Tristram

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  • Tristram: the legendary Tristan (Latin/Brythonic: Drustanus; Welsh: Trystan; also known as Tristran, Tristram, etc), was a Cornish hero from folklore, and one of the Knights of the Round Table whose story is told in the Matter of Britain. He was the nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, sent to fetch Isolde back from Ireland to wed the king. However, they fall in love en route (perhaps under the influence of a love potion meant for Isolde and Mark), and Tristan fights off a series of attempts to take Isolde back. In some versions of the legend, King Mark finds them together and stabs Tristian (perhaps a reverse version of the son defeating the father motif). Another version has Tristram marring Isolde; he later becomes wounded and sends for her; when the messenger finds her, she betrays him by telling him that he cannot be cured; he dies. The Romance of Tristan and Iseult has inspired many writers; one of the key texts for FW is Joseph Bédier's reconstruction of the "Ur-Tristan" in 1900, though many others are also relevant:
  • Tristan → in FW, Tristan generally represents the combined Shem-Shaun character (File:Shem-Shaun.PNG)
  • Tristram Shandy: the principal character in the 18th Century novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy by the Irish-born writer Laurence Sterne