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Yvain was the son of King
Uriens of Gore and his wife, Queen Morgan
Le Fay. Although, his father rebelled against King Arthur at the
beginning of his reign, Yvain rode off on his horse was called Cloven-Hoof
to join the Royal Court. He played Gwyddbwyll, an ancient form of chess, with
King Arthur while their armies fought on the field of battle. Owein's Ravens, as his mounted
followers were called, were nearly defeated until their King raised his
flag and encouraged them to fight on with renewed vigour. After Arthur's
defeat, Yvain agreed to lead the High-King's own warband. Yvain's ravens
are remembered in his coat of arms, still used by some of his supposed
descendants today. Later, he joined up with his cousin, Sir
Gawain, and their party defeats a number of raiding Saxons at the
Battles of Diana Bridge and Arundel. King Arthur made him a Knight
of the Round Table for his good
work and he joined the monarch in his wars against King Claudas, the
Saxons, the Roman Empire and Lord Galehaut. Many adventures follow: He
prevented his wicked mother from murdering his father, rescued the Lady of
the Rock, slew the Giant Malduit, saved Sir
Lancelot from drowning and, helped by Sir Gawain, he killed the
evil seven brothers of Maidens Castle. The greatest of Yvain's adventures
was the subject of one of the great Arthurian works of Chretien de Troyes: Intrigued by Sir Calogrenant's tales of an
enchanted fountain in the Forests of Broceliande, Sir Yvain set out for
Brittany and adventure. He quickly discovered the magic fountain and
poured some water onto its stone surround. This alerted Esclados, the Lord
of the Fountain, to his presence and he appeared in a mighty hail storm.
The two fought and Esclados was eventually chased back to his stronghold,
not far away. He died of his wounds while Yvain became trapped between the
portcullises of his castle. A maidservant, Lunete, gave him a ring of
invisibility which enabled him to escape. She presented him to the Lady
Laudine - by then Esclados' widow - and Yvain immediately fell deeply in
love with her. The fountain needed a protector, so Lunete persuaded the
two to marry; and were happy together for a while. However, before long a
band of Knights from the Round Table arrive and Yvain longs to return to
Court. Laudine lets him go on the condition that he return within the
year. Yvain, of course, soon lost track of time and, finding himself
denounced by his wife, fled to the hills in a mad frenzy. He was
eventually rescued and cured of his insanity by the servants of the Lady
of Norison who administer one of Morgan Le Fay's magic potions. Yvain
helped the lady beat off the attacks of Earl Alier on her land, before
deciding to ask his wife to take him back. On the way home, he rescued a
lion from combat with a serpent and the animal became his faithful friend,
earning him the name of "Le Chevalier au Lion". Together they
had a number of adventures: defeating a giant named Harpin, rescuing the
maidens of the Castle de Pesme Aventure and settling a dispute between the
daughters of the Lord of the Black Thorn. Eventually, back in Broceliande,
Yvain rescued Lunete from imprisonment and was happily reunited with his
wife. Sir Yvain returned to Britain to aid King
Arthur during Sir Mordred's rebellion.
He led a full battalion at the Battle of Camlann and killed several of the
enemy's leading Saxon allies. He was killed by Mordred himself who cleft
his skull in two! Sir Yvain is based on King
Owein of North Rheged, the historical son & successor of King
Urien, who lived in the late 6th century.
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Sir Yvain the Knight of the Lion