Tristram Kills Sir Hemison

Tristram Kills Sir Hemison is an episode in which a warning, a pursuit, and a brief mounted fight end in Hemison’s death. After Tristram leaves Morgan le Fay’s court carrying a shield, Hemison follows against Morgan’s advice. Tristram defeats him, but does not remain to finish the encounter; Hemison is carried back to the castle, where he dies and is buried by Morgan. The tomb’s inscription preserves the identity of the man who killed him.

Departure and warning

Tristram takes his leave of the queen and carries away the shield. Hemison, who is attached to Morgan, prepares to follow him. Morgan tells Hemison not to pursue: he will win no honour from Tristram. Hemison dismisses the warning, insisting that no good knight has come from Cornwall except Tristram de Liones. When Morgan points out that the knight he means is with La Beale Isoud, Hemison assumes the departing rider must be a lesser fighter. Morgan corrects him, saying she knows Tristram better than Hemison does and fears for Hemison’s return. Hemison rides after Tristram in anger despite her appeal.

The encounter

Hearing a knight approach at speed, Tristram turns and sees Hemison coming toward him. Hemison calls on him to defend himself, and the two meet in a mounted charge. Hemison’s spear is broken against Tristram’s armour without injuring him; Tristram’s answering blow defeats Hemison. Tristram turns as if to continue with his sword, but sees that Hemison has lost much blood and appears close to death. He then leaves him and rides to a manor, where an old knight gives him lodging. The encounter thus ends not with a prolonged duel or a reported sentence, but with Tristram’s departure and Hemison’s need to be carried away.

Death, burial, and record

Hemison’s servant removes his helmet and asks whether he is still alive. Hemison says that only a little life remains and asks the servant to help him onto the horse and take him to Morgan, because he wants to speak with her before he dies. The servant brings him to the castle with difficulty, but Hemison dies there. Morgan grieves, has him undressed to his shirt, and places him in a tomb. Around it she orders an inscription naming Sir Tristram de Liones as the man who killed him. The memorial makes the encounter public and enduring: Hemison’s death is tied to the same knight Morgan had tried to warn him against.

Narrative significance

The episode turns on the gap between Morgan’s knowledge and Hemison’s confidence. She recognizes Tristram’s ability and foresees the danger, while Hemison’s dismissal of her warning carries him into a contest he cannot win. Tristram’s response is decisive but limited: he defeats Hemison, recognizes the severity of the outcome, and rides away rather than remaining to prolong the fight. Hemison’s request to return to Morgan and her later memorial for him give the brief combat a personal aftermath, while the tomb inscription fixes its consequence in the story’s record of knightly deeds.