Lamorak is one of the sons of
King Pellinore and a brother of
Aglovale,
Drian,
Perceval, and
Tor. His siblings may also include the
Grail maiden
Dindrane and others. Named after his uncle, who in his time had been one of the best knights of
King Arthur's father
Uther Pendragon, he gains fame for his strength, fiery temper, and feats of martial prowess, such as fighting off at least thirty knights by himself on more than one occasion. Lamorak's adventures often involve the Cornish prince
Tristan, first as his mortal enemy, later turned his best friend. In one episode exclusive to the Italian
Tavola Ritonda, for example, he helps Tristan escape from the castle of the lustful fairy enchantress
Medeas. in ''
The Boy's King Arthur'' (1922) Lamorak's death comes from how his father Pellinore, one of King Arthur's earliest royal allies, had once killed the rebellious
King Lot of
Orkney in battle. Ten years later, Lot's sons
Gawain and
Gaheris retaliated by slaying Pellinore in a duel. Lamorak, who meanwhile has joined Lot's sons at the
Round Table, inflames the families'
blood feud by having an affair with Lot's widow, the Queen of Orkney (
Morgause). The Queen's son Gaheris catches the lovers
in flagrante delicto while staying at Gawain's estate and promptly beheads her, letting her unarmed lover go. Lamorak reappears at a tournament and explains the situation to Arthur, but rejects the king's promise of protection at his court and enforcement of a truce between the two royal families. In the version made popular by ''
Le Morte d'Arthur'', when Lamorak rides off alone, he is ambushed in a wood by Gawain and Gaheris along with their brothers
Agravain and
Mordred, who had just murdered Drian. Together, the four unfairly fight him all at once for hours. Ultimately, it is Mordred who delivers a fatal blow on Lamorak from behind, after which Gawain beheads Lamorak. The episode reflects Gawain's earlier killing of Pellinore. In the
P-V Folie Lancelot and the First Version of the
Prose Tristan, Gawain beheads Lamorak (Lamorat), defeated by Mordred and Agravain in their ambush (in which Lamorak had first defeated Gawain), after Lamorak refuses to yield. This, too, is preceded by the mortal wounding of Drian. Most other variants of the Prose
Tristan report on his murder only very briefly; one of the exception is the late manuscript BnF 103 that seems to have been Malory's exact source. ==Modern culture==