Who Is Balin le Savage (Knight with the Two Swords)?
The tragic knight who drew a cursed sword
Balin le Savage is the tragic knight of the Arthurian legend known as "the Knight with the Two Swords." A poor knight from Northumberland, he is extremely brave, yet his deeds bring one disaster after another.
In Episode 3, he had been imprisoned for killing the king's cousin, but has been released and is at court. He succeeds in drawing a maiden's sword that only a pure knight can pull out, but refuses to give it back even when told, "With that sword you will slay the one you love most." He cuts off the Lady of the Lake's head at court and is banished, then kills Garlon, the invisible knight. When Garlon's brother King Pellam pursues him, Balin strikes him with a mysterious spear. This "Dolorous Stroke" brings the castle crashing down and turns three kingdoms into wasteland.
In the end, at a castle on an island, he fights a knight in red armor who turns out to be his own brother Balan. Only when they take off their helmets do they recognize each other, and they are buried in the same tomb. It is said that Merlin wrote both their names upon it.
