Retelling the Story of The Knight in Shepherds Boots

The story of Sir Percival, a knight in shepherds boots and his journey into King Arthur's realm and joins the Knights of the Round Table.

A young mother carrying a sleeping infant sneaked out of the castle battlements in the middle of the night. She moved stealthily over the field, past distant farms, sleepy villages, and high moorlands. She didn't feel safe from the conspirators who had killed her husband, the father of the young Percival. In the wilderness amid the moorland goats, she raised her child, all while being forgotten.

Percival was raised as a simple shepherd who was an expert in goats but knew nothing about his family's history. He picked up kindness and respect so he could take care of goats. He was a strong, courageous young man who chased up cliffs to milk his mother's goats and hunted wild deer across the high moors with javelins he made from tree branches. He was a handsome young man.

Three Knights in shining armour rode by one day. Percival saw their battle steeds, lances, and iron armour as they glistened in the sunlight. "Ee! By the beard of my billy goat! He stated: "I haven't seen anything like this before. Surely these are angels!

The Knights rushed up to Percival and one of them described their mission. They were looking for three stolen maidens as well as the evil knights responsible. The shepherd might have spotted these knights. Percival gaped at them as he regarded them. He asked, "Dear Sirs, what are these?" while reaching out to touch their lances.

The knight told Percival he shouldn't touch the lance. The knight again enquired if the knights they were pursuing had been spotted in this field, thinking the boy hadn't heard him. Percival marvelled as he pointed to their helmets. "What are they, then?" The knight responded that he didn't understand why anyone would be interested in his armour. The abducted maidens were either an hour or a day in advance.

Percival petted the gallant battle horses. "What kind of animals are these?" The Knights gave up on getting a clear response. They politely replied that they rode horses and that local shepherds didn't seem to pay any more attention to their grazing sheep than they did. Percival hurried home to notify his mother as they galloped away over the hills, never to be seen again.

"Mother! I need to leave and go with the Angels!" His mother sat down after hearing him relate what she had witnessed. The time had come for her to inform Percival about knights, despite her reluctance. If he had made up his mind to leave his family, he should visit King Arthur in Camelot and show enough bravery to be elevated to the rank of Knight of the Round Table. He should perform a heroic deed to earn his respect.

Percival mounted the yard donkey, took up his holly-branch hunting javelin, and cut some mistletoe to wear as a helmet before setting out towards Camelot. While trudging over mountain passes and sleeping outside in the snow, the wind whipped into his ribs, but he was delighted and excited when he finally arrived at King Arthur's court.

"King Arthur, please! I'd like to become a member of the brave Knights of the Round Table." The knights dropped into fits of laughter when they saw this tough and sincere young man dressed as Jack-in-the-green and covered in branches and leaves during Percival's attempt to continue his prepared speech.

However, at that precise moment, a cunning Red Knight stormed in, smashed all the plates and goblets off the table, insulted the Queen, and demanded that every other knight challenge him to a duel outside!

Percival attempted to resume his speech as the Red Knight walked away. But now the court was unable to hear him. They all hurriedly donned their swords and helmets after yelling angrily that they would take the Red Knight's spurs off.

Percival immediately went outside and confronted the Red Knight, exclaiming, "I must have your armour!" The Red Knight charged Percival, knocking him from the donkey, believing they had sent the court jester as retaliation for their insult. But Percival, wearing his shepherd's boots, sprung to his feet. It's a new game, he exclaimed in amazement, "Ey-up!" He then launched his holly-branch lance. The evil Knight was killed when it crashed through the visor of the red helmet.

Until Arthur's knights emerged from the castle, Percival dragged the knight around the field by the feet. "He is stuck to this iron! Never will it come off!" Percival's success astounded the Knights, who laughed once more as they instructed him on how to remove the armour, which was now his as of that moment.

But Percival refused to accept the silk shirt worn beneath the armour. "Nay! I'm going to keep the nice wool my mother made for me." He then became a member of the Round Table while wearing red armour and shepherd's boots.

Later, Percival would experience the most bizarre adventures with the Fisher-King and at Castle Marvellous. When he was knighted and made Sir Percival, he was given ownership of lands that had previously belonged to his father. Percival was one of the very few to find the Holy Grail when the Knights of the Round Table embarked on their quest to find it.