In T.H. White’s fantasy novel The Once and Future King, King Pellinore’s quarry is the Questing Beast.
Pellinore has pursued the Questing Beast for generations, treating the hunt as a hereditary obligation. The creature’s unusual cry and composite appearance make it a memorable figure in White’s Arthurian world. Pellinore’s devotion to the chase is initially comic, but it also reveals how deeply inherited customs govern the kingdom.
The Questing Beast comes from Arthurian tradition, where it is often described as a strange monster with features borrowed from several animals. White adapts that tradition with humor and sympathy, making Pellinore’s obsession part of the novel’s broader examination of chivalry and social rules.
The creature is not the same as the White Hart, another traditional hunting symbol in Arthurian literature. Nor is it a unicorn or griffin. Its formal name is usually written as the Questing Beast, matching the answer used in the novel’s setting.