Palamedes first appears in the
Prose Tristan, an early 13th-century prose expansion of the
Tristan and Iseult legend. The work presents him as "a knight of exceeding prowess, generosity and intelligence, and moreover a
Saracen, a fact which, no doubt wisely, he keeps to himself." In an exotic custom, he sword-fights with two weapons at the same time, wielding one in each hand. The work's Palamedes is introduced as a knight fighting for the hand of
Princess Iseult (Isolde) at a tournament in Ireland; he ultimately loses to the protagonist
Tristan, to the delight of the princess. Tristan spares him but forbids him to bear arms for a year or to pursue Iseult's love ever again. After Iseult's wedding to
King Mark, Palamedes rescues Iseult's servant
Brangaine, joins the
Round Table and engages in a number of duels with Tristan that are usually postponed or end without a clear winner. They eventually reconcile, but share a
love–hate relationship through the rest of the narrative. Palamedes and
Dinadan, another addition of the
Tristan, "constantly call into question the accepted tenets of society: Palamedes, an anguished seeker for the favours of Iseut, illustrates the corrosive effect of love." According to Valerie B. Johnson, Palamedes also appears as a major character in the
Post-Vulgate Cycle,
Thomas Malory's ''
Le Morte d'Arthur, and other medieval works, such as La Tavola Ritonda.
He even gave his name to his own prose romance, the early 13th-century Palamedes'' that now exists only in fragments, detailing the adventures of two generations of Arthurian heroes (despite the title, Palamedes himself is not a central focus). Some stories reveal Palamedes' background: his father
Esclabor was an exiled king of
Babylon who travelled to Britain, where he rescued and befriended
King Pellinore. Palamedes notably features as the hunter of the
Questing Beast, an abomination only the chosen can kill. The hunt is as frustrating and fruitless as the pursuit of Iseult, and in most versions remains uncompleted. In the Post-Vulgate, however, Palamedes'
conversion to Christianity during the
Grail Quest allows him release from his worldly entanglements, and
Perceval and
Galahad help him trap the beast in a lake, where he finally slays it.
''Le Morte d'Arthur'' '' illustration by
Aubrey Beardsley: "How
King Marke and
Sir Dinadan heard Sir Palomides making great sarrow and mourning for
La Beale Isoud." In Malory's version, the
love triangle of his character of Palomides (Palomydes the Saracen) with Tristan (Tristram) and Isolde (Isoud/Isode) has been interpreted by some modern scholarship as an erotic triangle. He is arguably a 'bad' lover counterpart to Tristan, similar to how
Maleagant relates to
Lancelot in the case of
Queen Guinevere. Malory describes him loving Isolde "out of measure", similar to how
Morgan loves
Accolon or how Lancelot is beloved by women. He even recognises himself as "a fool" for loving the woman who instead loves Tristan, "the best knight in the world." According to Kevin T. Grimm, "Malory constructs Sir Palomides as a microcosm of the forces of love and envy, whose conflict drives the narrative of the
Tale of Sir Tristram." His baptism by Tristan ends the tale. Palomides is spared by Tristan after their single combat on Iseult's plea, so he would convert against his vow taken to not be baptised (the vow motif shared with his French literature counterpart Palamedes). He does convert, doing that at the same
Pentecost when Galahad arrives to
Camelot. Malory has him then assimilate into the European (Christian) culture, even oddly positioning him as a close relative of Guinevere's father Pellinore (possibly as his son). Nevertheless, Malory's christened Palomides does not participate in the Grail Quest and even his speech patterns do not change. Eventually, and his (also converted) surviving brother
Safir join Lancelot's faction in the civil war against
King Arthur after Lancelot's afair with Guinevere is exposed. The two later accompany Lancelot into exile from England to France, where Palomides is made the Duke of
Provence. Arguably, according to Kavita Mudan Finn, "despite explicit comparisons to Lancelot and Tristram throughout the
Morte Darthur, the Muslim knight Sir Palomides is denied their status as both a great knight and a great lover because of his race and religion." According to Bonnie Whyler, Palomides "penetrates the chivalric world, adopts its strategies and shares its values. But he is forever doomed by his 'almost' status." == Modern culture ==