Delectable Isle is an island beside the Red City, reached by ship in the course of Sir Palamides’s quest to avenge King Hermance. Its narrative importance is practical and transitional: it is the point from which Palamides approaches the city and the promised confrontation with the two men who betrayed the king.

Setting and Approach

After hearing the account of King Hermance’s murder, Palamides is directed to take a ship to Delectable Isle, described as lying close by the Red City. The castle where he has heard the appeal is to be kept by its defenders while he goes on, and they expect him to return if he succeeds. The island thus marks the transition from receiving the dead king’s plea to pursuing its fulfilment.

Palamides’s Arrival

Palamides departs by ship and arrives at Delectable Isle. As he draws near the city, another armed knight comes out from a ship and claims the quest as his own, insisting that he had undertaken it before Palamides. Palamides answers that he had promised to avenge the king when the letter was taken from Hermance’s hand, and the two agree to settle their competing claims in combat. After more than an hour of fighting, Palamides gains the advantage but stops when his opponent asks him to hold his hand. The knight acknowledges Palamides’s superior claim and asks his name.

Place in the Revenge Quest

The encounter at the approach from Delectable Isle establishes that the quest is contested even before Palamides reaches its principal adversaries. The other knight is Sir Hermind, King Hermance’s brother; he recognizes Palamides’s right to pursue the revenge and learns that Palamides has come as a knight of Arthur’s court. Meanwhile, Hermind carries news of Palamides to the Red City, where the inhabitants welcome the prospect of a champion. The two traitors, however, respond with confidence when told that Palamides is not of Sir Launcelot’s blood and threaten that an unchristened knight will never be baptized. The island’s brief appearance therefore connects the king’s appeal, the disputed claim to vengeance, and the danger awaiting Palamides at the city.