Piner le Savvy

Sir Pinel le Savage is the kinsman of Sir Lamorak whom the narrative identifies as the poisoner at Queen Guenever’s private dinner. Seeking revenge against Sir Gawaine for the death of Lamorak, Pinel poisons apples meant for Gawaine; instead, Sir Patrise eats one and dies. The misdirected plot turns a private act of vengeance into a public accusation against the queen, until Nimue reveals the truth and Pinel escapes.

Identity and Motive

Pinel is identified as a cousin of Sir Lamorak, whom Sir Gawaine and his brothers had killed treacherously. His kinship supplies the stated cause of his hostility toward Gawaine: Pinel acts from envy and hatred, intending to poison him in revenge for Lamorak. The account gives no further background or subsequent role for Pinel.

The Poisoned Apples

At a private dinner Queen Guenever holds for twenty-four Knights of the Round Table, Gawaine’s customary fondness for fruit shapes the occasion. He particularly likes apples and pears, and the queen has fruit provided to please him. Pinel takes advantage of that expected preference, poisoning certain apples with Gawaine as his intended victim.

The plan fails through mischance rather than discovery at the table. Sir Patrise, an Irish knight and cousin of Sir Mador de la Porte, eats one of the poisoned apples and dies. Because the queen arranged the feast, the assembled knights suspect her; Gawaine himself recognizes that the dinner was made for him and warns that she may be shamed by the suspicion. Mador publicly appeals the queen for Patrise’s death and vows revenge, while Guenever weeps and swoons. When King Arthur arrives and learns of the disturbance, he is deeply troubled.

Exposure and Aftermath

Nimue, the Damsel of the Lake and wife of Sir Pelleas, comes to court and openly clears Guenever. She names Pinel and explains his motive, establishing that he poisoned the apples to kill Gawaine because of Lamorak’s death. Once Pinel’s guilt is disclosed, he flees to his own country.

Patrise is buried at Westminster. His tomb records that Pinel poisoned the apples intending to kill Gawaine, but Patrise ate one by misfortune and died. The inscription also preserves the accusation Mador brought against Guenever and notes that Sir Launcelot fought Mador on the queen’s behalf and defeated him in open battle. Thus the monument documents both the false suspicion and the circumstances that exonerated her. Mador later seeks the queen’s favor; through Launcelot’s mediation, he is restored to it and forgiven.

Narrative Significance

The episode turns on the gap between intended victim and actual victim. Gawaine’s familiar appetite makes him the target, but Patrise’s accidental choice redirects the consequences toward Guenever, whose role in arranging the dinner makes her appear culpable. Nimue’s disclosure resolves the mystery by identifying both the perpetrator and the family grievance behind the attack; the tomb then fixes that explanation in public memory. Pinel’s act is therefore shown not only as revenge against Gawaine, but as the cause of Patrise’s death and of a serious, ultimately cleared accusation against the queen.