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You've seen the foe we face. It's a creature of nightmare.
Arthur Pendragon[src]

The Questing Beast is a creature of magic that inhabits the land of Albion. Its appearance is said to be an omen that foreshadows times of great upheaval and its venom carries the magic of life and death itself.

History

According to the old books, the appearance of the Questing Beast is supposed to foreshadow a time of great upheaval.
Gaius to Uther[src]
Merlin's impact on the Questing Beast

Merlin kills the Questing Beast.

In the days of the Old Religion, the Questing Beast was believed to be an omen foreshadowing times of great upheaval. It has appeared on at least two known occasions: to Gaius on the night of Queen Ygraine's death, an event which led to the Great Purge, and to a hunting party led by Prince Arthur nearly twenty-one years later.

Fearing that the Beast's presence would spread panic among Camelot's citizens, Uther sent Arthur and his men to kill it. Merlin ultimately killed the Beast with his magic, but not before it overpowered Arthur and bit him. The Questing Beast's venom nearly killed Arthur, but he was later cured of its effects after Merlin traded his own life in exchange for water from the Cup of Life (Le Morte d'Arthur).

Abilities

At the very heart of the Old Religion lies the magic of life and death itself. The Questing Beast carries that power.
Gaius to Merlin[src]
Questing Beast5

The Questing Beast's bite carried the magic of life and death itself.

The Questing Beast was a creature of enormous strength and powerful magic. It had the body of leopard, which allowed it to run at surprisingly high speeds, and the head of a cobra. Its venomous bite was said to carry the magic of life and death itself, and as such meant certain death.

When Arthur was bitten by the beast, he immediately slipped into a coma and developed a high fever. He also appeared to be in a great deal of pain.

The venom proved so powerful that even Merlin's magic was unable to cure it. He ultimately saved Arthur by bartering his own life in exchange for water from the Cup of Life (Le Morte d'Arthur).

Trivia

Mythology

Arthur and the Questing Beast (full)

The Questing Beast in Arthurian Legend.

The Questing Beast (also called the Beast Glatisant) is a cross-animal monster in Arthurian Legend. It is described as having the head of a serpent, the body of a leopard, the hindquarters of a lion, and the feet of a deer. A noise like the barking of a pack of hounds issues from its stomach.

The Questing Beast often appears in legends as the subject of quests undertaken by King Pellinore and his family. It was ultimately slain by Sir Palamedes after he and his companions trapped it in a lake.

According to Merlin, the Beast was born of a human princess who lusted after her own brother. She slept with a devil who promised to make the boy love her, but it manipulated her into accusing him of rape. Before the brother was torn apart by dogs as punishment, he prophesied that she would give birth to an abomination that would make the same sounds as the pack of dogs that were about to kill him.

The Questing Beast subsequently became known as an omen for violence, incest, and chaos. In the legends, it is said to have appeared to Arthur after he unwittingly slept with his half-sister Morgause and begot Mordred. He woke from a disturbing dream foretelling the destruction of his kingdom by Mordred and found the Beast drinking from a nearby pool.

Gallery

See Also

Series 1 Enemies
The Dragon's Call: Mary Collins † • Lady Helen (indirect) †
Valiant: Valiant † • DevlinSerpent Shield
The Mark of Nimueh: Nimueh † • Afanc
The Poisoned Chalice: Nimueh † • Balorian SpidersCockatrice
Lancelot: Griffin
A Remedy to Cure All Ills: Edwin Muirden † • Elanthia Beetles
The Gates of Avalon: Sophia † • Aulfric † • Sidhe elder
The Beginning of the End: Uther Pendragon
Excalibur: Nimueh † • Tristan de Bois
The Moment of Truth: Kanen
The Labyrinth of Gedref: Arthur Pendragon (indirect) †
To Kill the King: TaurenMorgana † • Uther Pendragon
Le Morte d'Arthur: Nimueh † • Questing BeastKilgharrah
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