Tristan

Tristan was a 9th century Cornish hero from folklore, and one of the Knights of the Round Table whose story is told in the Matter of Britain. He was the son of Mark of Cornwall.

Tristan makes his first appearance in 1120 in Celtic folklore that circulates in the North of France. Although the oldest stories concerning Tristan are lost, some of the derivatives still exist. The two most famous are the retellings of the Anglo-Norman poet Thomas and of the French poet Beroul. Arthurian romancier Chretien de Troyes claims in his works to have also written down his version of the tale, but, if so, there are no physical remains.

Like other Arthurian knights, Tristan and his tale vary from poet to poet. Even the spelling of his name varies a great deal, with Tristran and Tristan being the two most popular spellings. In one tale, Tristan is an overweight knight, who is constantly teased yet astounds everyone by defeating the Great Serpent guarding the Cave of Micheal. In Tristran and Yseut by Beroul, Tristan is as brave and fit as any knight, but he relies on trickery and doesn't uphold the moral standards expected of a knight.

In this tale, Tristran goes to Ireland to bring back the fair Yseut for his uncle King Mark to marry. Along the way, they accidentally ingest a love potion that causes the pair to be madly in love for three years. Although Yseut marries Mark, she and Tristran are forced by the potion to seek one another out for adultery. Although the typical noble Arthurian character would be shamed from such an act, the love potion that controls them frees Tristran and Yseut from responsibility. Thus Beroul presents them as victims. The king's advisors contstantly try to have the pair tried for adultery, but again and again the couple uses trickery to preserve their facade of innocence. Finally the love potion wears off, and the two lovers are free to make their own choice as to whether they cease their adulterous lifestyle or continue. Beroul's ending is morally ambiguous, which differs greatly from his contemporaries such as Chretien de Troyes and adds a bit of mystique to the legend of Tristan. Also, according to Celtic myth, Tristan owned a horse named Bel Joeor.

In the 19th century, Richard Wagner composed what is now considered his masterpiece, Tristan and Isolde. In his work, Tristan is portrayed as a doomed romantic figure.

See also: King Arthur, Tristan and Isolde, Tristan and Iseo, Palamedes, Iseult, List of Arthurian Characters

Tristan is a given name of several individuals, fictional characters, and places, including:

• Tristan Taylor, the English anime name of Hiroto Honda, a Yu-Gi-Oh! character
• Tristan da Cunha, an Atlantic island
• Tristram Shandy, an English novel from the 18th century
• Tristan Tzara, influential memember of the Dada movement