The Isle of Servage is an island in the Welsh coastlands where King Arthur’s knights face imprisonment or death under the giant Sir Nabon le Noire. Its decisive episode brings Sir Tristram and Sir Lamorak into the same perilous place: Tristram kills Nabon and his son, but does not claim the conquered territory. Instead, it passes to Sir Segwarides, whose release of the prisoners and governance transform the island from a trap for errant knights into an ordered domain.

Setting and Rule

The island is associated with Sir Nabon, a powerful giant hostile to every knight of King Arthur’s. The fishers who rescue Sir Lamorak after his ship is wrecked tell him that Nabon destroys the king’s knights. They recall the fate of Sir Nanowne le Petite, a kinsman of Lamorak, whom Nabon had put to a shameful death. Lamorak, still recovering from his ordeal at sea, says he would avenge his cousin if he were well; even in danger, he refuses to conceal that he serves King Arthur.

The threat is also described to Sir Tristram after his barge is driven onto the island’s coast. He and his wife, Isoud la Blanche Mains, are separated from the shore, and she is hurt in the wreck. A local lady tells him that no knight has come into the valley without being taken prisoner or killed. The island’s danger is therefore not a single challenge at Nabon’s dwelling: it is a condition imposed on all visiting knights, and the local people live under the power that enforces it.

The Shipwreck and Reunion

Sir Tristram arrives with Isoud la Blanche Mains and her brother, Sir Kehydius, intending to travel along the coast for pleasure. The wind drives their small barge toward the Isle of Servage, where it breaks apart. The party makes its way into the forest, and Tristram encounters Sir Segwarides and a lady beside a well. Segwarides recognizes him as the knight he has reason to resent because Tristram had disrupted the love between him and his wife. Yet he sets that grievance aside, saying he will not hate a noble knight for the sake of a frivolous lady; he offers friendship and aid because both are in danger in the valley.

Tristram hears that another knight of Arthur’s has been wrecked nearby and asks to meet him. The fishers bring Sir Lamorak in a fisher’s clothing. Lamorak recognizes neither Tristram nor his identity at first, but Tristram knows him. Their reunion turns older hostility into a practical alliance. Lamorak acknowledges Tristram’s reputation for nobility and regrets his own earlier discourtesy; Tristram proposes that they put their disagreement aside and seek honor together by defeating Nabon.

Defeat of Nabon and Transfer of Rule

Nabon’s challenge exposes the cost of the island’s rule. When Lamorak meets him, Nabon kills his horse, forcing him to continue on foot. Lamorak is still bruised and short of breath, and Nabon eventually gives him a pause, recognizing his courage. Tristram then steps forward to fight. Since he knows Nabon attacks knights’ horses, he arms himself and chooses to meet him on foot. The two fight for a long time before Nabon asks his opponent’s name. Tristram identifies himself as a knight of Cornwall under King Mark; Nabon welcomes the chance to fight him, having particularly desired to meet Tristram or Sir Launcelot.

Tristram kills Nabon and then kills Nabon’s son. The country’s people offer to hold their land from Tristram, but he refuses to become its lord. He instead proposes Sir Lamorak, who also declines, saying he has not earned the territory. Tristram then gives the island to Sir Segwarides. The transfer is not simply a reward for defeating the giant: the two victorious knights refuse the possession, and the land passes to a man they judge fit to govern it.

Governance and Narrative Significance

Sir Segwarides accepts the lordship and governs the island honorably. He releases all the prisoners and establishes good governance in the valley. The outcome reverses Nabon’s defining practice: the island that had held Arthur’s knights captive now frees its prisoners under a new ruler. Segwarides returns to Cornwall and recounts what Tristram and Lamorak did, so their actions and Tristram’s gift become publicly known there.

The Isle of Servage thus links chivalric combat to the responsibility that follows victory. Tristram’s strength ends Nabon’s domination, but his refusal to keep the island determines the form of its aftermath. The episode also gives concrete consequence to the reconciliation between Tristram and Lamorak: once at odds, they cooperate against a common enemy, while their shared refusal to claim the land makes room for Segwarides to govern. The island’s significance lies in this change from threatened passage and captivity to release and ordered rule.