he king of England whose story shows
that even the most gallant knight may fall victim to base emotions. He was the son of a
strange liaison between King Uther Pendragon and Ygerna, Duchess of Cornwall. Uther fell
so violently in love with Ygerna (also called Igraine) that he persuaded Merlin the
magician to change him into a replica of the Duke, so that he might enter Tintagel Castle
and the bed of Ygerna.
Uther's men killed the Duke before Ygerna's son was born, but Merlin predicted an
unhappy fate for the infant. He said that enemies would kill him and put an end to the
rule of the Pendragons. To avoid this fate, Ygerna surrended her newborn son to Merlin.
The magician gave him to the noble knight Sir Ector, who had the boy christened as Arthur
and brought him up with his own son.
Sir Ector taught Arthur all the knigthly skills and virtues and the boy grew up into a
splendid fair-haired youth, expert in weaponry but gracious and fair to his vassals and
henchmen. England was in its usual state of perpetual war and King Uther, now old and
ailing, had to fight off an alliance of northern kings. He defeated them at the battle of
St Albans but the effort was too great for him, and as he lay dying Merlin called on him
to declare Arthur as his successor.
King Uther's last words were: 'I give him God's blessing and my own, and bid him pray
for my soul and claim the crown!'
According to Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, Arthur was
15 when Uther Pendragon died and was buried at Stonehenge. There was nobody to succeed
Pendragon, and various great barons struggled for the throne. Uther's knights had never
heard of Arthur and they refused to accept an unknown youth as king, especially since many
of them also laid claim to the crown. Merlin instigated the Archbishop of Canterbury to
summon all the barons to London where he had provided a great anvil with a sword stuck
within it, and on the sword were written in letters of gold: 'Whoso pulleth out this sword
is rightwise king of all Britain.'
Each of the rebellious knights swaggered up to the anvil to strain and tug at the
sword, and they guffawed when a slender youth also stepped up for his turn. When Arthur
drew the sword from the anvil they roared angrily that he must be a fairy child. Rumour
said that he had been cast up on the beach by a golden wave. When Arthur claimed the crown
and invited them to a great feast they replied that they would give him 'gifts of hard
swords betwixt the neck and shoulders'.
Arthur rose to the challenge by enlisting Sir Ector and a nucleus of faithful knights
to follow him. He fought the rebels in a series of battles, and showed such strength and
skill that they bowed the knee to him. Arthur was crowned king at Silchester. In one of
the battles he broke the sword he had drawn from the anvil, but Merlin led him to a lonely
lake where a hand rose from the water holding another sword. The Lady of the Lake appeared
and told Arthur he might have the sword, named Excalibur, and this magical weapon always
ensured victory in Arthur's defence of the realm and conquest of the pagans.
Arthur soon proved himself the greatest warrior and general in Europe. The knights who
once resented him soon gloried in his victories. Under his command they fought with
unbeatable strength and spirit; first in Britain where they slashed their way through
invading hordes of Scots and Irish, and then in Europe where they conquered Gaul.
Arthur's magnificent court at Camelot attracted every knight in the nation, eager to
prove himself in battle and tournament. The fierce young men fought each other with lance
and sword on the tourney ground but accepted Arthur's rules of chivalry, in which they
swore fealty to Arthur, the faith of Christendom, and the fair rules of battle.
The old magician Merlin always stood behind Arthur as his adviser, but as the young
king grew in strength and power he did not always heed Merlin's warnings. He ignored
Merlin's advice that he should not marry Guinevere, the most beautiful woman in Britain.
Arthur's best knight and dearest friend, Sir Lancelot, was also in love with her, and
Merlin foresaw that this triangle must inevitably lead to disaster. But Arthur's desire
for Guinevere was so great that he refused to surrender her to his friend and they were
married in a great ceremony.
Arthur was more impressed by Merlin's prediction that a man born on May Day would bring
him to disaster. He ordered that all male children born on May day should be brought to
Camelot, but the ship in which they travelled was wrecked and only one survived. He was
Modred, Arthur's nephew, who was washed onto the beach and brought up by a good man until
he could present himself at court. Arthur received Modred gladly, ignoring Merlin's
warnings that he was a traitor.
