Tristan and Iseult as depicted by Herbert Draper
(1864 -1920).

Sir Tristan (Latin/Brythonic: Drustanus; Welsh: Drystan; also known as Tristran, Tristram, etc.) is one of the main characters of the Tristan and Iseult story, a Cornish hero and one of the Knights of the Round Table featuring in the Matter of Britain. He is the son of Blancheflor and Rivalen (in later versions Isabelle and Meliodas), and the nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, sent to fetch Iseult back from Ireland to wed the king. However, he and Iseult accidentally consume a love potion while en route and fall helplessly in love. The pair undergo numerous trials that test their secret affair. Look up Tristan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Tristan may refer to: Tristan of Cornwall, a Knight of the Round Table Tristan Tzara, a Dadaist poet Tristram Shandy, a character and novel by Laurence Sterne Tristan Cano, a famous Gibraltarian Tristan da Cunha, an Atlantic island The Unusual Life Of Tristan Smith, a novel by Peter Carey This... Image File history File links DrapersTristanIsolde. ... Image File history File links DrapersTristanIsolde. ... Iseult of Ireland as portrayed Sophia Myles in Tristan & Isolde, 2006. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Brythonic is one of two major divisions of Insular Celtic languages (the other being Goidelic). ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... For other uses, see Tristan and Iseult (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Cornwall (disambiguation). ... For the film, see Knights of the Round Table (film). ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ... Blancheflor of the House of Cornwall, was the daughter of King Felix, sister to King Mark of Cornwall, and mother to Sir Tristan. ... Meliodas or Meliadus is a figure in Arthurian legend, famous as the father of Sir Tristan in the Prose Tristan and subsequent accounts that draw material from it, including the Post-Vulgate Cycle, Malorys Le Morte dArthur, and the Compilation of Rustichello da Pisa. ... Mark of Cornwall (Latin Marcus Cunomorus, Cornish Margh, Welsh March or Cynfawr) was a king of Kernyw (Cornwall) in the early 6th century AD. He is most famous as the uncle of Tristan and husband of Iseult, who engage in a secret affair behind his back. ... Iseult of Ireland as portrayed Sophia Myles in Tristan & Isolde, 2006. ... Love potion can refer to many things: A potion that is said to have the power to cause its imbiber to fall in love with the person who gave it to them. ...

The Tristan legend cycle

Tristan makes his first medieval appearance in the early twelfth century in Celtic folklore circulating in the north of France. Although the oldest stories concerning Tristan are lost, some of the derivatives still exist. Most early versions fall into one of two branches, "courtly" branch represented in the retellings of the Anglo-Norman poet Thomas of Britain and his German successor Gottfried von Strassburg, and the "common" branch, including the works of the French poet Béroul and the German poet Eilhart von Oberge. Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Thomas of Britain is an Anglo-Norman poet of the 12th century. ... Gottfried von Strassburg, was one of the chief German poets of the middle ages. ... Béroul is a juggler and storyteller of trade (trouvere) Norman of XIIe century. ... Eilhart von Oberge was a German poet of the late 12th century. ...

Arthurian romancier Chrétien de Troyes mentions in his poem Cligès that he composed his own account of the story; however, there are no surviving copies or records of any such text. In the thirteenth century, during the great period of prose romances, appeared the Tristan en prose or Prose Tristan, one of the most popular romances of its time. This long, sprawling, and often lyrical, work (the modern edition takes up thirteen volumes) follows Tristan from the traditional legend into the realm of King Arthur where Tristan participates in the Quest for the Holy Grail. In the fifteenth century, Sir Thomas Malory shortened this French version into his own take, The Book of Sir Tristram de Lyones, found in his Le Morte D'Arthur. Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet and trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. ... Cligès is a poem by the medieval French poet Chrétien de Troyes, dating from around 1176. ... The Prose Tristan is an adaptation of the Tristan and Iseult story into a long prose romance, and the first to tie the subject entirely into the arc of the Arthurian legend. ... Sir Thomas Malory (c. ... The Last Sleep of Arthur by Edward Burne-Jones Le Morte dArthur (spelled Le Morte Darthur in the first printing and also in some modern editions, Middle French for la mort dArthur, the death of Arthur) is Sir Thomas Malorys compilation of some French and English Arthurian...

Historical roots

There are strange aspects to Tristan, such as his Pictish name. Drust is a very common name of Pictish kings, and Drustanus is merely Drust rendered into Latin. It may have originated from an ancient legend regarding a Pictish king who slew a giant in the distant past, which had spread throughout the isles. The Pictish language is the extinct language of the Picts, in what is now Scotland. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ...

