King Arthur

The legend of Arthur is one of the most studied and complete legends in modern literature. Many stories, movies, and books today borrow heavily from the Arthurian Legends. The themes and ideas presented in modern interpretations of Arthurian Legend are easy for readers to identify with and enjoy, making them central to many other epic stories written today.

There are many views on the reality of Arthur, from completely fictional character to actual historical hero, to composite character based on many different historical figures in British history. Most sources attribute the factual Arthur as a sixth century king who united the Celtic Britain under one rule to defend against the invading Anglo Saxons. Most of the Celtic regions of Britain host their own brand of Arthur.

King Arthur

One of the earliest references to King Arthur appears in the The History of the Britons: Historia Brittonum, a work by a Welsh monk in the latter part of the first millennium. Although the work is considered mostly fictional in nature, it does present modern scholars with a very early reference to the legendary figure. The city of Caerleon claims to be the home of the legendary Camelot of Arthurian legend as well, claiming both Historia Brittonum and the writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth, a writer of the 1100’s. Both sources reference the “city of the legion” as Arthur’s court, and Geoffrey also specifies Caerleon as the location.

The legend of Arthur has been passed on for many generations through literature and film. There are many common items, characters, and themes present throughout much of the more modern works. Arthur is usually guided by a wizard named Merlin. He is married to Guinevere, who eventually shows an unfaithful side with Arthur’s top knight, Lancelot.

Lancelot is generally regarded as the best fighter in all of Britain. Arthur is the son of a previous king named Uther Pendragon. Arthur is always carrying his legendary sword, Excalibur, as well. The sword is generally acquired by either pulling it from a stone, signifying his place as king, or it is handed to him by the Lady of the Lake. There is also the Round Table that is common among Arthurian legends. The table is round to represent equality at the table, no man sits at the head of the table. In most accounts, Arthur is finally killed by the hand of his own son, Mordrid, in an epic battle. Mordrid is generally seen as the bastard son of Arthur and a witch named Morgan Le Fay, who is also sometimes Arthur’s sister.

There are generally many knights that reappear in Arthurian Legend. First, of course, would be Lancelot the famed fighter and sometimes lover of Arthur’s wife. Other knights generally referred to include Galahad, Gawain, Tristan, Agravain, Bors, Kay, and several others. After the uniting of Britain, many stories have Arthur sending his knights on a quest to find the Holy Grail. This quest is usually an attempt to keep the knights busy since there is no longer any fighting to be done in Britain.

One of the most important parts of the Arthurian legend is the idea that “Right Makes Might” leading to the rule of law over the use of violence to determine justice.

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