Who are the characters in Yvain by Chrétien de Troyes?

Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet who lived and wrote in the twelfth century. One of his best known works is Yvain, ou le Chevalier au lion, which in English translates to Yvain, or the Knight of the Lion.

The romance is set in the world of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, so, as is to be expected, King Arthur himself is one of the characters. Yvain, the title character,...

Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet who lived and wrote in the twelfth century. One of his best known works is Yvain, ou le Chevalier au lion, which in English translates to Yvain, or the Knight of the Lion.

The romance is set in the world of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, so, as is to be expected, King Arthur himself is one of the characters. Yvain, the title character, is one of the Knights of the Round Table. In addition to Arthur and Yvain, other characters in the tale would be:

• Guinevere, Arthur's wife and queen


• Sir Gawain, a knight and nephew of King Arthur


• Sir Kay, a knight


• Laudine de Landuc, who marries Yvain 


• Lunete, Laudine's servant 


• Calogrenant, Yvain's cousin 


• Harpin of the Mountain


• Lady Noroison


• Count Alier


• The knight/lord at the magic spring 


• The hermit who finds Yvain in the woods


• Sir Gawain's brother-in-law, a Baron


• An evil seneschal and his two brothers 


• The older daughter of the Lord of Noire Espine


• The younger daughter of the Lord of Noire Espine


• The damsel who helps bring Yvain to the younger daughter


• A lord and the 300 maidens being kept hostage in his a castle 


• Two half-devils that Yvain and his lion fight 

There is also the lion that Yvain saves from a dragon and becomes Yvain's companion, who may not exactly be considered a character but is a very important figure in the tale.