Another strange aspect is his kingdom, Lyonesse, for whose existence there is no evidence. However there were two places called Leonais: one in Brittany, the other the Old French transcription of Lothian. However, the Islands of Scilly have also been proposed to be this place, since they were possibly one island until Roman times and several islands are interconnected at low tide. Regardless, Tristan being a prince of Lothian would make his name more sensible, Lothian being on the borderlands of the Pictish High-Kingship (and once was a part of Pictish territory; Tristan may in fact have been a Pictish prince under a British King). One suggestion is that he could have been adopted into the family of Mark of Cornwall, historically a practice attested in Roman law. Lyonesse, Lyoness, or Lyonnesse is the sunken land believed in legend to lie off the Isles of Scilly, to the south-west of Cornwall. ... Lyonesse or Lyonnesse is the sunken land (or, Lost Land) believed in legend to lie off the Isles of Scilly, to the south-west of Cornwall. ... Historical province of Brittany, showing the main areas with their name in Breton language The traditional flag of Brittany (the Gwenn-ha-du), formerly a Breton nationalist symbol but today used as a general civic flag in the region. ... Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300. ... Lothian (Lowden in Scots, Lodainn in Gaelic) forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills. ... The Isles of Scilly (Cornish: Ynysek Syllan) are an archipelago of islands off the Cornish coast. ... Mark of Cornwall (Latin Marcus Cunomorus, Cornish Margh, Welsh March or Cynfawr) was a king of Kernyw (Cornwall) in the early 6th century AD. He is most famous as the uncle of Tristan and husband of Iseult, who engage in a secret affair behind his back. ... Using the term Roman law in a broader sense, one may say that Roman law is not only the legal system of ancient Rome but the law that was applied throughout most of Europe until the end of the 18th century. ...

The Tristan and Iseult romance

Main article: Tristan and Iseult

The romantic narrative of the Tristan and Iseult love affair predated and most likely influenced the Arthurian romance of Lancelot and Guinevere. The legend tells of the love affair between Tristan and Iseult of Ireland (the promised bride of Tristan's uncle), and the events and trials that the lovers go through to cover up their secret affair. For other uses, see Tristan and Iseult (disambiguation). ... This article refers to the wide variety of writing called romantic. For literature from the European Romantic movement of the 18th and 19th centuries, see Romanticism: Art and Literature. ...

Modern adaptations

In 1857–59, Richard Wagner composed the opera Tristan and Isolde, now considered one of the most influential pieces of music of the 19th century. In his work, Tristan is portrayed as a doomed romantic figure. Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as they were later called). ... Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde) is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. ...

Algernon Charles Swinburne wrote an epic poem Tristram of Lyonesse. The story has also been adapted into film many times. [1] The most recent is the American version entitled Tristan & Isolde, produced by Tony and Ridley Scott, written by Dean Georgaris, directed by Kevin Reynolds, and starring James Franco and Sophia Myles. The story of Tristan has also been represented through the song of the same name by the artist Patrick Wolf. Algernon Swinburne, Portrait by Rossetti Algernon Charles Swinburne (April 5, 1837 – April 10, 1909) was a Victorian era English poet. ... Tristan & Isolde is a 2006 German/British/American film based on the medieval romantic legend of Tristan and Iseult. ... See also Tony Scott for the American clarinet jazz musician. ... Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30, 1937 in South Shields, South Tyneside) is a British film director and producer. ... Kevin Reynolds refers to: Kevin Reynolds (director) Kevin Reynolds (figure skater) Category: ... James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, and artist. ... Sophia Myles (IPA: ) (born March 18, 1980) is an English film and television actress. ... Patrick Wolf (born Patrick Apps on June 30, 1983 at St Thomas Hospital, London[1]) is an English singer-songwriter from South London. ...

Tristan plays a prominent role in the comic book series Camelot 3000, in which he is reincarnated in A.D. 3000 as a woman and subsequently struggles to come to terms with his new body and identity and to reconcile them in turn with his previous notions of gender roles and of his own sexuality. Camelot 3000 is a comic book maxi-series written by Mike Barr and penciled by Brian Bolland and published by DC Comics from 1982-1985 as one of its first Direct Market projects. ...

Russian composer Nikita Koshkin wrote a classical guitar solo entitled Tristan Playing the Lute in 1983. Tristan Playing the Lute evokes the spirit of Tristan from the legend of "Tristan and Isolde", set in a playful adaptation of traditional English lute music, at least initially. According to Koshkin: Nikita Koshkin (1956–) is a classical guitarist and composer born in Moscow. ...

"Tristan was written as a musical joke. It was a period when I was fond of all the stories about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Tristan was not only a great fighter, but he also played many musical instruments and had a beautiful singing voice. This is why I thought he could be the subject of a piece to suggest the process of improvising in a characteristic early style that then begins to change to futuristic musical ideas. The first section of the piece is clearly ancient in style; the second is more modern; then the third introduces elements of Eastern music as well as some rock riffs. The idea is that Tristan, during his improvising, is building musical bridges to the future."

