Phelot
Sir Phelot is a knight attested in Le Morte d'Arthur who orchestrates a treacherous ambush against Sir Launcelot.
Sir Phelot is a knight attested in Le Morte d'Arthur who orchestrates a treacherous ambush against Sir Launcelot. The episode, told in Book VI, Chapter XVI, involves Phelot's wife luring Launcelot into climbing a tree to retrieve a falcon, while Phelot waits in ambush below.
Once Launcelot is unarmed and up the tree, Phelot emerges "out of the groves suddenly, that was her husband, all armed and with his naked sword in his hand" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book VI, Chapter XVI). When Launcelot protests, Phelot refuses mercy: "Thou gettest none other grace" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book VI, Chapter XVI). Phelot reveals he knows Launcelot's identity: "I know thee better than thou weenest, therefore thou gettest no weapon, an I may keep you therefrom" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book VI, Chapter XVI).
His wife's role in the deception is confirmed when Phelot states she acted "but as I commanded her" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book VI, Chapter XVI). Despite Phelot's advantage, "Sir Phelot lashed at him eagerly, weening to have slain him," but Launcelot manages to defend himself (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book VI, Chapter XVI).
The Phelot episode serves as one of several tests of Launcelot's resourcefulness when stripped of his usual martial advantages. Unlike typical chivalric combat, this encounter turns on deception and disadvantage -- Phelot deliberately targets Launcelot when he is unarmed and physically exposed. Phelot's admission that "I know thee better than thou weenest" indicates his ambush is premeditated rather than opportunistic, making this one of the more explicitly treacherous attacks Launcelot faces in Book VI.
Appears in: Beings, Entities in Le Morte d'Arthur, British Tradition