# Eliduc — Lais character guide

> Eliduc in Lais by Marie de France.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Sir Eliduc

**First appearance:** 0005-the-lay-of-eliduc

## Snapshot

A loyal knight whose secret love for a foreign princess forces him to choose between two women who each hold half his heart.

## Who they are

Eliduc serves his king faithfully until a quarrel drives him across the sea to Brittany, where he enters the service of an old king and wins the love of that king's daughter. His wife Guildeluec waits at home, unaware that his new life has entangled his honor with a second, forbidden devotion. The lay turns on the impossible arithmetic of a man who cannot be false to either woman without betraying himself.

## Relationships

### [King Arthur](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lais_se/characters/king_arthur)

_professional_

Eliduc serves as a loyal knight in King Arthur's court, with frequent interactions suggesting a close lord-vassal dynamic.

### [The Dolorous Knight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lais_se/characters/the_dolorous_knight)

_rivalry_

Eliduc and the Dolorous Knight are fierce adversaries, likely locked in a chivalric conflict or personal feud.

### [Guillardun](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lais_se/characters/guillardun)

_romantic_

Eliduc and Guillardun are lovers, with their bond tested by separation and external conflicts.

### [King Arthur](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lais_se/characters/king_arthur)

_professional_

Eliduc serves as a loyal knight in King Arthur's court, with frequent interactions suggesting a close lord-vassal dynamic.

### [Guillardun](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lais_se/characters/guillardun)

_romantic_

Eliduc and Guillardun are lovers, with their bond tested by separation and external conflicts.

## In the story

### [Lais](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lais_se/chapters/lais)

A knight exiled from Brittany who falls in love with Princess Guillardun, navigating loyalty and bigamy.

### [The Lay of Eliduc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lais_se/chapters/the-lay-of-eliduc)

The protagonist, a loyal knight exiled from Brittany, who becomes seneschal and falls in love with Princess Guillardun while still married to Guildeluec.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lais_se/characters/eliduc
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lais_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lais_se/characters