View source for Kay (Arthurian legend)

{{Short description|Legendary Arthurian knight}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2019}}
[[File:Hb-keux.jpg|thumb|upright|"Keux's" [[attributed arms]]]]

In [[Arthurian legend]], '''Kay''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|eɪ}} ({{langx|cy|'''Cai'''}}, [[Middle Welsh]] '''''Kei''''' or '''''Cei'''''; {{langx|la|Caius}}; French: ''Keu''; [[Old French]]: ''Kès'' or ''Kex'') is [[King Arthur]]'s foster brother and later [[seneschal]], as well as one of the first [[Knights of the Round Table]]. In later literature he is known for his acid tongue and [[bullying]], boorish behaviour, but in earlier accounts he was one of Arthur's premier warriors. Along with [[Bedivere]], with whom he is frequently associated, Kay is one of the earliest characters associated with Arthur.<ref>See Rachel Bromwich's discussion in the "Notes on Personal Names", part of her edition of ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Welsh Triads'', second edition (Cardiff: University of Wales, 1978), pp. 303–307.</ref> Kay's father is called [[Sir Ector|Ector]] in later literature, but the Welsh accounts name him as [[Cynyr Ceinfarfog]].

==Cai in Welsh tradition==
Cai or Cei is one of the earliest characters to be associated with the [[Arthurian mythology]], appearing in a number of early Welsh texts, including ''[[Culhwch and Olwen|Culhwch ac Olwen]]'', ''[[Three Welsh Romances|Geraint fab Erbin]]'', ''[[Three Welsh Romances|Iarlles y Ffynnon]]'', ''[[Peredur fab Efrawg]]'', ''[[Breuddwyd Rhonabwy]]'', ''[[Pa gur|Pa Gur]]'', and the [[Welsh Triads]]. His father is given as Cynyr Ceinfarfog (Fork-Beard), his son as Garanwyn and his daughter as Kelemon.

Before Cai's birth, Cynyr prophesied that his son's heart would be eternally cold, that he would be exceptionally stubborn, and that no one would be able to brave fire or water like him. Cai is attributed with a number of further superhuman abilities, including the ability to go nine days and nine nights without the need to breathe or to sleep, the ability to grow as "tall as the tallest tree in the forest if he pleased" and the ability to radiate supernatural heat from his hands.<ref>S. Davies translation, ''The Mabinogion'' (Oxford 2007) p. 189.</ref> Furthermore, it is impossible to cure a wound from Cai's sword.<ref>Gantz, Jeffrey. ''The Mabinogion''.</ref> Cai is killed by Gwyddawg fab (son of) Menestyr, who is in turn killed in vengeance by [[King Arthur|Arthur]].

[[Robert Graves]] commented that the early description of Cei "is close to the account given of the Sun-hero [[Cuchulain]] in his battle rage. But in the later Arthurian legends Cei has degenerated into a buffoon and Chief of Cooks"<ref>R. Graves, ''The White Goddess'' (Manchester 1999) p. 91.</ref>—an aspect of the folklore process whereby old heroes must be downgraded (but not forgotten) in order to make room for new.<ref>H. Mustard translation, ''Parzival'' (New York 1961) p. 16.</ref>

===''Pa Gur yv y Porthaur''===
One of the earliest direct reference to Cai can be found in the 10th-century poem ''Pa Gur'', in which Arthur recounts the feats and achievements of his warriors so as to gain entrance to a fortress guarded by [[Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr]], the titular porter. The poem concerns itself largely with Cai's exploits:

{{quote|<poem>Prince of the plunder, / The unrelenting warrior to his enemy; / Heavy was he in his vengeance; / Terrible was his fighting.
When he would drink from a horn, / He would drink as much as four; / When into battle he came / He slew as would a hundred.
Unless God should accomplish it, / Cei's death would be unattainable.
Worthy Cei and Llachau / Used to fight battles, / Before the pain of livid spears [ended the conflict].
On the top of Ystarfingun / Cei slew [[Nine sorceresses|nine witches]]. / Worthy Cei went to Ynys Mon / To destroy lions. / Little protection did his shield offer / Against [[Cath Palug|Palug's Cat]].<ref name="Pa Gur">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110723202344/http://www.markadderley.net/arthur/welsh-arthur/pagur.html ''Pa Gur'']}}</ref></poem>}}