In the 2004 film, King Arthur, based on the Sarmatian connection theory of origin for the Arthurian legends, Tristan (Mads Mikkelsen) is a prominent member of the knights, who are Sarmatians serving under a half-Roman Arthur in the 5th century. He is a cavalry archer, and uses a sword similar to, if not a dao. It seems that he finds a pleasure in killing and is quite good at it. He has a pet falcon, which he greatly treasures and uses as a lookout for Arthur and the rest of the knights in the film. He is killed by Cerdic in single combat in the Battle of Badon Hill. King Arthur is a film first released in the United States on June 28, 2004, dubbed as The Untold True Story That Inspired The Legend by Touchstone Pictures. ... The historical basis of King Arthur is a source of considerable debate among historians. ...   is a Danish actor. ... Sarmatia Europea in Scythia map 1697 AD Sarmatia Europæa separated from Sarmatia Asiatica by the Tanais (the River Don), based on Greek literary sources, in a map printed in London, ca 1770 Great steppe in early spring. ... Chinese Dao Knife or Sabre Dao (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: tao1, knife) is a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping (sabres), often called a broadsword in English translation because some varieties have wide blades. ... Imaginary depiction of Cerdic from John Speeds 1611 Saxon Heptarchy. Cerdic of Wessex (d. ... Britain, c. ...

See also

• Auchinleck manuscript
• Palamedes
• List of Arthurian characters
• Medieval French literature

The Auchinleck Manuscript is currently contained in the National Library of Scotland. ... Palamedes, (also called Palamede, Palomides or some other variant) was a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. ... The Arthurian legend featured many characters, whose names often differed from version to version, and language to language. ... Medieval French literature is, for the purpose of this article, literature written in Oïl languages (including Old French and early Middle French) during the period from the eleventh century to the end of the fifteenth century. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ... The Arthurian legend featured many characters, whose names often differed from version to version, and language to language. ... For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ... Sir Ector (sometimes Hector, Antor, or Ectorius) is the father of Sir Kay and the foster father of King Arthur in the Arthurian legend. ... For other uses, see Guinevere (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Merlin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Mordred (disambiguation). ... Morgan le Fay, by Anthony Frederick Sandys (1829 - 1904), 1864 (Birmingham Art Gallery): A spell-brewing Morgaine distinctly of Tennysons generation Morgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgaine, Morgain, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress and sometime antagonist of King Arthur and Guinevere in the Arthurian legend. ... In Arthurian legend, Morgause or Morgase (also known as Anna-Morgause or Ann-Morgause) is the half-sister of King Arthur who slept with him and produced Mordred, the incestuous heir that would lead to Camelots downfall. ... Uther Pendragon (French: Uter Pendragon; Welsh: Wthyr Bendragon, Uthr Bendragon, Uthyr Pendraeg) is a legendary king of sub-Roman Britain and the father of King Arthur. ... For the film, see Knights of the Round Table (film). ... King Arthur presides the Round Table. ... Sir Agravain or Sir Agravaine was a knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. ... How Sir Bedivere Cast the Sword Excalibur into the Water. ... In Arthurian Legend, Sir Bors was a Knight of the Round Table. ... Sir Calogrenant, sometimes known in English as Colgrevance, is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. ... Gaheris is a figure of Arthurian legend, a knight of the Round Table, and a son of Morgause and King Lot of Orkney and Lothian. ... A portrait of Sir Galahad by George Frederick Watts. ... For other uses, see Gareth (disambiguation). ... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Gawain (Gwalchmei, Gawan, Gauvain, Walewein etc. ... Geraint, with his wife Enid, from The Idylls of the King Geraint is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, a king of Dumnonia and a valiant warrior. ... Sir Kay, son of Sir Ector, was one of the Knights of the Round Table and King Arthurs foster brother. ... Sir Lamorak was the son of King Pellinore and the brother of Sir Tor, Sir Aglovale, Sir Dornar, Sir Percival, and Dindrane. ... For other uses, see Lancelot (disambiguation) and Sir Lancelot (disambiguation). ... Palamedes, (also called Palamede, Palomides or some other variant) was a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. ... Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthurs legendary Knights of the Round Table. ... Sir Sagramore is a Knight of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. ... For other uses, see Excalibur (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Holy Grail (disambiguation). ... King Arthur presides the Round Table. ... The following is a list and assessment of sites and places associated with King Arthur and the Arthurian legend in general. ... For other uses, see Avalon (disambiguation). ... This article is about the mythical castle. ... Corbenic (also Carbonek and Corbin) is the name of the castle of the Holy Grail in the Lancelot-Grail cycle and Thomas Malorys Le Morte dArthur. ... The Arthurian legend is one of the most popular literary subjects of all time, and has been adapted numerous times in every form of media. ... This is a list of books about King Arthur, or his related world, family, friends or enemies. ... Films based on the Arthurian legend are many and varied. ...

External links

• Bedier: Tristan and Iseult
• Béroul: Le Roman de Tristan
• Thomas d'Angleterre : Tristan
• Tristan page from the Camelot Project
• Transcription and page images of the Auchinleck manuscript
• The libretto for Wagners opera, bilingual English and German
• Bibliography of Modern Tristaniana in English
• Painting [2]
• Painting [3]
• English verse translation of Gottfried von Strassburg Tristan: [4]
• Tristan in South Africa