Fergus
Fergus appears in Le Morte d'Arthur in two distinct roles -- as Earl Fergus, a nobleman aided by Sir Marhaus, and as Sir Fergus, a loyal companion to Sir Tristram during his madness.
Fergus appears in Le Morte d'Arthur in two distinct roles -- as Earl Fergus, a nobleman aided by Sir Marhaus, and as Sir Fergus, a loyal companion to Sir Tristram during his madness. The 5 citations from a single source trace Fergus through acts of gratitude, desperate loyalty, and faithful service (Le Morte d'Arthur, Books IV and IX).
Earl Fergus first appears in Book IV, where Sir Marhaus defeats the duke and his sons on Fergus's behalf. The Earl's response is generously proportioned: "Then he returned to the Earl Fergus, the which thanked him greatly, and would have given him half his lands, but he would none take" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book IV, Chapter XXV). The refusal of reward is conventional in Arthurian romance, but it establishes Fergus as a figure worth defending.
The Sir Fergus of Book IX is a different character or a different aspect of the same name, serving as Tristram's attendant during his breakdown. Three attestations in Chapter XVII track Fergus's role as intermediary between the mad Tristram and the grieving Queen Isoud. He reports on Tristram's condition: "Then Sir Fergus told her how he was almost out of his mind" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book IX, Chapter XVII). When asked where Tristram can be found, Fergus provides direction: "In such a place, said Sir Fergus" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book IX, Chapter XVII). He then witnesses Isoud's grief directly: "Sir Fergus found Queen Isoud sick in her bed, making the greatest dole that ever any earthly woman made" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book IX, Chapter XVII). A later passage confirms his faithfulness: "when he was mad in the forest Sir Fergus kept him" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book IX, Chapter XXVI).
Appears in: Beings, Entities in Le Morte d'Arthur, British Tradition