Ruddymane is the son of Amavia and Mordant in book 2 of Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene.
He is just an infant, but is tragically left an orphan when his mother commits suicide and his father dies by poisoning.
When his mother stabs herself, part of her blood gets on Ruddymane’s hands, and this blood is never able to wash away, possibly symbolizing the lasting guilt behind his mother and father’s end.
Because although Amavia and Mordant were victims, there is still some semblance of culpability for Mordant leaving his family to pursue Acrasia, no matter what enchantment he may have had.
See our complete list of Arthurian characters for more entries like this one.
Arthurian Bibliography
- Norris Lacy, Geoffrey Ashe, Debra Mancoff – The Arthurian Handbook (Second Edition)
- Alan Lupack – The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend
- Ronan Coghlan – The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends
- Anonymous – Lancelot-Grail, the French Vulgate
- Sir Thomas Malory – Le Morte d’Arthur
See also my ever-expanding list of primary and secondary sources.
