Tolleme
King Tolleme is attested in *Le Morte d'Arthur* as an adversary defeated through faith.
King Tolleme is attested in Le Morte d'Arthur as an adversary defeated through faith. King Evelake prevails over Tolleme "through his good belief" (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book XIII, Chapter X). The white shield associated with this victory later becomes significant in the Grail quest: Joseph of Arimathea asks Evelake to "bring me your shield that I took you when ye went into battle against King Tolleme," upon which Joseph makes the cross in his own blood that will mark the shield carried by Galahad (Le Morte d'Arthur, Book XIII, Chapter XI).
Both attestations serve the typological narrative of the Grail quest, where Tolleme functions as the pagan adversary whose defeat validates Christian faith and produces the sacred relic of the shield. The battle against Tolleme is not described in detail; what matters is that victory came "through his good belief," establishing the shield as an object imbued with spiritual power before Joseph marks it with his blood.
Appears in: Beings, Entities in Le Morte d'Arthur, British Tradition