Last week, we looked at the coming-of-age myth of a teenage Theseus, and how he sought to gain glory by ridding the roads to Athens from bandits. Recalling our usual breakdown:
Seeking his father’s #Recognition, Theseus embarked on a #PerilousRoad and succeeded due to his #DivineStrength.
Now, we will segue into a similar myth ―that of Sir Gareth, one of my favorite Knights of the Round Table― whose early adventures also include a pursuit of #Recognition by taking a #PerilousRoad and succeeding by his (slightly more nuanced) #NobleStrength.
In preparation of this, let’s take a quick dive into the genealogy of the brother knights of Orkney: Sir Gawain, Sir Agravain, Sir Gaheris, Sir Gareth and Sir Mordred. Whether you relate them to the Karamazovs or to One Direction, you’ll find there is one for each taste: Gawain will appeal to your mom; Agravain, to girls who only date men over 6ft tall; Gaheris, to the kawaii fandom; Gareth, to the hopeless romantics; and Mordred, to women who think they can fix their partners.
Boy bands in mythology tend to end in tragedy, and the Orkney knights are no exception. While the main storylines of other mythological siblings like the Ayar Brothers from Peru or the Pandavas from India are tied to the founding of cities and the origins of an empire, Sir Gawain and his brothers are at the core of the collapse of theirs. Whether deliberately or accidentally, their actions bring about the division of the Knights of the Round Table, the fall of Camelot and the death of their uncle, King Arthur.
Below is an excerpt I have prepared of their genealogy, which will come in handy when I review the myth of Sir Gareth next week. Stay tuned.
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Coming up next. The story of Sir Gareth. See how the same mythological tropes in Theseus’ story lead to a very different outcome.
…and a Fun Fact. Freud would have had a field day with the Orkney Brothers. As per Malory’s Morte d’Arthur, Sir Mordred is the bastard son of King Arthur and his half-sister Morgause, who is killed by her son Sir Gaheris when he finds her in bed with her lover, Sir Lamorak. Sir Agravain finally gets everyone killed by exposing the affair of Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot.