Sir Launfal - Plot

Plot

Sir Launfal participates in the chivalric tradition of gift-giving to such an extent that he is made King Arthur's steward, in charge of celebrations. After ten happy years under Sir Launfal's stewardship, however, King Arthur's court is graced by a new arrival, Guenevere, whom Merlin has brought from Ireland. Sir Launfal takes a dislike to his new mistress, as do many other worthy knights, because of her reputation for promiscuity. King Arthur marries Queen Guenevere and Sir Launfal's fortunes take a sudden turn for the worse. He leaves King Arthur's court when Guenevere shows ill will to him by not giving him a gift at the wedding. Insulted and humiliated, Launfal leaves the court, losing his status and income.

Returning to his home town of Caerleon (now a village in south Wales just outside Newport, where the ruins of the Roman fortress of Isca can still be seen, whose walls surrounding its Roman baths and elsewhere were still standing high during the medieval period), Sir Launfal takes humble lodgings, spends all the money that King Arthur gave him before setting out, and soon descends into poverty and debt. One Trinity Sunday, the king holds a banquet in Caerleon to which Sir Launfal, because of his poverty, is not invited. The mayor's daughter offers to let him spend the day with her, but he declines her offer since he has nothing to wear. Instead, he borrows a horse from her and goes for a ride, stopping to rest under a tree in a nearby forest. Two maidens appear and bring him to a lady they call Tryamour, daughter of the King of Olyroun and of Fayrye, whom Sir Launfal finds lying on a bed in a glorious pavilion.

"He fond yn the pavyloun

The kynges doughter of Olyroun,

Dame Tryamour that hyghte;

Her fadyr was kyng of Fayrye,

Of Occient, fer and nyghe,

A man of mochell myghte.

In the pavyloun he fond a bed of prys

Yheled wyth purpur bys,

That semyle was of syghte.

Therinne lay that lady gent

That after Syr Launfal hedde ysent

That lefsom lemede bryght."

(He found in the pavilion the daughter of the King of Olyroun, her name was Tryamour and her father was the King of the Otherworld – of the west, both near and far – a very powerful man. In the tent was a lavishly-adorned and very handsome bed. Lying in it was the beautiful woman who had summoned him.) Tryamour offers Sir Launfal her love and several material gifts: an invisible servant Gyfre, a horse called blaunchard and a bag that will always produce gold coins however many are taken from it, all on the condition that he keeps their relationship a secret from the rest of the world. No one must know of her existence. She tells him she will come to him whenever he is all alone and wishes for her.

Sir Launfal returns to Caerleon and soon a train of packhorses arrives, bearing all kinds of valuables for him. He uses this new wealth to perform many acts of charity. He also wins in a local tournament, thanks to the horse and banner given him by the lady. A knight of Lombardy, Sir Valentyne, challenges him (on the honour of his beloved lady) to come to Lombardy to fight with him, in a section of Thomas Chestre's tale that does not derive from Marie de France's Lanval or from the English Sir Landevale but perhaps from another romance that is now lost. Launfal makes the voyage, and defeats Valentyne, thanks to his invisible servant Gyfre, who picks up his helmet and shield when Valentyne knocks them down. Launfal kills Valentyne and then has to kill many more of the Lombardy knights in order to get away.

Sir Launfal's reputation for martial prowess and generosity reaches new heights and word at last reaches King Arthur. Sir Launfal is summoned again by the king, after a long absence, and asked to serve as steward for a long festival beginning at the Feast of St. John. During some revelry at the court, Guenevere offers herself to Sir Launfal. Sir Launfal refuses, Guenevere threatens to ruin his reputation in retaliation by questioning his manhood and Sir Launfal blurts out in his defence that he has a mistress whose ugliest handmaiden would make a better Queen than Guenevere. Disaster! Guenevere goes to Arthur and accuses Launfal of trying to seduce her and of insulting her as well. Knights are sent to arrest him.

Sir Launfal has gone to his room, but his faerie mistress does not appear and Sir Launfal soon realises why. Tryamour will no longer come to him when he wishes for her since he has given away her existence. Soon, her gifts have disappeared or changed. Now he is brought to trial. Since his jury of peers all know that the Queen is more likely to have propositioned Launfal than the other way around, they believe Launfal's version of the encounter. However, for his insult he is given a year and a fortnight to produce the beautiful lady as proof of his boast; Guenevere says she is willing to be blinded if he manages to produce such a woman. As the day of the proof progresses, the Queen presses for him to be executed while others express doubt, particularly when two parties of gorgeous women ride up. Finally Tryamour arrives and exculpates Launfal on both counts. She breathes on Guenevere and blinds her. His former invisible servant brings his horse Blaunchard up and Tryamour, Launfal, and her ladies ride away to the island of Olyroun, which in Marie de France's twelfth century version of the tale is Avalon. Once a year, on a certain day, Sir Launfal returns and his horse may be heard neighing and a knight may joust with him, although he was never seen again in Arthur's land.