Pharien de Trebes

Facijen, Farien, Phariance, Phariaunce, Pharien, Phariens

A knight - whom Malory calls "a worshipful knight" - from Trebe in the service, as seneschal, of kings Ban (Lancelot’s father) and Bors. Phariance and Lionses (Leonce de Paerne) were the two "knights of worship" sent to greet the Britons. They accompanied their lieges to Britain to assist in Arthur’s wars against the rebellious kings and the Saxons at Bedegraine.

King Bors banished Pharien after Pharien killed another knight to avenge his uncle’s death. Pharien took service with King Claudas, the enemy of Ban and Bors, but still retained his loyalty to Bors and his family.

After Ban and Bors died during Claudas’s invasion of their lands, Pharien guided Bors’s widow to a monastery and then looked after her children, Bors and Lionel, whom he hid from Claudas. Claudas loved Phariance's wife and made Phariance seneschal of Gannes for her sake.

Claudas had an affair with Pharien’s wife and found out about the princes from her. After King Bors' death, Phariance confiscated Bors' two sons, Lionel (aged twenty-one months) and young Bors (aged nine months). Claudas agreed to take care of them and made Pharien heir to their lands until they were grown, making Phariance and his nephew Lambegue their tutors.

In time, however, the people of Gannes (Bors’s former land) revolted and Pharien found himself in the uneasy situation of protecting King Claudas against his former allies and friends. This led to a temporary rift between Pharien and his nephew, Lambegue. After Seraide's rescue of the two boys from Claudas' court, Claudas threw Phariance and Lambegus into prison, but Lionses used a ruse to accomplish their rescue.

Phariance and his family were brought to the French Lake. Pharien lived long enough to see Bors and Lionel placed in the care of the Lady of the Lake. His wife remained with Viviane, and his sons, Anguins and Tatains, went on to become gallant knights.