Pellam
King wounded by Balin's Dolorous Stroke, nigh of Joseph's kin, healed only by Galahad.
King Pellam is a figure of profound consequence in Le Morte d'Arthur, whose wounding by Balin constitutes the Dolorous Stroke -- an act that devastates three countries and cannot be healed until the Grail quest. Pellam is identified as "nigh of Joseph's kin, and that was the most worshipful man that lived in those days" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Ch. XVI), placing him within the sacred lineage that connects the Arthurian world to the Passion.
The narrative around Pellam unfolds across three chapters of Book II. He first appears as the host of a great feast, announced by his kinsman Garlon's host: "King Pellam of Listeneise hath made do cry in all this country a great feast" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Ch. XIV). When Balin slays Garlon at this feast, Pellam rises in wrath: "Knight, hast thou slain my brother?" and insists on personal combat -- "there shall no man have ado with thee but myself, for the love of my brother" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Ch. XV).
The fight escalates through a series of remarkable turns. Pellam "caught in his hand a grim weapon and smote eagerly at Balin," but Balin parries and shatters his own sword in the process (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Ch. XV). Weaponless, Balin flees through the castle chambers with Pellam in pursuit until he finds the spear of Longinus -- "the same spear that Longius smote our Lord to the heart" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Ch. XVI). The resulting blow is catastrophic: "King Pellam fell down in a swoon, and therewith the castle roof and walls brake and fell to the earth" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Ch. XV).
The aftermath extends across the entire Arthurian narrative. Pellam "lay so, many years sore wounded, and might never be whole till Galahad the haut prince healed him in the quest of the Sangreal" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Ch. XVI). The people cry out in anguish at the devastation: "the dolorous stroke thou gavest unto King Pellam three countries are destroyed, and doubt not but the vengeance will fall on thee at the last" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book II, Ch. XVI).
Appears in: Beings, Entities in Le Morte d'Arthur, British Tradition