Mordred Deschain

“Mordred's a-hungry.”
   — Mordred Deschain

Mordred Deschain
Information
Alias	The Chap Dan-Tete Little Red King Mordred Red-Heel Mordred Son of Los Mordred of Discordia
Relatives	Roland Deschain (White Father) Crimson King (Red Father) Susannah Dean (Black Mother) Mia (White Mother)
Species	Were-Spider
Affiliation
Status	Deceased
Appearances	Song of Susannah The Dark Tower
Mentioned	Wolves of the Calla

Mordred Deschain was the son of Roland Deschain (White Father), the Crimson King (Red Father), Susannah Dean, (Black Mother), and Mia (White Mother).

Mordred was effectively a Were-Spider, able to transform at will from a boy into a deadly spider-like monstrosity. As a result of his accelerated growth, he lived with an extreme and persistent hunger, a condition worsened in his spider state by an accelerated metabolism.

Role in the Dark Tower Series

He was conceived with help from a Demon Elemental (disguised as an Oracle) and the Speaking Demon. The disguised Elemental took Roland's sperm in The Gunslinger and the Speaking Demon implanted it in Susannah in The Waste Lands. The baby was transferred ("faxed") to Mia using one of the machines in the Dogan.

Baby Mordred

After Susannah and Mia were brought to the Fedic Dogan, Mia delivered Mordred, whereupon his first act was to consume his mother alive. Susannah managed to injure Mordred in his spider state during her escape, shooting off one of his legs. Mordred then sought refuge within the tunnels and was brought nourishment by Nigel.

Walter O'Dim attempted to manipulate him by getting hold of his birthmarked spider leg in order to open the door of the Dark Tower. When Walter and Mordred finally met, however, the young spider boy sensed Walter's intentions and proceeded to kill him in rather brutal fashion.

Mordred would later eat the remains of Dandelo and his horse Lippy, not realizing until too late that the latter's remains were toxic.

Transforming Mordred

While in pursuit of Roland and Oy, Mordred's red father, The Crimson King, spoke to him telepathically from the blacony of the Dark Tower, telling him to kill the last of Roland's Ka-tet, for which he could rule the chaos by the Crimson King's side after the Tower fell. Mordred failed and was slain by Roland in the fields of Can'-Ka No Rey, with the help of Oy, who sacrificed his life to warn and protect Roland.

Mordred in Arthurian Legend

Mordred Deschain is based upon the Arthurian Legend of Mordred. Mordred was the illegitimate son of the famous King Arthur and Arthur's half-sister, Morgause. Morgause taught Mordred to hate his father. He is known as the traitor who, at the Battle of Camlann, fought Arthur and mortally wounded him. In the process, Mordred himself was killed.