Introduction
he legends and myths surrounding the story of King
Arthur and his knights of the round table are endless. The most popular legend of King
Arthur starts with Arthur as a child that was conceived out of wedlock and brought up away
from his parents, British king Uther Pendragon and Igraine, wife of the Cornish duke
Gorlois. Merlin the famous mystic mage managed to smuggle the young Arthur out of Tintagel
Castle and brought him up in secrecy and safety knowing what his future destiny held for
him. Merlin had already designed for Uther Pendragon a wonderful stronghold and placed in
it the famous Round Table, at which one hundred and fifty knights could be seated.
When Uther Pendragon died, the knights of the Round Table were at a loss as to who
should be the next king. They decided that Merlin should guide them. Merlin announced that
Uthers successor would be the man that could draw the magic sword from the stone, which
had mysteriously appeared in London. Many many knights tried to pull the magic sword from
the stone but all of them failed.
After a number of years the young Arthur travelled to London to watch his first
tournament. A knight who had been appointed by merlin to act as the boy's guardian was
taking part, but finding he was without a sword, he sent Arthur to get one. Arthur saw a
sword and went to retrieve it , he pulled the magic sword from the stone and gave it to
the astounded knight. Arthur then became King.
With Merlin at his side Arthur could defeat his opponents and bring peace to Britain.
It became obvious to Arthur early in his reign that much depended on magic. Having drawn
his sword without cause against one of his knights, Arthur was dismayed to see the blade
of the magic sword shatter into a million pieces. Merlin saved him by putting the knight
to sleep, for Arthur was unarmed due to the shattering sword. Arthur wandered along the
shore of a lake saddened by the loss of the magic sword when, to his amazement, he saw a
hand and a white-clad arm rise out of the water, holding another magic sword. The famous
Excalibur, his sure support according to the Lady of the Lake who handed it to him. The
sword shone with the light of thirty torches, and would dazzle Arthurs enemies. The
precious scabbard of the sword would prevent the loss of blood during battle.
Armed with the enchanted sword Arthur went on to become a great king. During his reign
Arthur gave aid to King Leodegraunce of Scotland against the Irish. In return for the aid
King Leodegraunce betrothed his daughter Guinevere to Arthur. Merlin was opposed to this
marriage as he already knew that Guinevere was in love with Sir Lancelot, the handsomest
Knight of the Round Table. He could later do nothing but bless the marriage and according
to one version of the legend he gave Arthur the Round Table as a wedding gift.
Soon after the wedding Guinevere and Lancelot became lovers. Arthur discovered his
wife's unfaithfulness and sentenced Guinevere to be burnt to death. She was saved by
Lancelot and eventually retreated from the world to become a nun at Amesbury where she
died.
Lancelot fled to Brittany where Arthur conducted an unsuccessful seige before returning
to Britain to battle his nephew Sir Modred.
InThe Quest for the Holy Grail
he Holy Grail was the chalice that Christ drank from at the Last
Supper and which received the blood that flowed from the wound where the spear was thrust
into Christ's side at the time of the Crucifixion.
The Holy Grail (or Sangreal) appeared to the knights of the Round Table at Camelot
covered in a white cloth amid dazzling light in which the knights for the first time saw
each other more wisely and generously than ever before. The vision rendered them
speechless and filled the hall with spicy odors which cased the knights to eat and drink
as they never had before
The mere presence of the holy vessel was enough to act as a challenge to most knights
to pursue a path of goodness. On its unseen arrival at Camelot the chivalrous Sir Gawain
immediately vowed to seek out the Grail's home in order to see the Grail for himself, most
of the Knights of the Round Table followed Suit, despite the efforts of King Arthur to
dissuade them from undertaking what might prove to be their final quest.
The Grail Quest proved to be the hardest and greatest of all quests. Many knights set
forth but few returned. When Arthur's warriors resolved to undertake the Grail Quest,
Arthur wept, lamenting that the fairest fellowship of noble knights would never meet again
around the table at Camelot. He was right, for few of his company were fitted for the
quest and many perished. Only Sir Galahad successfully completed the quest and died
contented.
