Sir Bedivere the One Handed

“Meet Sir Bedivere the One-Handed: the unstoppable knight who defied death, hurled Excalibur into legend, and proved you don’t need two hands to make history!”

Knight of the Round Table | Marshal of King Arthur’s Court | Spear-Master of Britain

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• Alias – The One-Handed; Marshal of the Court; Bearer of Excalibur’s Return
• Gender – Male
• Race – Human
• Occupation – Knight of the Round Table; royal marshal; warrior and advisor
• Religion – Christian (later texts); possibly pagan roots in earlier Welsh traditions
• Allies – King Arthur, Sir Kay, Sir Gawain, Sir Lucan, Sir Griflet, Culhwch
• Enemies – Mordred, Emperor Lucius, Mont St. Michel Giant, Saxons, court traitors
• Abode/ Base of operations – Camelot; later possibly a monastery or wilderness retreat
• Nationality – Briton (post-Roman Britain)
• Languages – Brythonic (Old Welsh), Latin, Common British dialects
• Alignment – Lawful Good
• Affiliation(s) – Knights of the Round Table, Arthur’s Royal Court, Culhwch’s companions
• Significant others – None canonically named; loyal bonds with Arthur and Kay

Sir Bedivere is one of King Arthur’s oldest and most loyal companions — a warrior forged in youth beside the future king, a leader in battle, and the fated bearer of Excalibur’s final return. With only one hand but unmatched valor, Bedivere is a knight whose courage eclipses his wounds. He stands at the heart of Arthur’s story, a living legend of loyalty, duty, and the quiet sorrow of outliving an age of glory.

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The Life and Legend

Bedivere’s tale begins not in the court of Camelot, but long before it — in the days when Arthur was not yet king, and the world was wild and unruly. Raised alongside Arthur and Sir Kay, Bedivere formed a brotherhood of blood and battle with them that would shape the fate of Britain. Though he lost one hand early in life — whether in battle or divine punishment varies by tale — Bedivere refused to let it end his destiny. Instead, he became a master of the spear, swift and deadly, and trained his body to compensate with unmatched athleticism and precision.

In early wars, Bedivere was one of Arthur’s fiercest champions. He fought at the king’s side in the campaign against the rebellious King Gwynllyw, when Arthur led an expedition to retrieve the abducted St. Gwladys. Bedivere also rode with Arthur’s chosen few on Culhwch’s impossible quest, joining Sir Kay and others in a band of six legendary knights. Among them, Bedivere’s prowess was so great that it was said no three warriors together could draw blood faster than he could alone — despite his missing hand.

Bedivere fought monsters, kings, and giants in equal measure. He and Kay famously helped slay the Giant of Mont Saint-Michel, a terrible creature terrorizing the land, in one of the Round Table’s most brutal tests of might. In Arthur’s imperial war against Emperor Lucius of Rome, Bedivere commanded troops with the precision of a seasoned marshal and the loyalty of a brother-in-arms.

Later in life, Bedivere rose to the rank of Marshal of the Court, commanding the king’s armies and overseeing matters of chivalric conduct. Despite his fearsome skill, he remained deeply introspective and loyal, preferring duty over fame. As Arthur’s world shifted toward its twilight, Bedivere became increasingly aware of the fragility of their golden age.

When Camelot’s end came at the Battle of Camlann, Bedivere stood with his king to the bitter end. Wounded and weary, he helped carry Arthur from the field after the fatal duel with Mordred. In those final moments, Arthur entrusted Bedivere with his greatest burden: to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. Bedivere, torn by emotion and unable to part with the symbol of his king, hesitated — twice. Only on the third attempt did he cast the blade into the waters, where a hand rose from the lake to catch it, and with it, closed the age of Arthur.

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Character Description

Bedivere is a tall, muscular man with the bearing of a soldier and the soul of a philosopher. His face bears the quiet strength of someone who has seen glory and loss in equal measure. His remaining hand is calloused and strong; his missing one is often concealed, though never with shame. He wears his knightly armor not for display, but as a second skin.

Despite his martial success, Bedivere is a deeply introspective man. He fears being forgotten, that all he and Arthur fought for — justice, unity, honor — will vanish into legend and be twisted by time. The wound of outliving friends, kings, and the ideals of his youth haunts him.

His actions are driven not by personal ambition but by duty and a fierce belief in the greater good. He sees himself as a guardian of Arthur’s memory and a living thread connecting the past to whatever future Britain may yet find.

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Motivations and Desires

• Primary Goal: To preserve the ideals of Arthur’s reign and ensure that his king’s final wishes are honored in both deed and story.
• Personal Wish: To be remembered not as a warrior, but as a witness — one who saw greatness and helped guide it to its rightful end.
• Fear: That the world will forget the truth of Arthur’s age, or worse, that it will remember it incorrectly.

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Legacy

Sir Bedivere remains one of the last living links to Arthur’s golden age. Knights and bards speak his name with reverence. Some say he retired to a monastery; others believe he walked into the wilderness, never to be seen again, guarding the secrets of the old world. A few even claim he watches over the lake, waiting for the day Britain needs a king once more.

Regardless of the tale, one truth remains: where there was Arthur, there was Bedivere — steadfast, unyielding, and true.

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