Lalut

1. Lalut
   Laluth

   Located about seven leagues or less from Cardigan.

   By Erec's estimation, this county (ruled by a count) kept the custom of annually awarding a fine sparrow-hawk to the loveliest lady present or, in other words, the lady luck enough to have a knight able to defeat any and all challengers. If a knight could win it for his lady three years in a row, he would win it for good.

   Chrétien describes this place as a fortress and a town; by the way in which it could fill up the bursting yearly with the people of the country roundabout and never, seemingly, have come to Arthur's attention before Erec visited it, I suspect an otherwordly origin. Whether or not this town was once of Faery, it was where Erec first met the ethereally lovely Enide and her parents.

   
   

2. Lalut, Count of

   He was the brother of Enide's mother and thus Enide's uncle.

   Chrétien de Troyes gives the story no obvious otherwordly overtones at all, but, if my guess is right, there may be a touch of faery origin in this whole family and its him.