Sir Agravain is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend, whose first known appearance is in the works of Chretien de Troyes.
14 Facts About Agravain
2.
Agravain is the second eldest son of King Lot of Orkney with one of King Arthur's sisters known as Anna or Morgause, thus nephew of King Arthur, and brother to Sir Gawain, Gaheris, and Gareth, as well as half-brother to Mordred.
3.
Agravain secretly makes attempts on the life of his hated brother Gaheris since the Vulgate Cycle, participates in the slayings of Lamorak and Palamedes in the Post-Vulgate Cycle, and murders Dinadan in the Prose Tristan.
4.
However, unlike his heroic brothers Gawain and Gareth, Agravain is known for malice and villainy, yet sometimes capable of heroic deeds.
5.
Agravain then follows secretly his younger brother, who set out on a quest, determined to prove that he is a better knight than Gaheris and to once and for all settle this issue by cutting his brother's head off.
6.
Yet Gaheris defeats the incognito Agravain twice, failing to learn his mysterious opponent's true identity in the process but nevertheless making Agravain stop trying to kill him by making clear he is in fact vastly superior to him.
7.
Agravain manages to win her for himself and joins the Duke of Cambenic who gives him a castle.
8.
However, when their opponent is beaten down to near death, Agravain asks Gawain to hold back, which is the only time within the cyclic prose romances when he shows compassion.
9.
When Gawain refuses to listen and beheads Palamedes anyway, Agravain says he is grieved because Palamedes was such a good knight and, more practically, because this deed will be hard to conceal.
10.
In Malory's telling, Agravain insists on fighting Tristan together with Gaheris.
11.
Agravain tells Arthur about Lancelot and Guinevere; a plot is hatched according to which Arthur will go hunting all night without taking Lancelot.
12.
Agravain, with Mordred and a group of knights, will keep watch on the king's wife in order to entrap Lancelot when he comes to her and so prove the accusation.
13.
Agravain is then among the nobles who sentence Guinevere to be burned at the stake, and Arthur tells Agravain to pick knights to serve as a guard during the burning.
14.
Agravain agrees, but insists that Arthur order Gaheris to accompany him as one of the party.