Arthurian Legend

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 611.

The legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are the subjects of several poems and stories of the Middle Ages, as well as of later novels, musical plays and films, and are a central part of British tradition and folklore. The most important Arthurian works include Sir Thomas Malory's “Le Morte D'Arthur”, a set of long prose romances, written in the XV c., Alfred Lord Tennyson's “Idylls of the King”, a series of twelve poems and T.H. White's novel “The Once and Future King”.

The real King Arthur is supposed to be a warrior chief who fought against the Anglo-Saxons and probably defeated them at the battle of Badon. Stories about him were collected in the XII c. by Geoffrey of Monmouth. According to legend, Arthur was born at Tintagel in Cornwall, the son of Uther Pendragon, King of all England. One version says that at a young age he was put under a spell by the magician Merlin so that he grew up not knowing hr was heir to the English throne. He became king at 15 after he pulled the magic sword Excalibur out of a stone. Another version says that he received the sword from the Lady of the Lake, and as he was dying, he ordered the sword to be thrown back into the lake and was caught by a hand that rose from the water.

Tintagel Castle is still visited by people, but Camelot, where King Arthur's court was, is not identified. Suggested sites include Caerleon in South Wales, Camelford and South Cadbury in Somerset and Winchester. Glastonbury is said to be Avalon (the place where Arthur was taken after death).