Bedivere is one of the main companions of, and the cup bearer of, King Arthur. Sir Bedivere is one of the knights that appears earliest in the Arthurian chronicles.
The name Bedivere appears several times in Welsh poetry as Bedwyr. Bedivere is a major character in the tale of Culhwch and Olwen. And Bedivere is described as brave and handsome, and a skilled wielder of the spear.
Geoffrey changes his name to the more familiar anglisised spelling and portrays Bedivere as a knight. He is described here as the cupbearer to the King and governor of Normandy. Together with Arthur and Kay, Bedivere takes part in the attack on the giant living on Mont St. Michel.
He was the last of the King Arthur knights to be left alive at the end of the battle of Camlann against Sir Mordred. When King Arthur received his mortal wound he charged Sir Bedivere to return his Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. Bedivere memorably threw the sword into the lake, and a hand appeared out of the lake, caught the sword by the hilt and disappeared beneath the water with the sword.
After the death of King Arthur Bedivere withdrew to a Glastonbury hermitage, where he remained until his death.
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