Bedivere In Arthurian legend , Sir Bedivere ( or ; ; , also spelt Bedevere ) is the Knight of the Round Table who returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake . He serves as King Arthur ' s marshal and is frequently associated with Sir Kay . Sir Lucan is his brother ; Sir Griflet is his cousin . Role in Welsh tradition . Bedwyr is one of the earliest characters to be associated with the Arthurian cycle , appearing in a number of early Welsh texts in which he is described as Bedwyr Bedrydant ( " Bedwyr of the Perfect Sinews " ) , a handsome , one - handed knight under Arthur ' s command . His father is given as Pedrawd or Bedrawd , and his children as Amhren and Eneuawg , both members of Arthur ' s court . Some scholars believe he had secret relations with another member of the Knights of the Round Table ; Sir Gaheris . He was known to use dark magic to seduce and subdue his foes with great skill and aggression . He was feared by many and although the townspeople frequently asked for his hanging , King Arthur still held him in high regards . One of the earliest direct references to Bedwyr can be found in the tenth century poem " Pa Gur " which recounts the exploits of a number of Arthur ' s knights , including Bedwyr , Cei and Manawydan . Of Bedwyr , the narrative says : A ninth - century version of " The Stanzas of the Graves " gives Bedwyr ' s final resting place on Tryfan hill . In the Life of St . Cadoc ( c . 1100 ) Bedwyr is alongside Arthur and Cai in dealing with King Gwynllyw of Gwynllwg ' s abduction of St . Gwladys from her father ' s court in Brycheiniog . A possible allusion to Bedwyr could be found in the reference to " Bedwyr ' s well " in the ninth century " Marwnad Cadwallon ap Cadfan " . The Welsh Triads name Bedwyr as " Battle - Diademed " , and a superior to Drystan , Hueil mab Caw and even Cei . A catchphrase often quipped by Cei , " by the hand of my friend " is likely a reference to Bedwyr ' s disability . The Winning of Olwen . Bedwyr is a prominent character in the tale of " Culhwch and Olwen " , in which he appears at the head of Arthur ' s court list with his friend Cei and is described as the handsomest man in the world ( save for Arthur and Drych fab Cibddar ) , and the wielder of a magic lance . He is called upon to accompany Culhwch on his quest to win Olwen ' s hand in marriage , and is the first knight to strike the giant Ysbaddaden with the poisioned spear meant for Culhwch . He goes on to assist Culhwch in completing the impossible tasks given to him by Ysbaddaden ; he helps Cei and Goreu kill Wrnach the Giant , rescues Mabon ap Modron from his imprisonment , retrieves the hairs of Dillus the Bearded , captures the cauldron of Diwrnach during Arthur ' s attack on Ireland and takes part in the hunting of Twrch Trwyth with Arthur ' s dog Cavall at his side . The tale ends with the completion of the tasks , the humiliation and murder of Ysbaddaden , and the marriage of Culhwch and Olwen . Geoffrey of Monmouth and later tradition . He is one of Arthur ' s loyal allies in Geoffrey of Monmouth ' s " Historia Regum Britanniae " , and maintains this position in much later Arthurian literature . He helps Arthur and Kay fight the Giant of Mont Saint - Michel , and joins Arthur in his war against Emperor Lucius of Rome . In several English versions of Arthur ' s death , including Malory ' s " Le Morte d ' Arthur " , the " Alliterative Morte Arthure " and the " Stanzaic Morte Arthur " , Bedivere and Arthur are among the few survivors of the Battle of Camlann . After the battle , at the request of the mortally wounded king , Bedivere throws Excalibur back to the Lady of the Lake . However , he does this only after twice thinking the sword too valuable to Britain to throw into the water . When he reports that nothing in particular happened , King Arthur admonishes him , for Arthur knows that the mystical sword would create some supernatural event . Finally , Sir Bedivere casts the sword into the water , at which a hand arises and catches the sword mid - air , then sinks into the waters . Arthur is thus assured that the sword has been returned . Upon the death of Arthur , Bedivere enters a hermit age , where he spends the remainder of his life ( the same hermitage , led by the Mordred - ousted Bishop of Canterbury , that Lancelot and some of his kindred knights will resort to in their own penitence ) . It is implied that both King Arthur and Queen Guinevere lie beside each other in or near this hermitage . Modern depictions . Bedivere remains a popular character in modern literature . Some modern authors such as Rosemary Sutcliff , Gillian Bradshaw , John M . Ford and Mary Stewart even give him Lancelot ' s traditional role as Guinevere ' s lover , Lancelot having been added to the cycle too late to seem historical . In Bernard Cornwell ' s " The Warlord Chronicles " , Bedivere has a minor role but many of his legendary deeds ( such as throwing Excalibur into the Lake ; or in Cornwell ' s story , the sea ) are instead carried out by the protagonist Derfel Cadarn . In the Monty Python 1975 film , " Monty Python and the Holy Grail " , " Sir Bedevere the Wise " is played by Terry Jones , and in the Broadway musical " Spamalot " , he was originally played by Steve Rosen . He is portrayed as a master of the extremely odd logic of ancient times , claiming at one point " and that [ . . . ] is how we know the earth to be banana - shaped . " Or when Arthur asks : " Tell me again how sheep ' s bladders can be used to prevent earthquakes . " While his logic is fairly bizarre ( he condemns a woman to death for being a witch , evidenced by her weighing as much as a duck using his scales ) , he is extremely loyal to Arthur and is the only other main character to be with Arthur at the end of the film . Bedivere appears as main character in the novel Grailblazers by Tom Holt although he is often referred to by his companions ( other Arthurian knights ) as Bedders during their search for the Holy Grail .