Editing Gareth (section)

=== French literature ===
The earliest role of Gareth, appearing as Guerrehet,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Ob4EdHr8vkC&pg=RA1-PA52|title=The Openess of Myth: The Arthurian Tradition in the Middle Ages and Today|last=Dentzien|first=Nicole|date=2004|publisher=Königshausen & Neumann|isbn=9783826028113|language=en}}</ref> is found in the First Continuation of [[Chrétien de Troyes]]'s ''[[Perceval ou le Conte du Graal]]'' (in the original ''Perceval'', Chrétien himself had only mentioned [[Gawain]]'s brothers named Agrevain, Gaherriez and Guerrehés<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HSmto0TQZBgC&pg=PA57 | title=The Romances of Chretien de Troyes | isbn=978-0-300-13370-7 | last1=Duggan | first1=Joseph J. | date=October 2008 | publisher=Yale University Press }}</ref>). As the protagonist of the story's final episode, he slays the giant known as "Little Knight", thus avenging the death of fairy king Brangemuer, son of [[Guiomar (Arthurian legend)|Guingamuer]] and the fay Brangepart.

Several of his adventures are narrated in the Vulgate Cycle (''[[Lancelot-Grail]]''). In the Vulgate ''Merlin'', Gareth and his brothers defect from their father [[King Lot]] and take service with [[King Arthur]], participating in the early battles against the [[Saxons|Saxon]] invaders of Britain and in the war against [[Claudas|King Claudas]] on the continent. As the youngest and often most [[Chivalry|chivalrous]] of the [[Orkney]] princes, Gareth later prevents his brothers Gawain and [[Agravain]] from killing their other sibling [[Gaheris]] in revenge for the murder of their mother, the [[Morgause|Queen of Orkney]], condemns his brothers for their killing of [[Lamorak]], and attempts to dissuade Agravain and [[Mordred]] (the youngest of the Orkney brothers) from exposing the secret love affair between [[Lancelot]] and Arthur's wife, [[Queen Guinevere]].

His death at the hands of [[Bors]] (aided by [[Hector de Maris]]) during Lancelot's rescue of Guinevere from being burned at the stake is related in the ''Mort Artu'' (''Death of Arthur''), the final volume of the Vulgate Cycle.<ref>Norris J. Lacy, ed. and trans., ''Lancelot-Grail: The Death of Arthur'', Volume 7 of ''Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation'', Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 2010, p. 69. {{ISBN|9780859917704}}.</ref> The Vulgate ''Lancelot'' and the Vulgate ''Mort Artu''  differ in their characterisation of Gareth. In the ''Lancelot'', he is portrayed as Gawain's most cherished brother. In the ''Mort Artu'', it is rather his older brother, Gaheris.<ref>Norris J. Lacy, ed., ''Lancelot-Grail: Lancelot Parts III and IV'', pp. 393–4.</ref>