Perceval

Perceval (/ˈpɜːrsɪvəl/, also written Percival, Parzival, Parsifal), alternatively called Peredur (Welsh pronunciation: [pɛˈrɛdɨr]), is a figure in the legend of King Arthur, often appearing as one of the Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Troyes in the late 12th-century tale Perceval, the Story of the Grail, he is best known for being the original hero in the quest for the Grail before being replaced in later literature by Galahad, first introduced in the early 13th century. The earliest reference to Perceval is found in Chrétien de Troyes's first Arthurian romance Erec et Enide, where, as "Percevaus li Galois" (Percevaus of Wales), he appears in a list of Arthur's knights. In another of Chrétien's romances, Cligés, Perceval is a "renowned vassal" who is defeated by the knight Cligés in a tournament. He then becomes the eponymous protagonist of Chrétien's final romance, Perceval, the Story of the Grail. In the Welsh romance Peredur son of Efrawg, the corresponding figure goes by the name Peredur. The name "Peredur" may derive from Welsh par (spear) and dur (hard, steel). It is generally accepted that Peredur was a well-established figure before he became the hero of Peredur son of Efrawg. However, the earliest Welsh Arthurian text, Culhwch and Olwen, does not mention Peredur in any of its extended catalogues of famous and less famous warriors. Peredur does appear in the romance Geraint and Enid, which includes "Peredur son of Efrawg" in a list of warriors accompanying Geraint.