Galihodin

Galaodin, Galehaudin, Galeheuduns, Galehodin, Galehoudin, Galeodin, Galyhodyn

Nephew, godson, and heir of Galehaut of Sorelois. Galehodin may have become ruler of Norgales after Ryons. Galehodin was the grandson of the King of North Wales.

In the Vulgate Lancelot, he becomes lord of the town of Penning (Peningue) and hosts a tournament there, which Lancelot wins. Once Sir Aglovale killed a relative of Galihodin in battle. The dead man's brother (not Galihodin) later found Aglovale and attacked him. Aglovale, being unarmed at the moment, fled. A large party of knights pursued him past the house of a wealthy burgher who lived on a hill. Gawaine and some of his companions were staying with this burgher. They piled out and rescued Aglovale, killing sixty knights. The burgher was horrifed:

You have ruined me! Gilehodin will kill me and mine. You will go away and I shall have to bear the consequences.

Gawaine, confident, that Galihodin would pardon them even if they had killed half his men, because three of them were of high lineage, promised to make the burgher's peace with his lord. Sure enough, Galehodin was so impressed by manly explanation that he not only pardoned Gawaine's party and scolded his own people, but invested the burgher with the castle of Peningue and promised to dub him knight on Whitsunday.

Malory has Galihodin a "nigh cousin" to Galeholt and "a king within the country of Surluse (Sorelois)", which makes him a sub-king. Galihodin helps Lancelot play a practical joke on Dinadan at the tournament in Surluse. Later Galihodin shows up with twenty knights and tries to win La Beale Isoud by jousting, but Palomides, with Tristram's permission, jousts him and his knights down.

Galihodin may have become ruler of Norgales after Ryons. He was a noble knight who treated Arthur’s companions well, although Malory tells a story in which he tries to kidnap Isolde, but is defeated by Palamedes.

Galihodin became a knight of the Round Table; he was among the guests at Guenevere's small dinner party and among the knights who tried to heal Sir Urre. Galehodin supported Lancelot in the war against Arthur by helping to rescue Guinevere from the stake, and by fighting in the battles at Joyous Guard and Benoic (Benwick). In return for his support, Lancelot made him Duke of Saintonge.

After Arthur's death he joined Lancelot and others in the hermitage of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, and lived there as a hermit until Lancelot's death. With Lancelot's other knights, he took Lancelot's body to Joyous Guard and buried it. He then returned to his own lands.

Galehodin is found in La Tavola Ritonda as Abastunagio.