works on the figure Sir Lancelot in the 12th century, basedhis tale on popular memory relating to a true fact concerning the adventuresof a warrior king and his court of loyal knights. Therefore, although thefacts may not have taken place as the legendary tales tell us, as these havebeen adorned by men of letters throughout history, perhaps there is sometruth in the seed of the tale. It could be that at some point at thebeginning of the Middle Ages there was a knight of French origin who was agreat companion and loyal servant to a British king. In any case, it is adifficult mystery to get to the bottom of, so until then we can hold on tothe imagination and fantasy that allow us to recall the knight Sir Lancelotsword in hand and enjoy the adventures of this medieval hero.

Sir Lancelotdu Lac armed with helmet, spear and sword