Maleger: A Strange Villain in The Faerie Queene

Maleger is a character that appears briefly in book 2 of The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spenser. He is the leader of a group of bandits besieging Alma’s castle.

Attributes

Maleger is almost creepy. Not only does he ride a tiger and is flanked by two strong women, but he is also almost a zombie.

When Arthur stabs him, no blood comes out, and we learn that this is because he gains his strength from the earth.

Arthur is only able to vanquish him by drowning him in water.

What He Represents

Maleger and his crew represent lawlessness, constantly attacking Alma who represents the soul and a well-balanced body. Maleger is the opposite of balance, and so it is no wonder that Arthur, the representation of true leadership, is able to crush the life out of him.

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