===''Culhwch ac Olwen''===
{{main|Culhwch and Olwen}}
[[File:Ysbaddaden.jpeg|thumb|Culhwch and his companions at Ysbadadden's court in [[Ernest Wallcousins]]’ illustration for ''Celtic Myth & Legend'' (1920)]]

[[Culhwch]]'s father, [[Cilydd|King Cilydd son of Celyddon]], loses his wife [[Goleuddydd]] after a difficult childbirth. When he remarries, the young Culhwch rejects his stepmother's attempt to pair him with his new stepsister. Offended, the new queen puts a curse on him so that he can marry no one besides the beautiful [[Olwen]], daughter of the giant [[Ysbaddaden]]. Though he has never seen her, Culhwch becomes infatuated with her, but his father warns him that he will never find her without the aid of his famous cousin Arthur. The young man immediately sets off to seek his kinsman. He finds him at his court in [[Celliwig]] in Cornwall and asks for support and assistance. Cai is the first knight to volunteer to assist Culhwch in his quest,<ref>S. Davies translation, ''The Mabinogion'' (Oxford 2007) p. 189.</ref> promising to stand by his side until Olwen is found. A further five knights join them in their mission. They travel onwards until they come across the "fairest of the castles of the world", and meet Ysbaddaden's shepherd brother, Custennin. They learn that the castle belongs to Ysbaddaden, that he stripped Custennin of his lands and murdered the shepherd's twenty-three children out of cruelty. Custennin set up a meeting between Culhwch and Olwen, and the maiden agrees to lead Culhwch and his companions to Ysbadadden's castle. Cai pledges to protect the twenty-fourth son, [[Goreu fab Custennin|Goreu]] with his life.<ref>S. Davies translation, ''The Mabinogion'' (Oxford 2007) p. 193.</ref> The knights attack the castle by stealth, killing the nine porters and the nine watchdogs, and enter the giant's hall. Upon their arrival, Ysbaddaden attempts to kill Culhwch with a poison dart, but is outwitted and wounded, first by [[Bedivere|Bedwyr]], then by the enchanter [[Menw]], and finally by Culhwch himself. Eventually, Ysbaddaden relents, and agrees to give Culhwch his daughter on the condition that he completes a number of impossible tasks (''anoethau''), including hunting the [[Twrch Trwyth]] and recovering the exalted prisoner [[Mabon ap Modron]].

Cai is a prominent character throughout the tale and is responsible for completing a number of the tasks; he kills Wrnach the Giant, rescues [[Mabon ap Modron]] from his watery prison and retrieves the hairs of Dillus the Bearded.<ref>S. Davies translation, ''The Mabinogion'' (Oxford 2007) pp. 202-7.</ref>  However, when Arthur makes a satirical [[englyn]] about Cai, he grows angry and hostile towards the king, ultimately abandoning the quest and his companions. The narrative tells us that Cai would "have nothing to do with Arthur from then on, not when the latter was waning in strength or when his men were being killed." As a result, he did not take part in the hunt for Twrch Trwyth.

===Other appearances===
In the ''Life of St. [[Cadoc]]'' (c. 1100) Bedwyr is alongside Arthur and Cai in dealing with King [[Gwynllyw]] of [[Gwynllwg]]'s abduction of St. [[Gwladys]] from her father's court in [[Brycheiniog]]. Cai appears prominently in the [[Ystorya Trystan|early Welsh version]] of ''[[Tristan and Isolde]]'', in which he assists the two lovers and is himself infatuated with a maiden named Golwg Hafddydd,<ref>[http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/trystan.html Trystan and Esyllt].</ref> and in the early dialogue poems relating to [[Maleagant|Melwas]]'s abduction of [[Guinevere|Gwenhwyfar]]. The context suggests that Cai is rescuing the queen from the otherworldly suitor, and may imply a romantic relationship between Cai and Gwenhwyfar.<ref>[http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/melwas.html The Dialogue of Melwas and Gwenhwyfar].</ref>

