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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. The first reliable reference to Arthur was made by a Welsh monk Nennius, who wrote his Historia Brittonum around the year 830AD. In this work Arthur is refered 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 1133AD. 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, 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 which was given to him by The Lady of the Lake. 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 Excalibur, Lancelot du Lac, First Knight. The 1970s 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

FURTHER READING

• http://www.caerleon.net/history/arthur/page2.htm