Kenneth III

Kenneth III in 977.

Kenneth II (holding an infant Constantine III), Maol Chalvim II, and Kenneth III in 971

Kenneth III was the son of King Duff of Scotland and was known by many as The Grim. He was King of Scotland from 997-1005.

History

Kenneth III was born in 967, the same year that his father was slain at the Battle of Gaine. The only son of King Duff, Kenneth grew up playing with his cousin, Maol Chalvim. ("One Upon A Time There Were Three Brothers...", "The Reach", "The Promise")

At some point, he earned the nickname 'The Grim' and in 985 fathered his son, Bodhe. [1]

In 995, Constantine III murdered Kenneth's uncle, Kenneth II. With a legitimate claim to the Scottish throne, he began working towards Constantine's defeat. In 997, with the help of Maol Chalvim, Findlaech of Moray, Demona's Clan and Brooklyn (who had arrived in this time on his first TimeDancer adventure) he overthrew and killed Constantine III at the Battle of Rathveramoen. ("Avalon" Part One, "The Gate", "Tyrants", "Phoenix")

Kenneth then became King of Scotland, only to be overthrown and slain by Maol Chalvim eight years later. [2]

Characteristics

Kenneth III is a kind, approachable warm hearted man, truly a stark contrast to his nickname, the Grim. It has been pointed out that the nickname would have been more befitting of his cousin, Maol Chalvim II. It was Kenneth who first suggested that using gargoyles against Constantine's forces would be advantageous for the army of the Three Brothers (no doubt influenced by his ancestors' alliances with the creatures over the years). He seized the opportunity to ally with Brooklyn when the gargoyle was brought to him by Mary and Finella.

Appearances

• "The Gate" (First Appearance)
• "Tyrants"
• "Phoenix"
• "The Reach"
• "The Oath" (No Lines)
• "The Promise" (No Lines)

Real World Background

The royal family's family tree

Kenneth III was a real Scottish king, and believed to have been the father of Bodhe and grandfather of Gruoch, Macbeth's wife. His history went pretty much the way as described in the entry above.

Production Background

According to Greg Weisman, Kenneth III was originally written in "Avalon" Part One, but was cut early on because the episode, "was just getting too damn complicated." [3] He was later introduced on Ask Greg in 1997 as a character in Once Upon A Time There Were Three Brothers..., long before Kenneth's canonical inclusion in the Gargoyles Universe in 2009.

See Also

• Kenneth III at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
• Once Upon a Time There Were Three Brothers