Arthur and the Giant of Mont St. Michel in LaƷamon’s Brut: Exposing the Fragility of Kingship

LaƷamon exposes the fragility of kingly authority in the episode of the Giant of Mont St. Michel. Using deeds Arthur performs to sustain order, the Giant disrupts the order and challenges the social hierarchy established in Brittany. By portraying the Giant as an anti-Arthur figure that leaves a lasting mark in Arthur’s land, LaƷamon continues the pattern of kingship in his narrative, in which kingly authority repeatedly meets challenges from invading forces.