Original artwork, not a still
We are the knights who say 'Ni!'
— Monty Python and the Holy Grail · 1975
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The Knights of Ni are the film's proof that fear can be built from nothing: a word with no meaning, a price nobody could guess, and a name that sounds like a sneeze. 'Ni!' has since become a stock cry among Python fans for a demand that makes no sense, and the shrubbery that follows is one of comedy's best anticlimaxes.
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In context
Spoilers for Monty Python and the Holy GrailShow the scene
In Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Arthur and Bedevere are sent on by an old soothsayer to find the dreaded Knights Who Say Ni. The knights loom out of the woods and announce that they demand a sacrifice. When Arthur says they are simple travellers seeking an enchanter, the knights shout the syllable at him until he winces, and warn that they will say it again unless appeased. Their price is a shrubbery.
Sources (2)
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail, WikiquoteKnights who say Ni sectionReference checked
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail, WikipediaPlotReference checked
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