The Welsh Triads name Cai as one of the "Three Battle-Diademed Men of the Island of Britain" alongside [[Tristan|Drystan mab Tallwch]] and [[Hueil mab Caw]].<ref name="ReferenceA">Bromwich, Rachel. ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein''.</ref> In the ''Triads of the Horses'', his horse is named as Gwyneu gwddf hir (Gwyneu of the Long Neck).<ref name="ReferenceA"/> According to tradition, Cai is intimately associated with the old Roman fort of Caer Gai.<ref>Bromwich, Rachel. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060825125641/http://www.celtnet.org.uk/gods_c/cei.html Cei at Celtnet]}}.</ref>

In the [[Welsh Romances]] (specifically ''[[Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain]]'' and ''[[Peredur son of Efrawg]]''), Cai assumes the same boorish role he takes in the continental romances.<ref>S. Davies translation, ''The Mabinogion'' (Oxford 2007) p. 246.</ref> However, manuscripts for these romances date to well after [[Chrétien de Troyes]], meaning that Cai as he appears there may owe more to Chrétien's version of the character than to the indigenous Welsh representation.

==Kay in chronicles and romances==
[[Image:Arthur-Pyle Sir Kay breaketh his sword at ye Tournament.JPG|thumb|"Sir Kay breaketh his sword at ye Tournament" from ''[[The Story of King Arthur and His Knights]]'' by [[Howard Pyle]] (1903)]]

Kay and Bedivere both appear in [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]]'s ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'', and support Arthur in his defeat of the Giant of [[Mont Saint-Michel]].<ref>L. Thorpe translation, ''The History of the Kings of Britain'' (Penguin 1966) pp. 238-9.</ref> Geoffrey makes Kay the count of [[County of Anjou|Anjou]] and Arthur's steward, an office which he holds in most later literature. In [[Chrétien de Troyes]]'s ''[[Erec and Enide]]'',  a son Gronosis is mentioned, who is versed in evil. By contrast, the Welsh attribute to him a son and daughter named Garanwyn and Celemon. Romance literature rarely deals with Kay's love life, with one exception being [[Girart d'Amiens]]'s ''[[Escanor]]'', which details his love for Andrivete of [[Northumbria]], whom he must defend from her uncle's political machinations before they can marry.

In the works of Chrétien, Kay assumes the characteristics with which he is most associated today:  hot-headedness and fiery temper (retained from the Welsh literature), supplemented by his role as an incompetent braggart. Chrétien uses him as a scoffer and a troublemaker; a foil for heroic knights including [[Lancelot]], [[Ywain]], or [[Gawain]]. He mocks the chivalric courtesy of Sir [[Calogrenant]] in ''[[Yvain, the Knight of the Lion]]'', and he tricks Arthur into allowing him to try to save [[Guinevere]] from [[Maleagant]] in ''[[Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart]]'', which ends in his humiliating defeat. In ''[[Perceval, the Story of the Grail]]'', Sir Kay grows angry with [[Percival|Perceval]]'s naïveté and slaps a maiden who says he will become a great knight; Perceval later avenges her by breaking Kay's shoulder. [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]], who tells a similar story in his ''[[Parzival]]'', asks his audience not to judge Kay too harshly, as his sharp words actually serve to maintain courtly order: "Though few may agree with me—Keie was a brave and loyal man&nbsp;... The mighty Keie."<ref>H. Mustard translation, ''Parzival'' (New York 1961) pp. 159–60.</ref>

[[File:Siedlęcin Wieża Książęca Gotyckie malowidła ścienne Lancelot i Key.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Kay and Lancelot in a [[Siedlęcin Tower]] fresco (early 14th century)]]

Kay is ubiquitous in Arthurian literature but he rarely serves as anything but a [[foil (literature)|foil]] for other characters. Although he manipulates the king to get his way, his loyalty to Arthur is usually unquestioned. In the [[Vulgate Cycle]], the [[Post-Vulgate]] and [[Thomas Malory]]'s ''[[Le Morte d'Arthur]]'', Kay's father Ector adopts the infant Arthur after [[Merlin]] takes him away from his birth parents, [[Uther]] and [[Igraine]]. Ector raises the future king and Kay as brothers, but Arthur's parentage is revealed when he draws the [[Excalibur|Sword in the Stone]] at a tournament in London. Arthur, serving as squire to the newly knighted Kay, is locked out of the house and cannot get to his brother's sword, so he uses the Sword in the Stone to replace it. Kay shows his characteristic opportunism when he tries to claim it was in fact he that pulled the sword from the stone, not Arthur, making Kay the true [[List of legendary kings of Britain|King of the Britons]], but he ultimately relents and admits it was Arthur.<ref>H. Cooper edition, ''Le Morte Dathur'' (Oxford 2008) p. 9.</ref> He becomes one of the first [[Knights of the Round Table]], described as "best worthy to be a knight of the Round Table of any",<ref>H. Cooper edition, ''Le Morte Dathur'' (Oxford 2008) p. 60.</ref> and serves his foster-brother throughout his life.

