Episode 3The Sword Will Kill the One He Loves MostBalin, the Knight with Two Swords
Balin le Savage, a penniless knight fresh out of prison, draws a sword no one else could pull free and refuses to give it up, even after hearing it will make him kill the one he loves most. Every blow he strikes in the name of what's right costs him more: the king's forgiveness, three kingdoms, and finally his beloved brother Balan.
Balin, Knight with Two Swords: Summary & the Dolorous Stroke Explained
The Original Story: Balin and the Cursed Sword
The tale of Balin comes from Book II of Le Morte d'Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory's great collection of Arthurian legends, printed by William Caxton in 1485. While King Arthur is holding court at Camelot, a damsel arrives wearing a heavy sword she cannot take off. She was sent by the Lady Lile of Avelion, and she explains that only a knight of true skill, free of villainy and treason, can draw it from its sheath. Arthur tries and fails. So does every lord and knight at court.
Then a poorly dressed knight steps forward: Balin of Northumberland, just released after half a year in prison for killing one of Arthur's cousins. The damsel doubts him because of his shabby clothes, but he draws the sword easily. When she asks for it back, he refuses. She warns him that with this sword he will kill the best friend he has, the man he loves most in the world, and that it will be his ruin. Balin says he will accept whatever comes. Because he now carries his own sword and this one, he becomes known as the Knight with Two Swords.
At that moment the Lady of the Lake, who once gave Arthur the sword Excalibur, arrives to claim the gift Arthur promised her in return. She demands the head of either Balin or the damsel. Balin recognizes her as the woman he blames for many knights' deaths and for having his mother burned, and he cuts off her head in front of the king. Furious and shamed, Arthur banishes him from court.
From Exile to the Dolorous Stroke
Balin leaves hoping to win back Arthur's favor by defeating the king's enemy, King Rience. Along the way he kills Lanceor, an Irish prince who chases him out of jealousy, and Lanceor's beloved Colombe takes her own life with his sword. Balin is then reunited with his younger brother Balan, and with Merlin's help the two capture Rience and send him to Arthur.
Later, at Arthur's command, Balin persuades a grieving knight to come back to the king under his protection. On the way, an invisible knight spears that knight to death. With his last breath, the victim names his killer: Garlon. Bound by his promise of protection, Balin sets out for revenge. He finds Garlon at a feast in the castle of Garlon's brother, King Pellam. When Garlon strikes him, Balin kills him at the table.
Pellam attacks to avenge his brother and breaks Balin's sword. Unarmed, Balin flees from room to room until he reaches a chamber holding a rich bed, a body, and a strange spear. He grabs the spear and wounds Pellam with it. This is the Dolorous Stroke. The castle walls collapse, and both men lie under the rubble for three days until Merlin pulls Balin free. Merlin reveals that the body was Joseph of Arimathea's and that the spear was the one that pierced Christ's side. Pellam's wound will not heal for many years, and when Balin rides out, he finds three kingdoms ruined and their people dead, and the survivors blame him.
In the end, Balin reaches a castle on an island where custom forces him to fight its guardian knight. He has borrowed a different shield, so the guardian does not recognize him. They wound each other fatally, and only when the guardian removes his helmet does Balin see that it is Balan. The prophecy is fulfilled. The brothers are buried in a single tomb, and Merlin sets Balin's sword into a block of marble floating on the water, saying only the best of knights, Lancelot or his son Galahad, will ever handle it.
What This Legend Says About Its World
Balin's story is a tragedy of good intentions. Almost every blow he strikes seems justified to him: revenge for his mother, loyalty to a promise, defending himself. Yet each one leads to something worse. Malory's readers would have understood this as a lesson about fate and the limits of personal honor, and about a knightly code that can turn violent and destructive.
The episode also ties into the larger Arthurian cycle. Malory took much of it from French prose romances, and the Dolorous Stroke links up with the later Quest for the Holy Grail, where a wounded king and a wasted land wait for a perfect knight to heal them. Notably, Malory never settles whether the Lady of the Lake or Balin was in the right. Each accuses the other, and the narrator does not say who is telling the truth.
What the Manga Changes
Malory tells this story in a spare, fast style, so the manga fills in a great deal. The looks and voices of the damsel, the Lady of the Lake, Garlon, and King Pellam, along with the atmosphere of Camelot, are the manga's own invention. So is Balin's inner reasoning for keeping the sword, since the original gives him little more than a line about accepting his fate. The manga leaves the question of who was right, Balin or the Lady of the Lake, open as a mystery, just as the source does.
Garlon's invisibility is shown with manga techniques such as footprints, sudden wind, and a spear tip appearing out of nothing. To keep the focus on Garlon, the manga cuts or shortens the capture of King Rience, the battle against King Lot, and the side stories of Lanceor, Colombe, and Garnish of the Mount. One thing to keep in mind: in Malory, Balin leaves court to defeat Rience and earn the king's pardon, while he hunts Garlon to avenge a knight he had promised to protect. Combining these into one quest to restore his honor is the manga's adaptation. The collapsing castle, the wasted lands, the details of the island duel, and the brothers' last words are also drawn with more detail than the brief original provides. Merlin's final prophecy is staged as a teaser for Episode 8, where Galahad draws the sword.
Where to Read It
If you want to see Balin's story told with full drama, from the moment he draws the cursed sword to the final duel on the island, Episode 3 of KING ARTHUR: Twilight of the Round Table is on this page. Every episode on Manga Portal is free to read, and you don't need to sign up. It's a quick way to meet one of the darkest and most moving knights in the Arthurian legends before the story moves on toward the Grail.
Characters in this episode
Balin le Savage
A poor knight from Northumberland who draws a cursed sword, strikes the Dolorous Stroke, and is fated to kill the person he loves most.
Balan
Balin's younger brother, who fights beside him and later, as guardian of an island castle, meets him in a fatal duel without recognizing him.
The Damsel with the Sword
A messenger from the Lady Lile of Avelion who brings the sword to Camelot and warns Balin that it will destroy him.
The Lady of the Lake
The enchantress who gave Arthur Excalibur, killed by Balin after she demands his head.
Garlon
An invisible knight and King Pellam's brother who murders knights unseen until Balin kills him at a feast.
King Pellam
Garlon's brother, wounded by Balin with a sacred spear in the Dolorous Stroke that lays waste to three kingdoms.
FAQ
Who is Balin in the King Arthur legends?
Balin le Savage is a knight in Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, known as the Knight with Two Swords. He draws a sword no one else can pull free and keeps it despite a prophecy that it will make him kill the person he loves most.
What is the Dolorous Stroke?
The Dolorous Stroke is the blow Balin deals King Pellam using the spear that, according to Merlin, pierced Christ's side. It brings down Pellam's castle, leaves the king with a wound that won't heal, and devastates three kingdoms.
How did Balin and Balan die?
At an island castle, Balin fights the knight who guards it while carrying a borrowed shield, so his brother Balan, the guardian, does not recognize him. Both are fatally wounded and realize who the other is only at the end. They are buried together in one tomb.
Why did Balin kill the Lady of the Lake?
Balin blamed her for the deaths of many knights and for having his mother burned, while she claimed he had killed her brother. Malory never says which of them was telling the truth.
What happened to Balin's sword?
Merlin set it into a block of marble floating on the water and said only the best knight, Lancelot or his son Galahad, could handle it. Later in the legend, Galahad draws it.
