Sir Ector
Encyclopedia
Sir Ector ˈɛktɵr is the father of Sir Kay
and the foster father of King Arthur
in the Arthurian legend. Sometimes a king instead of merely a lord, he has an estate in the country as well as properties in London
. In The Once and Future King
T. H. White
says his lands lie in the "Forest Sauvage"; later writers have used this as well.
Ector appears in the works of Robert de Boron
and the Lancelot-Grail
Cycle, as well as later adaptations such as the Post-Vulgate Cycle
and Thomas Malory
's Le Morte d'Arthur
. In these versions, Merlin
takes Arthur from his biological parents King Uther Pendragon
and Igraine
, and brings him to Ector's estate. Merlin does not reveal the boy's true identity, and Ector takes him on and raises him with Kay as his own son. When Kay is old enough to be knighted, Ector's young ward serves as his squire.
Foreseeing Uther's death, Merlin arranges to have his sword (sometimes equated with Excalibur
) magically set in a stone (or an anvil in a stone) so that only the rightful heir to the throne will be able to remove it. When Uther dies, a tournament is held in London to bring all potential heirs to the area, and Ector and sons attend. Kay breaks his sword during the tournament, and Arthur is determined to find him a new one (In The Once and Future King, Kay leaves his sword at the inn, but when Wart goes to fetch it, the inn is closed). He comes across the Sword in the Stone, not realizing what it is, and pulls it out easily. When he tells Kay where he got it, Kay tries to take credit for the miracle. Ector sees through the lie, however, and he and Kay are the first to swear fealty to the new king. Both are made Knights of the Round Table
and remain loyal to King Arthur throughout his reign.
In the earlier Welsh stories, the father of Kay (Cei) is instead named Cynyr (Kyner).
Sir Kay
In Arthurian legend, Sir Kay is Sir Ector's son and King Arthur's foster brother and later seneschal, as well as one of the first Knights of the Round Table. In later literature he is known for his acid tongue and bullying, boorish behavior, but in earlier accounts he was one of Arthur's premier...
and the foster father of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
in the Arthurian legend. Sometimes a king instead of merely a lord, he has an estate in the country as well as properties in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T. H. White. It was first published in 1958 and is mostly a composite of earlier works written in a period between 1938 and 1941....
T. H. White
T. H. White
Terence Hanbury White was an English author best known for his sequence of Arthurian novels, The Once and Future King, first published together in 1958.-Biography:...
says his lands lie in the "Forest Sauvage"; later writers have used this as well.
Ector appears in the works of Robert de Boron
Robert de Boron
Robert de Boron was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries who is most notable as the author of the poems Joseph d'Arimathe and Merlin.-Work:...
and the Lancelot-Grail
Lancelot-Grail
The Lancelot–Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend written in French. It is a series of five prose volumes that tell the story of the quest for the Holy Grail and the romance of Lancelot and Guinevere...
Cycle, as well as later adaptations such as the Post-Vulgate Cycle
Post-Vulgate Cycle
The Post-Vulgate Cycle is one of the major Old French prose cycles of Arthurian literature. It is essentially a rehandling of the earlier Vulgate Cycle , with much left out and much added, including characters and scenes from the Prose Tristan.The Post-Vulgate, written probably between 1230 and...
and Thomas Malory
Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. The antiquary John Leland as well as John Bale believed him to be Welsh, but most modern scholars, beginning with G. L...
's Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table...
. In these versions, Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
takes Arthur from his biological parents King Uther Pendragon
Uther Pendragon
Uther Pendragon is a legendary king of sub-Roman Britain and the father of King Arthur.A few minor references to Uther appear in Old Welsh poems, but his biography was first written down by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae , and Geoffrey's account of the character was used in...
and Igraine
Igraine
Igraine , in Arthurian legend, is the mother of King Arthur. She is also known in Latin as Igerna, in Welsh as Eigyr, in French as Igerne, in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur as Ygrayne— often modernized as Igraine—and in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival as Arnive...
, and brings him to Ector's estate. Merlin does not reveal the boy's true identity, and Ector takes him on and raises him with Kay as his own son. When Kay is old enough to be knighted, Ector's young ward serves as his squire.
Foreseeing Uther's death, Merlin arranges to have his sword (sometimes equated with Excalibur
Excalibur
Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
) magically set in a stone (or an anvil in a stone) so that only the rightful heir to the throne will be able to remove it. When Uther dies, a tournament is held in London to bring all potential heirs to the area, and Ector and sons attend. Kay breaks his sword during the tournament, and Arthur is determined to find him a new one (In The Once and Future King, Kay leaves his sword at the inn, but when Wart goes to fetch it, the inn is closed). He comes across the Sword in the Stone, not realizing what it is, and pulls it out easily. When he tells Kay where he got it, Kay tries to take credit for the miracle. Ector sees through the lie, however, and he and Kay are the first to swear fealty to the new king. Both are made Knights of the Round Table
Round Table
The Round Table is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his Knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status. The table was first described in 1155 by Wace, who relied on previous depictions of...
and remain loyal to King Arthur throughout his reign.
In the earlier Welsh stories, the father of Kay (Cei) is instead named Cynyr (Kyner).