Arthur eventually went into battle with his nephew Sir Modred who had tried to takeover
Camelot. The battle was a long and difficult one, Arthur sustained severe wounds and
Modred died. Arthur was carried from the battlefield by the two remaining knights, one of
them Sir Bedivere (Bedwyr). Knowing his own end was near, he had Bedivere throw Excalibur
back into a lake, a hand rose from the lake and seized the sword. Bedivere guarded Arthur
at the end of his life, as they waited by a lake for the black boat that would ferry the
king to Avalon. In the black boat there were three women, Morgan le Fay, Arthurs half
sister, the Queen of Northgales and the queen of Wastelands. Arthurs last words were that
he was going to Avalon to be cured of his wounds so that he might return one day to lead
his people once more. The inscription on Arthur's tomb at Glastonbury reads "Here
lies Arthur, king that was, king that shall be."
Legend says that Arthur rests in peace in Avalon, guarded by four fairy queens.
King Arthur and the
Knights of the Round Table
Riters and historians have long been divided on the truth of the many different
tellings of the stories of Arthur, the great Welsh king of Britain. Although many now
think that there is some truth underlying the widely varying accounts, the hard facts
surrounding Arthur's reign are almost completely obscured in a mist of myths and legends.
Like all legends, these tales evolved over many centuries. Their telling and retelling
over those years, while it may have left them somewhat lacking in truth, has emphasized
and expanded their most compelling parts, making the Arthurian saga as glorious and
prolific a body of stories as any, in fact or fiction.
Arthur’s name is derived from either the Celtic artos viros or the Scandinavian
Arndorr. In its Celtic version the name means "bear man." In this case it is of
nickname origin and would have been bestowed upon someone who possessed strength like that
of a bear, or who was associated with bears in another way, such as skill at hunting them.
By its Scandinavian origin, the name is patronymic and derived from the word arn, meaning
"eagle," and the name Porr, a reference to an ancient Scandinavian god of
thunder.
Arthur was the illegitimate son of King Uther Pendragon and a woman named Igraine. To
protect the secret of his son's birth, The King entrusted the baby to the sorcerer Merlin,
who in turn left the young prince to be raised by a knight named Ector. Arthur was unaware
of his noble lineage and grew up believing Ector was his father.
When Arthur was yet a young man, Pendragon died, leaving no legitimate heir. The most
popular accounts tell that at this time Merlin placed a sword in a stone and proclaimed
that whoever pulled it out was the rightful heir to the throne. Arthur is said to have
drawn the sword out and been crowned King of all England.
While Arthur is almost always referred to as a king, it is unclear whether he was
actually a king in the traditional sense or really more like a duke who ruled the province
of Britain on behalf of the Romans. Some stories describe Arthur’s relationship with
the Romans as cooperative, while others indicate that he made war on them and won Britain
by force from the Emperor Lucius. Still other versions of the stories indicate that he was
a chieftan who only became a king in the lore that developed in the years after his death.
Arthur took the Lady Guinevere as his queen, and, by at least one account, received his
famous round table as a dowry from her father. It is told that the king and queen begat
numerous legitimate sons and daughters, and that Arthur had more children by mistresses
such as Morgan Le Fay, Morgause (his half-sister by whom he fathered Sir Mordred), and
others.
Most accounts indicate that the legendary king lived in the 6th century, but the exact
dates of his life and reign are impossible to determine. Arthur was dealt his final blow
at Camlann, now known as the Salisbury plain, after slaying Sir Mordred, who had rebelled
against him while he was fighting Sir Lancelot in France. Some accounts name locations in
Glastonbury, Cornwall, and Scotland as Arthur's gravesite. Others, however, claim that the
great king was not buried, but as he lay critically wounded was carried by a magical boat
into the Celtic paradise of Avalon. Some who believe the latter version still await his
return.
Legend and
Tales 
