Lot (Loth) | |
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Matter of Britain character | |
![]() Attributed arms of King Loth of Orkney (Le Roy Loth d'Orchanie) according to romance heraldry | |
First appearance | Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth |
Based on | Leudonus |
In-universe information | |
Occupation | King |
Spouse | Arthur's sister |
Children | Gawain and Mordred, various others (Agravain, Gaheris, and Gareth in the prose cycle tradition) |
Relatives | King Arthur's family, various others |
Home | Lothian and either Norway or Orkney |
King Lot /ˈlɒt/, also spelled Loth or Lott (Lleu or Llew in Welsh), is a British monarch in Arthurian legend. He was introduced in Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical Historia Regum Britanniae as King Arthur's brother-in-law, who serves as regent of Britain between the reigns of Uther Pendragon and Arthur. He has appeared regularly in works of chivalric romance, alternating between the roles of Arthur's enemy and ally, and is often depicted as the ruler of Lothian and either Norway or Orkney. His literary character is probably derived from hagiographical material concerning Saint Kentigern, which features Leudonus as king of Leudonia (the Latin name for Lothian) and father of Saint Teneu.
Lot is generally portrayed as the husband of Arthur's sister or half-sister known by many names but most often as Anna, Gwyar, or variants of Morgause. The number and names of their children vary depending on the source, but usually they prominently include Gawain as well as other sons and sometimes daughters. Geoffrey suggests Lot as also the biological father of Mordred, and the much later prose romances identify him as the father of Gawain's younger brothers Agravain, Gaheris and Gareth while turning Mordred into an incestuous son of Arthur.