Scholars have pointed out that Kay's scornful, overly boastful character never makes him a clown, a coward or a traitor, except in the [[Holy Grail|Grail]] romance ''[[Perlesvaus]]'', in which he murders Arthur's son [[Loholt]] and joins up with the king's enemies. This strange work is an anomaly, however, and Kay's portrayal tends to range from merely cruel and malicious, as in the ''Roman de [[Yder]]'' or [[Hartmann von Aue]]'s ''[[Iwein (poem)|Iwein]]'' to humorously derisive and even endearing, as in ''[[Durmart le Gallois]]'' and ''Escanor''.

Despite his ubiquity, Kay's death is not a frequent subject in the Arthurian canon. In Welsh literature, it is mentioned he was killed by Gwyddawg and avenged by Arthur. In Geoffrey of Monmouth and the [[Alliterative Morte Arthure|Alliterative ''Morte Arthure'']], he is killed in the war against the Roman Emperor [[Emperor Lucius|Lucius]],<ref>L. Thorpe translation, ''The History of the Kings of Britain'' (Penguin 1966) p. 257.</ref> while the Vulgate Cycle describes his death in France, also in battle against the Romans. According to Malory's Book 5, Kay does not die in the war against Rome, but rather survives and later is part of a party sent to try and retrieve [[Excalibur]]'s sacred scabbard, prior to the [[Battle of Camlann]].{{citeneeded|date=May 2019}} He is also among the few people who survives the battle of Camlann, although it is ambiguous as to how he does so; in later interpretations it is suggested that he never participated in that battle.

