Sir Kay is always described as King Arthur's seneschal (an official in charge of domestic arrangements in the medieval household and overseer of the servants). He is usually shown as boorish, mocking, and cruel. In a number of romances, Kay's insults inspire the hero to prove Kay wrong by undertaking a quest. Despite his rude character, Kay holds a position of honor in Arthur's court, which suggests the Round Table may not be as ideal as it is described. Or perhaps Arthur's inexplicable favor toward Kay may derive from early Celtic sources, from the story "Culhwch and Olwen" in the Mabinogion, for example, in which Cei has extraordinary powers of transformation and great physical strength; he is also able to breathe under water for nine days and nine nights. In many of the Arthurian stories, Kay is both epic warrior and wicked seneschal, an amalgam of two stereotypes. A modern version of Kay may be seen in Disney's Sword in the Stone: here Sir Kay is Arthur's supposed older brother who attempts to take the credit (and Arthur's rightful throne) for removing the sword from the stone.