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Gorloïs
Gorloïs, said by some to be the father of king Arthur. He was lord of Tintagel Castle, in Cornwall; his wife was Igrayne or Igerna, and one of his daughters (Bellicent) was, according to some authorities, the wife of Lot king of Orkney.
Gorloïs was not the father of Arthur, although his wife (Igerna or Igrayne) was his mother.
Then all the kings asked Merlin, “For what cause is that beardless boy Arthur made king?” “Sirs, said Merlin, “because he is king Uther’s son, born in wedlock. … More than three hours after the death of Gorlois did the king wed the fair Igrayne.”— Le Morte d'Arthur By Sir Thomas Malory
Uther, having compassed the death of Gorlois, had no further difficulty in persuading Igraine to become his wife, and their son was Arthur, who at his birth was delivered to Sir Ector, "a lord of faire livelyhood," to be nourished as one of his own family. The death of Uther while his son was yet an infant left the succession in some doubt, and in order to prove Arthur's right to the crown the familiar device was adopted of drawing a sword from a stone. The Lost Land Of King Arthur By J. Cuming Walters
For a long time was the victory in suspense, as it seemed sometimes to favour one, sometimes the other. While they were thus hotly engaged, Gorlois, duke of Cornwall, came up to them with the party he commanded, and did great execution upon the enemies' troops. At the sight of him, Eldol, assured of victory, seized on the helmet of Hengist, and by main force dragged him in among the Britons, and then in transports of joy cried out with a loud voice, "God has fulfilled my desire! My brave soldiers, down, down, with your enemies the Ambrons. The victory is now in your hands: Hengist is defeated, and the day is your own." History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth
"While we're on the subject of the name of Strongarm's father, we have to mention that we still can't rule out Gorlois (Guor-Elessa) as being a form of this name. Recall that Geoffrey makes Gorlois the occupant of a sea-protected stronghold and concocts a bizarre story in which Uther changes his image to that of Gorlois in order to seduce Gorlois' wife and conceive Arthur. Geoffrey could not have Arthur being the son of a wizard, so he created king Uther, a son of Constantine III, so that Arthur would be the rightful heir to the throne. Tatlock (1950, p313) is convinced that Gorlois, Igerna, and Uther are all inventions of Geoffrey of Monmouth, although we now suspect that the name Gorlois may have some basis afterall. However, the story of Uther is fiction, and the name seems to be the result of a confusion with the father of a much later Arthur. This Arthur was Arthur Mabuter or Mab Pedr of Dyfed, who lived around 600. We will address this in greater depth later." Arthur, Cerdic, and the Formation of Wessex by John C. Rudmin
It is quite impossible to reconcile the contradictory accounts of Arthur’s sister and Lot’s wife. Tennyson says Bellicent, but the tales compiled by sir T. Malory all give Margause. Thus in La Mort d’Arthur, i. 2, we read, “King Lot of Lothan and of Orkeney wedded Margawse [Arthur’s sister]” (pt. i. 36), “whose sons were Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris, and Gareth;” but Tennyson says Gareth was “the last tall son of Lot and Bellicent.”
"For while he lingered there,
A doubt that ever smouldered in the hearts
Of those great Lords and Barons of his realm
Flashed forth and into war: for most of these,
Colleaguing with a score of petty kings,
Made head against him, crying, ‘Who is he
That he should rule us? who hath proven him
King Uther’s son? for lo! we look at him,
And find nor face nor bearing, limbs nor voice,
Are like to those of Uther whom we knew.
This is the son of Gorlois, not the King;
This is the son of Anton, not the King.’"
Idylls of
the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The
Coming of Arthur