==Modern interpretations==
*Kay is a main character in the first three books of [[T. H. White]]'s ''[[The Once and Future King]]'', ''[[The Sword in the Stone (novel)|The Sword in the Stone]]'' and ''[[The Queen of Air and Darkness]]''. His portrayal is based on Malory's account of Arthur's upbringing, but White adds a number of new elements to the story, including one in which the young Kay kills a dangerous [[griffin]] with the aid of [[Robin Hood]] and [[Maid Marian]]. White's Kay is quick-witted and often mean, but always a loving foster brother to Arthur, whom he calls "the Wart". 
**Kay appears in the 1963 [[Walt Disney Pictures|Walt Disney Studios]] animated film adaptation of ''[[The Sword in the Stone (1963 film)|The Sword in the Stone]]'', where he is voiced by actor [[Norman Alden]]. Though he is inept at [[jousting]] and sword fighting, Ector remains determined to groom him for knighthood and to possibly take the crown. Kay serves as a foil to Arthur, being self-centered, lazy, and outwardly boorish and bitter. Kay constantly bullies Arthur, and has a grudge against him, often trying to physically hurt him for his mistakes. However, when Arthur becomes king, Kay comes to respect Arthur as the king, as shown when he reluctantly bows down to Arthur at first, then does so sincerely, and also shows guilt for the way he treated him in the past.
*In the 1970s TV series ''[[Arthur of the Britons]]'', Cei (in the TV series changed to Kai) was played by [[Michael Gothard]]. In this version of the legend, Arthur is a Celtic chieftain and Cai is a Saxon orphan, raised together as brothers by an adoptive father, Llud, among the Celts. He is portrayed as somewhat hot-headed and sometimes distracted by female company, but a fiercely capable warrior (sometimes favouring an axe-weapon) and Arthur's most trusted and loyal friend.
*In [[Thomas Berger (novelist)|Thomas Berger]]'s 1978 ''[[Arthur Rex: A Legendary Novel]]'', Kay is a somewhat foppish, sharp-tongued [[gourmand]]. Relieved to be freed from his bucolic upbringing in Wales, he takes charge of the kitchens at [[Camelot]] and yearns to make it a more sophisticated court. Arthur good-naturedly complains that Sir Kay is always serving him rich foods, when the king would rather just have simple meals. Kay supplies occasional comic relief in the book, but ultimately fights and dies with honour in the last battle against [[Mordred]]'s host.
*Kay is the main character of [[Phyllis Ann Karr]]'s 1982 novel ''[[The Idylls of the Queen]]''. Expanding on a scene from the classic tales in which a knight is poisoned at Guinevere's feast and the queen is accused of the crime, Karr turns her story into a [[murder mystery]] with Kay as the detective attempting to discover the truth.
*A version of Sir Kay appears in the 1982-1985 DC Comics maxi-series ''[[Camelot 3000]]''.
*In [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]'s 1983 ''[[The Mists of Avalon]]'', Kay (spelled Cai) is Arthur's foster-brother. After a near fatal accident as a small child, Arthur is sent to live with Cai and his father, Ectorius. Cai and Arthur love each other very much, and after Arthur is crowned, he tells Cai, "God strike me if I ever ask that you, brother, should call me [king]."<ref>{{cite book|last=Bradley|first=Marion Zimmer|year=1982|title=The Mists of Avalon|url=https://archive.org/details/mistsofavalon00mari|url-access=limited|publisher=[[Ballantine Books]]|place=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/mistsofavalon00mari/page/11 11]|isbn=0-345-31452-2}}</ref> Cai is described as having a facial scar and a limp, two injuries that he received while protecting Arthur during a Saxon invasion. Cai is made Arthur's knight and chamberlain, and he keeps Arthur's castle for him.
*In [[Gillian Bradshaw]]'s 1984 ''Down the Long Wind'' series, Cei is Arthur's infantry commander. He is a large man with fiery hair and a temper to match, but with a strong sense of honour and loyalty to Arthur.
*In [[Stephen R. Lawhead]]'s ''[[The Pendragon Cycle|Pendragon Cycle]]'' Kay, spelled Cai, is Arthur's most loyal companion. As a child he had a crippled leg and Arthur was one of the few who defends him. This earns Arthur his complete and unquestioning loyalty. He dies in the battle against Mordred.
*In comedy TV series ''[[Kaamelott]]'', Kay is portrayed as a rogue [[centurion]] and rival of Arthur named Caius [[End of Roman rule in Britain|who refused to follow his troops back to Rome]] and therefore Celticised his name and was given knighthood by Arthur to end their rivalry.
*He appears in [[Philip Reeve]]'s 2007 ''[[Here Lies Arthur]],'' as Cei, Arthur's loyal half-brother and friend to the bard [[Myrddin emrys|Myrddin]] (Merlin) at the beginning, before their friendship wanes over his stories designed to improve Arthur's reputation. He is later murdered in person by a character known as 'The Irishman', while riding to the Irishman's aid against raiders. The Irishman attacked their camp overnight, on the order of Myrddin, as many viewed him as a superior leader to Arthur. The other members of Arthur's army who were untrusted were also killed by the Irishman and his soldiers. The main character, Gwyn/Gwyna, and Peredur (Percival), were the only two to escape and survive the attack.
*In the 2011 TV series ''[[Camelot (TV series)|Camelot]]'', Kay is played by Canadian actor [[Peter Mooney]]. In this American-Irish-Canadian adaption of Arthurian Legend, Kay is portrayed as a loyal and protective older brother to Arthur. Although raised in a rural setting, he appears educated and somewhat idealistic, described by the actor who plays him as having "a world of book-smarts, but no practical experience [of how be a warrior]".<ref>Starz channel promotion "Camelot: Focus on Kay".</ref>
*Sir Kay briefly appears in the [[Once Upon a Time (season 5)|season 5]] [[The Dark Swan|opener]] of ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV Series)|Once Upon a Time]]'', where he betrays Arthur and attempts to pull Excalibur out of the stone to rule Camelot for himself. When he attempts to do so, he is proven unworthy, and the protection around the sword turns him to dust.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/theme/kay.html Kay] at The Camelot Project

{{Arthurian Legend}}
{{Celtic mythology (Welsh)}}
{{Geoffrey of Monmouth}}

{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Arthurian characters]]
[[Category:Knights of the Round Table]]