Acheflour and Blauncheflour: Mothers and Wives in Sir Percyvell of Galles and Sir Tristrem

The Middle English characters of Acheflour, the hero’s mother in Sir Percyvell of Galles, and Blauncheflour, the hero’s mother in Sir Tristrem, share their actively voiced concern for their sons. In doing so, they are granted greater prominence in these Middle English narrative contexts than their counterparts in other linguistic traditions. In this article, I argue that the figure of Acheflour, whose agency has been acknowledged in scholarship, sets up a standard for Blauncheflour, whose role in the story has been, on the contrary, rather overlooked. Acheflour and Blauncheflour have in common that they are sisters to a king – Arthur and Mark respectively – and young widows. I argue that the strategies that they develop in order to protect their sons from the dangers of knighthood are comparable and create stronger relationships with these young knights.