Hawk of May - Characters

Characters

• The hero of this story, Gwalchmai is initially the runt of the litter. He lacks skill in all arts of combat and prefers solitude in his sanctuary, Llyn Gwalch, or horseback riding. He’s insecure and desperately tries to please all branches of his family. After coming to a revelation that he is not a warrior, Gwalchmai becomes embittered and believes he can never turn away after becoming a participant in darkness. His narrations become dark and foreboding up to the point he escapes the darkness. After encountering Lugh and the Land of the Blessed, Gwalchmai finds himself grown three years. He’s more mature now. Loyalty and persistence replace bitterness and anger; Gwalchmai finally finds a place with Agravain and Arthur’s Family as a tagalong soldier, and eventually one of Arthur’s knights.
• Agravain starts out as a typical bully character who looks down on Gwalchmai for his inability to perform as the other boys do on the practice field. Agravain is a young man eager for battle and impatient towards his brother. Like many other characters, however, Agravain grows and matures and becomes a loyal brother who is willing to stick up for Gwalchmai even when most of the Family are suspicious of him.
• Lot is the father of Gwalchmai and Agravain (and supposedly Medraut) who takes adopts the warrior role when it comes to the militaristic pair of himself and Morgawse. He is known as a great war leader but less as a tactician. He lives for and glorifies battle.
• Morgawse is described as frighteningly beautiful and terrifying when angered. A vengeful sorceress of black magic, Morgawse doesn’t seem to have any love for her husband or her children - though she feigns it in order to gain Gwalchmai’s trust. Manipulative and calculating, Morgawse is the brain behind Lot’s brawn, but is several times fiercer than Lot in her own way. Dubbed the Queen of Air and Darkness, Morgawse is the cold embodiment of darkness and evil. She ultimately vows her hatred to Arthur above all else.
• Medraut is the younger brother of Gwalchmai. Curious beyond everything else, Medraut looks up to Gwalchmai in the first chapters of Hawk of May and becomes ceaselessly curious when Gwalchmai begins to learn under Morgawse. Medraut eventually becomes a part of Morgawse’s schemes and is enthralled in darkness to the point that Gwalchmai fears he will never be able to escape it.
• Arthur is known as the bastard son of Uther Pendragon and one of the many warlords who seek Uther’s throne. He fights against the Saxons as they encroach upon British lands and is known for his skilled cavalry and prowess in battle. Arthur is constantly angry and suspicious at Gwalchmai throughout the novel, even though he holds up to the rumors of many who say he is a just and fair leader. Other than his unexplained anger towards Gwalchmai, Arthur is indeed honorable and he does his best to take care of his people and his Family.
• Cei is the impatient brother of Arthur and a knight. Like many of his peers, Cei initially distrusts Gwalchmai because he assumes he is using magic. Cei’s and Gwalchmai’s relationship is tense throughout the entire book until Cei is finally convinced Gwalchmai is an honest comrade. Only then does their relationship reach less treacherous grounds. Although brash, Cei is a knight completely loyal to Arthur’s ‘Family’ and he will not let anything endanger it.
• Bedwyr serves as a foil to Cei. He is patient and bookish, preferring wisdom over strength. He is one of the few knights to initially listen to and trust Gwalchmai.
• Lugh of the Longhand is described as a non-deity immortal who lives on the Land of the Blessed. He is the embodiment of light and good in the story and hence appears as the enemy to Morgawse.
• Ceincaled is Gwalchmai’s powerful steed from Land of the Blessed. A giant of a horse with a pure white coat, Ceincaled was initially a violent and unyielding horse captured by the Saxons, refusing to let anyone ride him save for Gwalchmai. Gwalchmai confesses that, even though he is Ceincaled’s rider, Ceincaled is a creature of the Land of the Blessed, and will never be tamed as earthly horses are (Bradshaw, 140.)
• Caledvwlch is the sword Gwalchmai takes with him from the Isle of the Blessed. A powerful sword of surreal origins, the blade can only be held by Gwalchmai and, remarkably, Arthur. Caledfwlch, Caledvwlch being a variation, is the Welsh name for Excalibur.
• Taliesin is the Merlin character of Bradshaw’s trilogy. He’s a mysterious bard with an other worldly aura and sense of wisdom that’s explained in his riddles and music. Not much is known of Taliesin beyond rumors, but Gwalchmai believes he is from or at least has been to Land of the Blessed because of a song Gwalchmai heard him play both in Camlann and in Land of the Blessed.