Siege Perilous
Preserved but no longer current.
In the cycle of Arthurian romances a seat at the Round Table which was kept vacant for him who should accom- plish the quest of the Holy Grail. For any less a person to sit in it was fatal. As the crown of his achievement Sir Galahad took his seat in the Siege Perilous.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Siege Perilous” mean?
In the cycle of Arthurian romances a seat at the Round Table which was kept vacant for him who should accom- plish the quest of the Holy Grail. For any less a person to sit in it was fatal. As the crown of his achievement Sir Galahad took his seat in the Siege Perilous.
Is “Siege Perilous” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.