Home › Glossary › Letter S

Sir Balan

Arthurian Legend
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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

Brother of Sir Balin; both knights tragically slew each other in a duel caused by magical deception in Arthurian legend.

Detailed Definition
Balan’s death alongside Balin illustrates the tragedy of mistaken identity. In poetry, he symbolizes fraternal love and the devastating consequences of magical deception, his story a lament for unity lost to illusion.
Example
Example in poetry:
Sir Balan, brother of Balin, dies in mutual slaying due to unrecognized armor; Poets use their tragedy to explore fate and miscommunication; In elegiac verse, “Sir Balan” falls unknowingly by kin’s hand; Modern retellings emphasize armor as symbol of hidden identity; Their shared tomb becomes metaphor for unity in death; Sir Balan’s honor mirrors his brother’s doomed virtue.
Additional Notes
Sir Balan is Balin’s brother; the two unknowingly kill each other in a tragic duel—his story, paired with Balin’s, exemplifies fate and fraternal tragedy, useful for poets exploring duality, misrecognition, and the cost of honor.
Also Known As
Balan the Knight
Skip to main content