"King Pellinore that time followed the questing beast"

In Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur", the phrase "King Pellinore that time followed the questing beast" catches an iconic, almost enigmatic image from Arthurian legend. The Questing Beast is a legendary creature in Arthurian tradition, traditionally depicted as having the head of a serpent, the body of a leopard, the haunches of a lion, and the feet of a hart. Its appearance is both a marvel and a secret, and it embodies the evasive, the unattainable, and maybe even the absurdity of specific pursuits.

King Pellinore, a popular figure in the Arthurian narratives, is notoriously consumed with hunting this animal. His pursuit is emblematic of the chivalric mission concept-- a central theme in Arthurian legends that typically includes knights embarking on quests that check their virtues, endurance, and faith. The tracking of the Questing Beast is a pursuit that defines Pellinore both as a character and as a symbol. Simply as the Grail Quest is spiritual and noble, Pellinore's hunt is personal, practically quixotic, driven by his inner voice and fate.

The quest for the Questing Beast can be seen as a metaphor for unattainable goals or the futile pursuit of dreams that, by their nature, can never be realized. Pellinore's relentless hunt recommends an ingrained requirement within people to seek out and face the enigmas of life, even if those pursuits are illogical or relentless. The animal itself, bizarre and otherworldly, functions as a suggestion of the secrets that lie beyond human understanding.

On a narrative level, King Pellinore's quest also serves to improve the tapestry of Arthurian legend, showing the variety of missions that the knights undertake. It highlights both the nobility and folly of relentless pursuit, providing a broader commentary on the nature of human aspiration. Thus, this phrase, though brief, encapsulates deep themes of duty, fixation, and the eternal human desire to seek out the unidentified.