Gingabresell, Ginganbresell, Gingangambresil, Guingambresil, Guinganbresil, Guygebresill
High steward or advisor to the kings of Escavalon, he enters Arthur’s court during the questing fever inspired by the Loathly Damsel at the time of Percivale’s second visit to court and rather puts a damper on things by charging Gawain with treason in death of his master, the old King of Escavalon. Gawain willingly pledges himself to meet his challanger within forty days at Escavalon in trial by combat before his alleged victim’s father, the young king.
When next we see Guigambresil, he is returning to Escavalon, to find Gawain and the young king’s sister defending themselves against a mob. Guigambresil has known nothing until this moment of Gawain’s arrival, so it seems possible that Gawain actually beat him back to Escavalon.
In any case, taking stock of the situation, Guigambresil hurries to find the young king and advise him that, since he has inwittingly made Gawain his guest, he is obligated to see that no harm comes to him. We should surely understand Guigambresil as meaning “no harm before our combat”; nevertheless, his conduct looks wholly honorable. Whatever the story behind his accusation, I find it difficult to interpret Guigambresil as villainous. Arthur intervened, however, and the two knights made peace.
Guigambresil married Tancree, the niece of the king of Escavalon. Guigambresil’s shield was gold with an azure band covering an exactly measured third of it.
In Wolfram’s Parzival, he is known as Kingrimursel. In the Livre d’Artus, Guinganbresil appears among Arthur’s forces in the Saxon wars. As in Perceval, he is hostile to Gawain, but because Gawain has slept with Florée, a maiden loved by Guinganbresil, as well as with Guinganbresil’s sister, begetting a child with each of them. His sister afterwards marries
He is a cousin of Li Giromelanz (The Guiromelant), Greoreas le Rous, Brandelis and Illesgaleron.
Sources
Perceval, or Le Conte del Graal | Chrétien de Troyes, late 12th century
First Continuation of Chrétien’s Perceval | Attributed to Wauchier of Denain, c. 1200
Vulgate Merlin | 1220-1235
Le Livre d’Artus | Early 13th century