Who on Earth was King Arthur?
According to many sources Arthur was King of the Silures in the 6th century and an ancient British hero, whose story has been the theme of much romantic fiction. He is said to have been the son of Uther, chief commander of the Britons, and to have been born about 501. In 516 he succeeded his father in the office of general and performed those heroic deeds against the Saxons, Scots and Piets which have made him so celebrated.
He married the celebrated Guinevere belonging to the family of the dukes of Cornwall, established the famous order of the Round Table, and reigned, surrounded by a splendid court, 12 years in peace. After that he is reported to have conquered Denmark; Norway and France, slain the giants of Spain and joumied to Rome. From thence he is said to have hastened home on account of the unfaithfulness of his wife and Modred, his nephew, who stirred up his subjects to rebellion; to have subdued the rebels, but to have died in consequence of his wounds in 542 on the island of Avalon, where it is claimed that his grave was found in the reign of Henry II.
The following is the story of King Arthur discussed by the novelist and historian Jack Lindsay who considers that Arthur has had as rem arkable a career in literature as in folklore. He appears on paper first in the collection of stories by the Welshman Nennius in the 9th century. Developing into a national hero, he was important in Welsh medieval tale and poem; and then in the 12th century burst into European literature in the vast amount of romances about his court and his knights.
In English, after Geoffrey of Monmouths History, he took on a strong historical aspect and in time provided the material for Malorys Morte dArthur, the greatest of all idealizations of chivalry. With the Tudors, he got new life, and his place in the court tradition culminated in Spensers Faerie Queene. Milton is said to have toyed with an epic on him before turning to Adam. Under William III came the epic by the popular writer, Blackmore; and in the Victorian age, Tennysons Idylls of the King as well as William Morris early-poems.
What was the reason for this continued popularity? One way or another, the folk-belief in him as a saviour fed the upper streams of culture and made him the emblem of a new dispensation. Geoffrey provided a mythical background in his picture of the great conqueror Arthur for the new Norman kingdom. Malory fought to idealize the chivalrous system at the time it was totally disappearing. Arthur, the Welshman, was naturally of use in giving support to the upstart Tudors. Blackmore's Arthur lent lustre to the Dutchman, William. Tennyson was idealizing his own age and trying to glorify the epoch of Prince Albert and the hopes of youthful capitalism. If then we go deep enough we find there were strong political and social reasons for each revival of Arthur. The sepulchre of Arthur is nowhere to be seen, whence ancient ballads fable that he is still to come. Hence the endless sites linked milt Arthur, especially with his hollow hill or cave where he sleeps - sites that extended as far as Mount Etna in Sicily. In Welsh tales he became a culture hero, hunting the Great Pig and harrowirig hell, fighting Roman Emperors and monster cats. The table of Christs Last Supper became the Round Table and the Eucharistic cup the Holy Grail. And the prophecies of Merlin were re-adapted to suit changing political circumstances and support the Arthurian positions.
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What of the real Arthur, on whom this vast superstructure was built? Who was he and did he even exist at all? We can say little to that question. We have essentially only the reference in Nennius, with an archaeological background which makes probable the emergence of a war-leader (not a king) among the Romano-Britons in the early 6th century, who drove back the Saxons and gained his people a respite of a couple of generations.
The legend of King Arthur is an age-old story about a king and his court. The tale of Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table is one that nearly everyone knows.
Arthurian Legend
As the story goes, Arthur was the son of Igraine and Uther Pendragon. Igraine was originally married to Gorloris the Duke of Cornwall. After Gorloris was killed by Uther in a battle, Uther married Igraine. They had a son, Arthur, who was born at Tintagel Castle. Stories say that Arthur was brought up by either Ector or Merlin, not by his parents.
The Sword in the Stone
When Uther died, Britain was left without a king. There was great debate over who would rule. This was to be solved by a challenge. Whoever could pull the sword from the stone was meant to be king.
Many local kings tried to pull the sword out, but no one succeeded. One day, Arthur went with his foster brother Kay to a tournament. Kay had forgotten his sword and Arthur went to seek a replacement. He found the sword in the stone and easily pulled it out and gave it to Kay. Kay recognized the sword and told everyone that Arthur had pulled the sword from the stone. When the people did not believe it was Arthur, he successfully repeated the task.
The Lady of the Lake | Excalibur
After Arthur had removed the sword from the stone, the local kings decided that they did not want to be ruled by a youth, so they began a rebellion against their rightful king. To protect him, Merlin took Arthur to see the Lady of the Lake. The Lady of the Lake gave him the magical sword Excalibur.
Arthur then returned to defend his place as king. After a battle, the local kings gave in and Arthur became king.
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
After Arthur was crowned, he married the princess Guinevere. As part of her dowry, Arthur was giving the famous Round Table by her father. Through the course of his reign as King of Britain, many events occurred. Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table fought many battles with the Saxons. Eventually, they won the war at Mount Badon. Arthur and his knights also went in search of the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail is thought to be a vessel used by Jesus at the last supper. Before having a Christian influence, the grail was magical cauldron.
The End of Camelot & Death of Arthur
During his rule, Guinevere and Lancelot, one of Arthurs knights, become lovers. When he discovers the affair, Arthur condemns Guinevere to be burned at the stake, but Lancelot rescues her. This starts a war between Arthur and Lancelot. While Arthur is away, his nephew Modred seeks the throne for himself. After hearing this, Arthur returns to Camelot to take back control. Arthur kills Modred but during the fight at Camlann, he is mortally wounded. Sir Bedivere returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake at Arthurs request. Arthur is then taken to the isle of Avalon, where he soon died.
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Conclusion
The story of the legendary King Arthur is one that is retold repeatedly. It is also a story with many variations. The Legend of King Arthur has been changed and added to throughout time, often to fit the desires of the existing culture.
The Ballads of Robin Hood
