Lancelot and the Lord of the Distant Isles

A retelling of the thirteenth-century French legend of Lancelot and the mutual love between him and Galehaut, Lord of the Distant Isles.

Retellings of the Old French story of King Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot have left out a fourth figure amongst these legendary star-crossed lovers, the man who loved the knight, Lancelot. He was Galehaut, a mortal enemy of Arthur, and the invincible Lord of the Distant Isles. And he was Guenevere’s rival for Lancelot’s passion. The story is now complete, as a tragic double-love story, its complexity and emotional depth restored for the modern reader.

It is an extraordinary tale. For love of Lancelot, Galehaut surrenders his political ambitions, submitting to the rule of Arthur; the same love leads him to facilitate relations between Lancelot and the Queen. The mighty Lord of the Distant Isles, who had seemed destined to conquer the world, becomes a paragon of love-inspired self-sacrifice in this ancient tale of one man who deeply loves another.

“Judith Jaidinger’s wood engravings illustrate a dual love story, Lancelot’s love for Guenevere and Galehaut’s for Lancelot.” —Publishers Weekly