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Bors

Arthurian Legend
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Grail knight, cousin of Lancelot, one of the few to achieve the Holy Grail

Detailed Definition
Bors is celebrated for his chastity and spiritual resolve, surviving trials that test his faith and mercy. In poetry, he represents the ideal of tempered knighthood—combining martial prowess with humility—and serves as a moral compass in Grail narratives.
Example
Example in poetry:
Bors survives the Grail Quest and becomes a hermit, as told in the Vulgate Cycle; In Malory, Bors is one of only three knights to achieve the Holy Grail; Tennyson references Bors’s purity in “The Holy Grail” section of Idylls; Poets use Bors to represent chastity and spiritual resolve; His refusal to fight Lancelot underscores his moral clarity; Bors often appears in poetry as a bridge between earthly knighthood and divine grace.
Additional Notes
Bors (or Bors de Ganis) is a Grail knight, cousin to Lancelot, and one of only three (with Galahad and Percival) to achieve the Holy Grail; noted for his chastity and humility, he survives the Grail Quest and helps record its story—poets use him to explore spiritual purity amid courtly corruption.
Also Known As
Sir Bors Bors the Younger Bors de Ganis
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