Orguelleus


    1. Orguelleus
      'Proud' | Orguellous, Orguilleux

      A castle, first mentioned by Chrétien de Troyes in Perceval.

      A mysterious ugly woman came to Arthur’s court to rebuke Perceval for failing to cure the Fisher King. Almost in passing, she noted that hundreds of men lived in the castle Orguelleus with their maidens, and Girflet vowed to travel there to seek adventure. Chrétien did not finish this plot line, but in the First Continuation, Arthur and his company set out to free Girflet, who was apparently captured and imprisoned in the castle. Gawain conquered the castle by defeating the Riche Soudier. In the Second Continuation, Perceval had to prove his worth at a tournament at the castle (ruled by a knight named Orguelleus) before he could complete the Grail Quest.

      In Perlesvaus, it is inhabited by Orguelleuse of Logres, a murderous maiden who plots to kill Gawain, Perceval, and Lancelot. The castle next appears in the French romance Gliglois, as the location of a tournament won by Gliglois, Gawain’s squire, which proves him worthy of marrying the lady Beauté. In Malory, Sir Brunor the Black defeats a dozen knights at the Castle Orguelleus, ending the castle’s custom, which had been to take all passing knights prisoner.

      See also
      Aharer | The Legend of King Arthur
      Blandigan | The Legend of King Arthur


    2. Orguelleus of the Heath
      Orguelleus of La Lander, Orilus of Lalander

      A knight featured in the stories of Chrétien de Troyes and Wolfram von Eschenbach. His first appearance is in Chrétien’s Erec, as a knight defeated by Erec at the Tenebroc tournament.

      In Chrétien’s Perceval and Wolfram’s Parzival, he owns a forest pavilion in Briziljan or Broceliande. Perceval, on his way to Arthur’s court for the first time, visits the pavilion and finds Orguelleus’s wife (called Jeschute by Wolfram) alone inside. Misinterpreting advice given to him by his mother, Perceval eats the woman’s food, kisses her, and takes a ring from her finger. Orguelleus returns and, finding that another man has been there, becomes enraged, accuses his wife of adultery, and forces her to mount a steed and ride with him, seeking Perceval. Perceval met them some time later. Orguelleus had not allowed his wife to change her dress or her mount in months. Orguelleus challenged Perceval to combat. Perceval was victorious, and he forced Orguelleus to make amends to his wife and to go to Arthur’s court.

      Wolfram gives Orguelleus a brother named Lähelin and a sister named Cunneware. His wife Jeschute was Erec’s sister, yet Orguelleus and Erec frequently combated each other. He was an enemy of the Round Table he had killed Galoies (Galoes) (Perceval’s uncle), Schionatulander (Perceval’s cousin’s lover), and a knight named Plihoplehri (Bleoberis).

      He seemed to be friends with Gawain, as Gawain had received his horse, Gringolet, from Orguelleus.


    3. Orguelleus of the Narrow Passage
      Orguelleuse of the Narrow Passage

      The guardian of the borders of Galloway, who vowed that no knight that entered the country would escape alive. Gawain defied this vow by defeating Orguelleus in combat at the Perilous Ford.

      Orguelleus’s lover was Orguelleuse of Logres.


    4. Orguelleus of the Fairy
      Orguelleus the Fay

      A knight who was an enemy of Gawain. He possessed magical powers and ruled the Fairy Rock.

      With Sir Goumeret, he killed Sir Cortois of Huberlant, believing him to be Gawain. When the knights realized their mistake, Orguelleus resurrected Cortois.