Ywain

Ywain
"Sir Ewaine, Knight of the Fountain", Howard Pyle's illustration from The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions (1907)
Based onOwain mab Urien
In-universe information
TitlePrince, Sir
OccupationKnight of the Round Table
FamilyUrien (father), Modron (mother), Morgan (mother or step-mother), Morfydd (twin sister), Mabon (maternal half-brother)
SpouseLaudine
OriginKingdom of Gorre [fr]
NationalityCeltic Briton

In Arthurian legend, Ywain /ɪˈwn/, also known as Yvain and Owain among other spellings (Ewaine, Ivain, Ivan,[1] Iwain, Iwein, Uwain, Uwaine, Ywan, etc.), is a Knight of the Round Table. Tradition often portrays him as the son of King Urien of Gorre and of either the enchantress Modron or the sorceress Morgan le Fay. The historical Owain mab Urien, the basis of the literary character, ruled as the king of Rheged in Britain during the late-6th century.

Yvain was one of the earliest characters associated with King Arthur. He was also one of the most popular, starring as the eponymous hero in Chrétien de Troyes' late-12th-century Yvain, the Knight of the Lion and appearing prominently in many later accounts, often accompanied by his fierce pet lion. He remains Urien's son in virtually all literature in which he appears, whereas other Arthurian-legend characters based on historical figures usually lost their original familial connections in romance literature.

  1. ^ Wilhelm, James J. (22 May 2014). The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology. Routledge. ISBN 9781317959854.