The Arthur of Celtic legend was a hero of Herculean proportions. He rid the land of
giants, and fought monsters and witches. He slaughtered the Demon Cat of Losanne, and
hunted the fabulous boar Twrch Trwyth, driving him into the sea. One of Arthur's titles
was 'The Boar of Cornwall. A Welsh poem, The Spoils of Annwn probably written in
the 10th century, refers to Arthur's raid on the land of the dead, the isle of Annwn. The
object of the raid was to seize the magic cauldron of Annwn, from which only the brave and
the true could eat. This cauldron may be the original Grail, and, supplying the food of
immortal heroes, Arthur may have gained immortality by seizing it. In the early Celtic
stories Arthur has a large band of comrades, including Cei Wynn (Sir Kay in the later
romances), Gereint (Sir Gareth), and Llenlleawc (Sir Lancelot). His wife is Gwenhwyfar
(Guinevere). The old Celtic Gods, now men, are also in these stories. Manawydan, Teyrnon,
and Gwynn son of Nudd, the master of Hell.
Before 1100 there were various stories of Arthur and his adventures which were popular
in Wales and Cornwall, and well known also in Brittany. Wandering Breton poets translated
the tales into French, embroidering and embellishing them, and the stories spread into
France. Bards and storytellers, who made their living telling tales from court to manor
house, further developed the details and the variations of the Arthurian legends. By 1100
the tales had spread as far as Italy.
Under Arthur's rule his kingdom seemed about to enter a new Golden Age, but there was
one flaw upon the contentment of his people. This was the loss of the Holy Grail, the
vessel from which Christ ate at the Last Supper. Joseph of Arimathea brought the Grail to
Britain but it had not been seen for many years, and there could be no lasting peacy or
prosperity until the Grail had been seen again.
But the Grail may be seen only by those who are flawless in soul and spirit, and Arthur
doubted whether he or any of his knights might claim such perfection. While he pondered
these matters a new knight, Prince Galahad, joined his court. Galahad was a young man of
surpassing strength, grace and beauty, but the other knights noticed that he carried no
weapons and that his scabbard was empty.
Just as Galahad was being introduced to them, a squire brought miraculous news. A great
stone floated on the river below Camelot, and in the stone was a sword with a glittering
jewelled hilt. Inscribed upon it were the words: 'No man shall take me hence, but only he
by whose side I ought to hang, and he shall be the best knight in the world.'
Once more the knights of Britain vied with each other to release a miraculous sword,
but Galahad was the only one to draw the sword from the stone. As he thrust it into his
scabbard, the other knights saw the happening of a sighn that they should now go forth in
search of the Holy Grail.
A hundred and fifty of Arthur's great company vowed themselves to the quest, and left
Camelot in a cavalcade brilliant with the flashing of their arms and armour and the
colours of their shields and banners. Many died on their adventures while others grew
weary and drifted back to Camelot. Sir Lancelot returned broken with sorrow, because he
had just been about to see the Grail when it was shut out from his sight. The perfection
of his knighthood was flawed by his secret desire for Queen Guinevere.
Only the knights Galahad, Bors and Percival continued the search. After fearful
adventures they found Joseph of Arimathea, who showed them the Holy Grail. Galahad was
overcome by such joy that he prayed to be taken up to heaven, and this flawless knight was
raised up by a host of angels. Percival, grieving for Galahad, died as a hermit, and Bors
returned to Camelot with the news that the quest was ended. It seemed that the Golden Age
might now begin, but Merlin's deadly predictions still had to be fulfilled.
Arthur, realizing that his wife Guinevere and his knight Lancelot are in love, refuses
to admit it to anyone because of his affection for Lancelot. Modred, the knight born on
May Day, aspired to Arthur's crown, and he conspired to destroy the faith and fellowship
between Arthur and the knights. He spread rumours about the relationship between Lancelot
and Guinevere with help of Agravaine, and persuaded twelve knights that they must kill
Lancelot to preserve the honour of the queen. The death of Lancelot, Arthur's greatest
friend and supporter, would split the brotherhood of Camelot and help Modred to gain the
crown. But Lancelot slew all twelve knights in furious combat, and Modred would have been
foiled if Arthur had not shown a flaw in his own nature. He was jealous of Lancelot's
attraction for Guinevere and he belived Modred's gossip of an illicit liaison. In his fury
at her alleged unfaithfulness he ordered the knights Gaharis and Gareth to have her burnt
at the stake.
