King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table is a 1953 children's novel by Roger Lancelyn Green, with illustrations by Lotte Reiniger. It is an adaptation and retelling of the Arthurian Legend, pulling from various medieval sources including Le Morte D Arthur.
Contains examples of:
- Adaptational Alternate Ending: Like in Tennyson's Idylls of the King, Gareth ends up with Linnet and Gaheris with Liones; in the source work, Le Morte D'Arthur, it's the other way around.
- Adapted Out: Gareth only faces four color-coded knights instead of five: Black, Green, Blue, and Red. The other Red Knight, Perimones, is adapted out.
- Ambiguous Situation: The final fate of Ragnell, and whether or not she and Gawain are Percivale's parents. At the opening of the Round Table, Merlin says that "the bravest knight now sitting here" would be Percivale's father — which, as Launcelot had yet to arrive, would seem to indicate Gawain. However, ultimately it is left ambiguous.Some say that [Ragnell] died, but others that she fled away into the deep forests of Wales and there bore a son to Sir Gawain who in time became one of the noblest of all the Knights of the Round Table; but whether that son's name was Percivale the old tales do not tell us. Some call him simply 'The Fair Unknown' – but his adventures were so like those of Percivale that we may well believe that in a tale now lost this was indeed the name of the son of Sir Gawain and the Lady Ragnell.
- Composite Character: Percivale's sister combines traits of two different characters known as that
— she has the role of the Grail heroine, but the name of Dindrane. - Damsel Errant: Many damsels travel to King Arthur's court seeking help.
- Damsel in Distress: Liones, who is held captive in a castle by the Red Knight.
- Decoy Damsel: In the tale of Gawain and Ragnell, a damsel comes to King Arthur's court to seek help. He vows to help and follows her to Tarn Wathelyne, but she is actually working for Morgana le Fay and leading him into a trap.
- Eyes Never Lie: Ragnell's eyes show her suffering; when Gawain sees this, he is able to momentarily overcome his revulsion to kiss her.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After Iseult of the White Hands causes the deaths of Tristam and Iseult the Fair through her jealousy of their relationship, she repents and has them buried together.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted.
- There's Elaine of Carbonek, Elaine of Astolat, and Elayne, mother of Launcelot. Elaine, half-sister of Arthur is also mentioned.
- There's the Green Knight faced by Gawain, and the Green Knight faced by Gareth.
- There's Iseult the Fair and Iseult of the White Hands.
- Rule of Three:
- In the tale of Gawain and the Green Knight: three kisses, three animals hunted, and three swings of the axe.
- Three times Enid turns back to warn Geraint of robbers, and each time the number of robbers they meet increases by three.
- Three times Bedivere goes to throw Excalibur into the lake, changing his mind at the last minute the first two times.
- Together in Death: Tristam and Iseult are buried in a single grave, and two rose trees — one red, one white — are planted over their grave and grow together.
- A Year and a Day:
- The Green Knight says that whoever takes up his challenge must face him again in twelve months and a day.
- After Lionel tries to kill Bors during the quest for the Grail, he stays at the abbey for a year and a day doing penance.
