Gorlois (or Hoel)

Gorlois, or Hoel as he sometimes known, was the Duke of Tintagel in Cornwall. He sometimes had the title of Duke of Cornwall, instead of Tintagel. Tintagel was the Duke's strongest castle.

Some people called the husband of Igraine Gorlois, like Geoffrey of Monmouth and many other authors. In a few works howefver, the Duke's name was Hoel, like in the Vulgate Merlin (c. 1240). Thomas Malory didn't mentioned his name at all in the Morte d'Arthur (1469); Malory only called him by his title, the Duke of Tintagel.

Gorlois was usually seen as the first husband of Igraine. Depending on which texts you read, the number of children the Duke had, varied from none to many children, usually all daughters. According to the Vulgate Merlin, Hoel (Gorlois) had as little as two or three daughters to as many five daughters. So Arthur had a varying number of half-sisters. The name of Morgawse was given to the eldest, and she became the wife of Lot and mother of Gawain; she was usually known by her name as Morgawse (Morgause, Morcadet or Norcadet). The Sommer text mentioned one daughter married to Neutres of Garlot, and the third was Morgan le Fay.

According to the Suite du Merlin (Post-Vulgate romance, c. 1250), the Duke had three daughters.

According to Le Morte d'Arthur (1469), Sir Thomas Malory wrote that the daughters of the Duke and Igraine were Morgause, Elaine and Morgan.

In Historia regum Britanniae (1137), Geoffrey of Monmouth does not mention that Gorlois had any children of his own.

It was Geoffrey of Monmouth who introduced the famous episode of where Uther Pendragon, the king of Britain, fell in love with Gorlois's wife and how, with the help of Merlin's sorcery, Uther was able to seduce Igraine. Gorlois was one of Uther's most powerful allies in the war against the Saxons. Gorlois was responsible for Uther's victory over the Saxons; the Duke devised a strategy and tactic that defeated the Saxons.

When Uther couldn't hide his lust for Igraine, Gorlois stormed out of Uther's banquet without taking the king's leave. This brought them to open conflict. Gorlois secured his wife in his strongest castle while he went to defend the other castle against Uther's besieging army.

Uther, in desperation, asked Merlin for help to fulfil his lust for Gorlois' wife. According to two tales called Merlin (one original verse that was written by Robert de Boron around 1200, while the other was adaptation of the original by Boron and was written in prose, around 1240, which is part of Vulgate Cycle), the wizard agreed on one condition. That condition was that Uther had to agree to give him (Merlin) any son that Igraine bore, for him (Merlin) to rear. Of course, Uther agreed to his wizard's condition.

Merlin used his magic to transform Uther so that he would look like Igraine's husband for one night. Merlin and Ulfin, Uther's adviser, were also transformed to look like Britaelis and Jordan, Gorlois's servant and castellan. So everyone in Tintagel thought that the Duke had returned to the castle, including Igraine. While Uther, disguised as the Duke, ravished Igraine, Gorlois was killed in the fighting at the siege of the other castle.

When Uther and Igraine heard the news of Gorlois' death, the bogus Duke claimed that it was only rumour so to calm everyone's fears, before Uther left Tintagel and returned to his own form when he reached his army. Uther claimed that he didn't want Gorlois' death, but no one believed the king's sincerity. With Gorlois' death, the castle surrendered to Uther, and he married the newly widowed Duchess. That made Igraine Queen of Logres (Britain).

Arthur was conceived and born at Tintagel. However, according to Boron, Uther had to give up this infant to Merlin because he had promised. Merlin gave the son to Sir Antor in fosterage. Antor was father of Kay, who would later serve his foster brother as Arthur's seneschal.