Sir Ywain, The Knight With A Pet Lion
Public DomainSir Ywain was one of the earliest and most popular Knights of the Round Table.
Sir Ywain was one of the most psychologically nuanced of the Knights of the Round Table, having fallen into madness and subsequently climbed his way out.
The son of King Urien of Gorre and the sorceress Morgan le Fay in some versions of the tale, Ywain inherited both royal blood and a dangerous connection to magic. In medieval times, this magic was seen as an ever-growing threat to Christian ideals, yet Ywain’s noble lineage made him an insider in Arthur’s court.
He was the hero in Chrétien de Troyes’ Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. The tale revolved around Ywain’s quest to avenge his cousin, Calogrenant, who had been defeated by a knight called Esclados the Red.
As the story went, a fountain in the forest of Brocéliande was capable of magically producing storms, but it was guarded by Esclados. Ywain defeated Esclados in combat to avenge Calogrenant and subsequently fell in love with his widow, Laudine, or the Lady of the Fountain. Aided by Laudine’s servant, Lunete, Ywain eventually won Laudine’s heart — only to be whisked away on another adventure by Sir Gawain.
Public DomainSir Ywain and his lion slaying a dragon.
Laudine, understandably upset that her new husband had seemingly forgotten about her in the excitement of adventure, had a messenger publicly denounce Ywain at Arthur’s court, the shame and guilt of which drove Ywain into complete madness. During this period of insanity, Ywain lived as a wild man in the forest, naked and savage, surviving by hunting and gathering.
It was notably one of the earliest — if not the earliest — instances of a hero’s mental illness in French literature.
Over time, Ywain began to recover, thanks in part to his mother’s magic. On his road to win back his love, he also rescued a lion from a dragon, and the lion continued to accompany Ywain throughout the rest of his adventures.
He eventually found Laudine in need of rescue from a giant and two demons, and after he defeated her captors, she allowed him — and the lion — to return to her fortress.