A lamenting crowd of Camelot folk saw her led forth to death, but even as the flames
licked at her garments Lancelot charged to the rescue. He cut his way through the guards,
killed Gareth and Gaharis, and galloped off with Guinevere to his castle of Joyous Garde.
Bloody battles between the supporters of Arthur and of Lancelot now wracked the
kingdom. Those who had once feasted together at Camelot turned their swords against each
other. The slaughter continued until the Pope ordered Arthur to make peace, and he might
have done so if Sir Gawain, the brother of Gareth and Gaharis, had not kept Arthur's
jealousy of Lancelot alive.
Lancelot left Guinevere and fled to Brittany, but Arthur followed with a great force of
men-at-arms. His absence gave Modred the chance to claim the crown. He spread word that
Arthur had died in battle, and demanded that Guinevere should marry him but she resists.
When Arthur heard this news he hastened back to Britain and fought two great battles with
Modred. In the second of these the fighting ceased when Arthur and Modred arranged a
parley, and met between the armies to discuss terms of peace.
Modred agreed to content himself with the dukedoms of Kent and Cornwall if he might
succeed to the throne after the death of Arthur. The king agreed, and it seemed that peace
was in sight when a snake slithered from the grass and bit the foot of one of the knights
standing behind Arthur. He drew his sword to kill it, and both sides took this as a signal
to renew the battle. They fought so savagely that, in the evening, only Modred still stood
among the corpses on one side and Arthur, Lucan and Bedivere on the other. Arthur ran at
Modred with his spear, but the dying Mordred deals a mortal blow to Arthur.
Sir Bedivere helps Arthur away to the waterside, and upon his instructions casts his
sword into the lake. An arm comes out of the water to take the sword, brandished it three
times and then disappears. Bedivere then carried the dying king to the edge of the sad
waters, where a blackdraped boat occupied by three mourning women awaited him. They took
Arthur aboard and sailed with him to the isle of Avalon, the land of immortal heroes,
where he lies until the people of Britain have need of him again.
And so they rowed from land, and Sir Bedivere beheld all those ladies go from him. Then
Sir Bedivere cried:
-Ah my lord Arthur, what shall become of me, now you go from me and leave me here alone
among mine enemies?
- Comfort thyself, said the king, and do as well as thou mayst, for in me is no trust for
to trust in; for I will into the vale of Avilion to heal me of my grievous wound: and if
thou hear never more of me, pray for my soul.
(Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte D'Arthur)
There is a tradition that Glastonbury was the Isle of Avalon. In 1191, the monks of
Glastonbury unearthed an oak coffin from 16 feet underground, which they claimed to be
Arthur's. The inscription on a lead cross found within the coffin read: Here lies
buried the renowned King Arthur with Guinevere his second wife in the Isle of Avalon
It was said that written on his tomb was: Here lies Arthur, the once and future
king.
Little is known of the real Arthur, though most historians agree that the Arthur of
legend is probably based on a British war-chief of the 6th century A.D named Roman
Artorius. He was likely a leader of the Romanized Britons against the Saxon war-bands
which invaded Britain from around 450 A.D onwards. In the Book of Complaints
written by Gildas around the year 540 AD, it says that the Saxons were defeated in a great
battle at Mount Badon in about the year 500. Although Arthur isn't mentioned by name in
that account, Nennius' History of the Britons written in the early 9th century says
that Arthur was dux bellorum of the Britons - war chief or general - at the Battle
of Mount Badon. The Cambrian Annals written in the 10th century say that Arthur
defeated the Saxons at Mount Badon in 516, and also mentions the battle of Camlann, in
which Arthur and Medraut (Mordred) fell.
Arthurian
Characters 
he king of England whose story shows
that even the most gallant knight may fall victim to base emotions. He was the son of a
strange liaison between King Uther Pendragon and Ygerna, Duchess of Cornwall. Uther fell
so violently in love with Ygerna (also called Igraine) that he persuaded Merlin the
magician to change him into a replica of the Duke, so that he might enter Tintagel Castle
and the bed of Ygerna.
