Caradoc


  1. Caradoc
    Carados le Grant de la Dolerouse Tour, Carados of the Perilouse Tour, Carahues, Carodac, Carodas, Carodoc, Carrado, Charado le Grant, Cradoc, Craddoc, Cradock, Cradocke, Kaiados; Karacados de la Dolerouse Tor, - Perilleuse Tor, - Tor Perrine; Karados le Gaant, Kardos, Karaduz, Karodas

    The giant, evil lord of the Dolorous Tower. See Carados of the Dolorous Tower.


  2. Caradoc

    The King of Cambria, or Wales. He conquered Ireland and married the king’s daughter, by whom he had two children: Meriadoc and Orwen. As he grew old and infirm, he gradually relinquished control of his kingdom to his brother, Griffin, retaining only the ceremonial title for himself. Griffin, however, grew covetous of the throne and had Caradoc assassinated during a hunt. Meriadoc escaped to Arthur’s court and later brought justice to Griffin.


  3. Caradoc

    Son of Catel and one of Arthur's warriors.


  4. Caradoc

    The King of Nantes and Vannes and husband of Ysave, niece of Arthur. His wife engaged in an adulterous affair with a sorcerer named Elïavrés, and gave birth to a son, accepted by Caradoc as his legitimiate heir and also named Caradoc (Briefbas). To hide the affair, Elïavres used magic to make Caradoc believe he was making love to his wife when, in fact, he was copulating with various animals. When the younger Caradoc, having become one of Arthur’s knights, exposed the affair, King Caradoc imprisoned his wife and forced Elïavres into bestiality with the same animals with which Caradoc had been tricked into sleeping.


  5. Caradoc

    A knight defeated in combat by Branor the Brown after he kidnapped a maiden.


  6. Caradoc

    King of Little Britain (Brittany) and vassal of Lancelot in Jean D’Outremeuse’s Ly Myreur des Histors. He joins Lancelot in an invasion of Britain after Arthur’s death. They execute Guenevere and defeat Mordred.


  7. Caradoc Briefbas
    Caradog, Carados, Caradus Bries Bras, Cardue Bries Bras, Garedas, Karadex Bries Bras, Karadin, Karadoc, Karados Briebras, Karadues, Kardels Bries Bras, Kardos, Vreichvras

    An Arthurian knight who first appears in Robert Biket’s Lai du Cor, but who is known best through the Livre de Caradoc, an interpolation in the First Continuation of Chrétien de Troyes’s Perceval.

    Caradoc relates that Caradoc was the heir to King Caradoc of Nantes, but was actually the son of Caradoc’s wife Ysave and a sorcerer named Elïavrés, with whom Ysave had an affair. He was awarded knighthood at Arthur’s court and accepted a challenge from a mysterious stranger to engage in a Beheading Game: each would take a swipe at the other’s head, and the one left standing would win. Caradoc went first, and chopped of his opponent’s head, but the stranger carefully picked up his severed head and secured it upon his neck again. When the stranger’s turn came, he refrained from decapitating Caradoc, revealing himself to be Elïavrés, Caradoc’s true father.

    Caradoc established a reputation as the best of Arthur’s knights through a series of quests, including the rescue of the maiden Guignier from the knight Alardin. He made it a personal duty to punish his adulterous parents, locking his mother in a tower and publicly humiliating Elïavrés. In response, Elïavrés cast a spell upon Caradoc which attached a deadly snake to his arm. Guignier and her brother Cador helped him avoid death, by luring the serpent away from Caradoc to Guinger, and then killing it as it went from one host to the other (a remedy prescribed by Elïavrés after Caradoc and Cador shamed it out of him).

    Caradog was sent a horn by King Mangoun of Moraine which would betray the infidelity of the wife of any man who drink from it, Caradoc's draught showed his wife to be faithful. This test forms the subject matter of Biket’s romance and several later chastity test tales. Biket contends that Arthur granted Caradoc the earldom of Cirencester as a reward for his wife’s fidelity.

    Caradic explains that his surname, briefbras ('shortarm'), derived from the fact that his arm was left shortened by the serpent that for a time was attached to it. Likely, however, the writer of the story simply mistranslated breichbras ('strongarm'), the surname of the Welsh character Caradawg. Another Caradoc Shortarm appears in the Vulgate Cycle as the king of Estrangorre (Estrangor). Other than the similarity in names, however, the characters have nothing in common.

    In Welsh tradition Caradog is regarded as the ancestor of the kings of Gwent as he may have founded the kingdom of Gwent in the fifth century, and the legendary ancestor of the ruling house of Morgannwg. His wife was Tegau Eufron, his father Llyr Marini, his son Meuric and his steed Lluagor.

    See also
    Morgan's Drinking Horn | The Legend of King Arthur


  8. Caradoc Shortarm
    Karadan

    The King of Estrangorre, Scotland, or Galencie who appears first in the non-cyclical Lancelot, and whose story is expanded by the Vulgate Cycle and by Malory. He was the father of King Aguisant of Scotland. The Vulgate Merlin says that he married one of Arthur’s half-sisters, although in another source, he is named as Arthur’s nephew and is married to Queen Catanance of Ireland.

    He was a Knight of the Round Table during Uther’s reign, but he revolted against Arthur when the young king first came to power. After Caradoc (with the other rebellious leaders) was defeated by Arthur at Caerleon and Bedegraine, his land was invaded by Saxons, and he had to swear fealty to Arthur in order to expel them. Later, as a Knight of the Round Table again, he fought in Arthur’s wars against Rome, King Claudas, King Mark of Cornwall, Lancelot, and Mordred. At the battle of Salisbury, he joined in combat with Mordred’s King Heliades, and each was mortally wounded.

    Though he bears the same name (and, likely, the same etymology) as Caradoc Shortarm of the Livre de Caradoc, his character shows no other similarities.

    See also
    Karadan | The Legend of King Arthur


  9. Caradoc the Thirteenth
    Carados

    A giant knight from Uther Pendragon’s Old Table.

    He ruled the Torre Vittoriosa and hated the knights of the New Table. He defeated Lancelot, Palamedes, Galehaut, and many others, and hung their shields on his tower. Tristan (Tristram), hearing of his prowess, visited his tower and conquered him after a day’s combat. Caradoc gave him the Torre Vittoriosa and retired to a hermitage in Andernantes. His character was probably suggested by Caradoc of the Dolorous Tower.