King Lot

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

King Lot is a king in Arthurian legend. He first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae (written around 1136) as Arthur’s brother-in-law and as regent of Britain while Uther Pendragon is ill. He rules parts of northern Britain—Lodonesia (Lothian) and sometimes Norway or Orkney.

Lot is usually married to Arthur’s sister, named Anna, Morgause, or Gwyar. They have several children, most famously Gawain. In some versions Mordred is Lot’s son, while in others Mordred is Arthur’s son with Morgause.

In early tales Lot helps Arthur win back lands from the Saxons. In later romances he becomes a rival to Arthur and sometimes the king of Orkney who fights against him. He dies in battle (often at Bedegraine) or killed by Pellinore, and his death sparks long feuds in the stories.

Lot’s backstory blends several traditions. He is linked to Saint Kentigern’s legend (Leudonus of Leudonia) and to Welsh heroes like Lleu and Lludd. The name Lot is also connected to the Norse Ljot. His realm is usually set in Lothian, though some versions place him in Orkney or Norway, and some even make him a Pictish king.

Overall, Lot is a complex figure who can be an ally or an enemy to Arthur, the father of Gawain and other knights, and a symbol of the shifting loyalties in Arthurian legend.