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| Arthur is also closely connected with ]. The French medieval writer, ], produced versions of the legend during the mid-12th century. | Arthur is also closely connected with ]. The French medieval writer, ], produced versions of the legend during the mid-12th century. | ||
| Arthur had in his possession the wondrous ] ] |
Arthur had in his possession the wondrous ] ] given to him by ]. In some accounts, Arthur obtained the sword by pulling it from a stone or from an anvil atop a stone. In these accounts, this act could not be performed except by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of the throne via Uther Pendragon. | ||
| In many accounts, Arthur is not eventually killed but is instead critically wounded; he is taken away to ] (often identified with ] in ]) to have his wounds healed. Legend had it that he would return in the hour of Britain's greatest need. | |||
| King Arthur, in Britain, is sometimes depicted as the leader of the ]. | King Arthur, in Britain, is sometimes depicted as the leader of the ]. | ||
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| * ] | * ] | ||
| A number of films have been made as well, including the irreverent ]. Others include ], ] |
A number of films have been made as well, including the irreverent ]. Others include ], ], ] and ]. The Disney animated feature ] portrays the early life of Arthur and his ascension to the throne. The 1970's British television series, ''Arthur of the Britons'', sought to create a more "realistic" portrait of the period and to explain the origins of some of the myths about the Celtic leader. | ||
| The Arthurian myth makes an appearance in many stories: | The Arthurian myth makes an appearance in many stories: | ||
Revision as of 15:27, 5 November 2002
King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Britain. He is the central character in Arthurian legends (known as the Matter of Britain), though there is disagreement about whether Arthur, or a model for him, ever lived. He is believed to have flourished some time in the 6th century, to have been of Romano-British origin, and to have fought against the Saxons. His power base was probably in either Wales or the west of England, but controversy over the possible location of his court continues to rage.
He is mentioned in Welsh literature before there is any record of him in English writing. In the earliest surviving Welsh poem, the Gododdin, the poet Aneirin (c. 575-600) writes of one of his subjects that 'he fed black ravens on the ramparts, although he was not Arthur' -- but this poem as it currently exists is full of interpolations, and it not possible to decide if this passage is an interpolation from a later period. The first reliable reference to Arthur is in the Historia Brittonum, attributed to the Welsh monk Nennius, who is said to have written this compilation of early Welsh history around the year AD 830.
In this work Arthur is referred to as a 'warrior' rather than as a King. There are other mentions of him in various other works of the time, but one of the first writers to pay serious attention to him was Geoffrey of Monmouth, another Welsh cleric who produced a manuscript called the Historia Regum Britaniae in AD 1133. This work was the medieval equivalent of a 'best seller' and spurred other writers to expand and rewrite the legends of Arthur. In the legends, which authors expanded rapidly beginning in the 12th century, Arthur gathered the Knights of the Round Table (Lancelot, Gawain. Galahad, and others). At his court, Camelot, could also be found the magician Merlin. The romance between Arthur's champion, Lancelot, and the Queen, Guinevere, is at the center of the fall of Camelot.
The Arthurian mythos permeated to the continent, as far afield as Gdansk in Poland, where the 15th century merchants set up an Arthurian hall in his honour.
Arthur is also closely connected with Brittany. The French medieval writer, Chretien de Troyes, produced versions of the legend during the mid-12th century.
Arthur had in his possession the wondrous sword Excalibur given to him by The Lady of the Lake. In some accounts, Arthur obtained the sword by pulling it from a stone or from an anvil atop a stone. In these accounts, this act could not be performed except by "the true king," meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of the throne via Uther Pendragon.
In many accounts, Arthur is not eventually killed but is instead critically wounded; he is taken away to Avalon (often identified with Glastonbury in Somerset, England) to have his wounds healed. Legend had it that he would return in the hour of Britain's greatest need.
King Arthur, in Britain, is sometimes depicted as the leader of the Wild Hunt.
There are an immense number of books written about King Arthur and the court of Camelot.
- Gawain and the Green Knight
- Thomas Malory: Le Morte Darthur
- Marion Zimmer Bradley: The Mists of Avalon
- T.H. White: The Once and Future King cycle, the first volume of which is The Sword in the Stone, well-known for the Disney adaptation.
- The several books by Norma Lorre Goodrich are very popular and according to Arthurian scholars not to be taken at all seriously. Goodrich is supposedly a fair scholar of literature but a very poor one of history. Reader take caution.
- The Merlin books of Mary Stewart: The Crystal Cave sets up the background for the Arthurian legend, but has only a baby Arthur. The Hollow Hills encompasses most of Arthur's lifespan, including his childhood with Merlin as his tutor.
- Helen Hollick
- Persia Woolley
A number of films have been made as well, including the irreverent Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Others include Camelot, Excalibur, Lancelot du Lac and First Knight. The Disney animated feature The Sword in the Stone portrays the early life of Arthur and his ascension to the throne. The 1970's British television series, Arthur of the Britons, sought to create a more "realistic" portrait of the period and to explain the origins of some of the myths about the Celtic leader.
The Arthurian myth makes an appearance in many stories:
- Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence
- Babylon 5 explicitly mentions Arthur in one episode, but the entire television series contains references