Blamore de Ganis

Blamor, Blanor, Blanore of Gannes

Son of Nestor, brother of Sir Bleoberis de Ganis, cousin of Lancelot, and a Knight of the Round Table.

Of the two brothers, Blamore was accounted the better man of arms. Blamore and Bleoberis once arraigned King Anguish of Ireland for the death of a cousin of theirs. Blamore was the one who fought the actual trial by combat against Anguish’s champion, Sir Tristram. Defeated, Blamore tried to insist on death rather than surrender. Bleoberis seconded his brother’s request, but Tristram and the judges refused to allow it. (La Tavola Ritonda assigns this adventure to a knight named Brunoro.)

And then, by all their advices ... the two brethren were accorded with King Anguish, and kissed and made friends for ever. And then Sir Blamore and Sir Tristram kissed together, and there they made their oaths that they would never none of them two brethren fight with Sir Tristram, and Sir Tristram made the same oath. And for the gentle battle all the blood of Sir Launcelot loved Sir Tristram for ever.

Malory mentions Blamore several more times – fighting at the tournament of the Castle of Maidens, joining a quest to find Tristram, taking a fall from Sir Palomides at Duke Galeholt’s tournament in Surluse (Sorelois). Blamore and Bleoberis were two of the guests at Guenevere’s small dinner party when Sir Patrise was poisoned.

Later, when Lancelot and Guenevere were accused of treason, Blamore joined other knights in pledging his support to Lancelot and followed him into exile. Lancelot made him Duke of Limousin in Guienne.

After Arthur’s death he became a hermit at Glastonbury and assisted in Lancelot’s burial. Once he had stabilized his own lands, he joined Bleoberis, Ector, and Bors on a crusade to Jerusalem, where they died fighting the Turks on Good Friday.


Sources
Prose Tristan | 1230-1240
Tristano Riccardiano | Late 13th century
Le Morte Darthur | Sir Thomas Malory, 1469-1470