King Arthur

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King Arthur

• Is there a real man
• behind the myth?

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What did Arthur look like?
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Who was King Arthur?

• Despite, or perhaps because of, so many authors
  accounts of King Arthur, it is impossible to
  discern which Arthur is the real Arthur, or if in
  fact there is one at all. Some works are
  considered historical, and some literature,
  though this distinction is hardly credible since
  it is based on the authors societal position
  during his lifetime. The Authors were rarely
  specific about Arthurs life most did not
  discuss the time or place of Arthurs reign.
  Therefore, much of our information is not
  factual. With that in mind, Here are the accounts
  of some of the more Prominent contributors to the
  Arthurian Myth.

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Arthurian England
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Historia BrittonumNennius

• Nennius wrote his histories in Bangor in the 9th
  century. He was the first to write about King
  Arthur and focused mainly on his battles. His
  writings are important because, while they may
  not be entirely true, they Allow us to place
  Arthurs story in a verifiable time in history.
  He mentions Arthurs battles in the midst of
  other historical battles with which we are
  familiar. It is probable, though, that Nennius
  was writing about a man who is not the Arthur
  with whom we are most familiar.

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Arthur of BritainGeoffrey of Monmouth

• Geoffreys account of Arthur is included in his
  History of the Kings of Britain (12th century),
  and is considered historical. However, this does
  not make it entirely reliable. He placed Arthur
  in the 5th century, but He incorporated many
  Welsh legends into his writings and invented many
  himself. For example, only in his History is
  Arthurs sword known as Caliburn and the
  character of Mordred is his nephew.

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The Knight of the CartChretien de Troyes

• Chretien De Troyes was a french writer in the
  mid-12th century he was born when Geoffrey of
  Monmouth was published. His literature can be
  held accountable for the introduction of
  Lancelot, Camelot, and the Holy Grail into
  Arthurian Legend. His stories did not focus
  directly on Arthur, but used his court as a
  backdrop. The Knight of the Cart tells the story
  of Lancelots rescue of Guinevere from Melegeant.
  He tells nothing of Merlin, Excalibur, or any of
  the knights of the Round Table.

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Joseph dArimathia MerlinRobert de Boron

• Robert De Boron lived in Burgundy and wrote his
  Poems in 1180. His works are considered to be
  literature as well. He elaborates on the presence
  of the Holy Grail, but Arthur is hardly
  mentioned. At the time He was writing, The
  supposed bones of the real Arthur and Guinevere
  were found at Glastonbury. This refuted the
  belief that Glastonbury was previously Aval0n,
  the burial site of the Holy grail, because Arthur
  never found the Grail.

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The Vulgate Cyclevarious authors

• The Vulgate Cycle is a medieval collection of
  eight volumes telling the most detailed story of
  Arthur. This account involved every central
  character found in all Arthurian literature,
  including Nimue, Merlins true love. It defines
  Lancelots and Guineveres affair as the central
  cause for the breakdown of Arthurs Round Table.
  This text adopts much of its plot from Robert De
  Boron and Chretien De Troyes.

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The Death of ArthurSir Thomas Malory

• Sir Thomas Malory wrote during the reign of King
  Henry V (to whom Malorys Arthur looks very
  similar). He places Arthurs Court in
  Winchester, where Arthur is the reigning leader
  of all men. The title of his book is misleading,
  and was given by a mistaken editor at the
  printing press. In his later works, Lancelot
  becomes the dynamic protagonist of Malorys
  stories. In fact, he was the Hero of his own
  novel, called the tale of Sir Lancelot Du Lake.

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The Coming Of ArthurAlfred Lord Tennyson

• Tennyson wrote a series of poems and novelettes
  about most of the characters found throughout
  Arthurian history, focusing on no one in
  particular. His book The Coming of Arthur focuses
  on Arthurs conquests and his marriage to
  Guinevere, but does not mention Lancelot or
  Merlin (who appears five poems later).

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The Once And Future KingThe Book of MerlynT.H.
White

• Whites classic work is a beloved combination of
  four previous ones The Sword In The Stone, The
  Queen Of Air and Darkness, The Ill-Made Knight,
  and The Candle In The Wind. These four stories
  tell of the King Arthur with which everyone today
  is most familiar. This story was made into a
  made-for-tv movie in 1998. T.H. White then
  continued the story in his Book of Merlyn, which
  colors and completes Merlins life.

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Where does History point?

• Though we dont know the exact history of Arthur,
  it is safe to assume that he was a leader forced
  to defend his land from many different invaders.
  Geoffrey of Monmouth probably came closest to
  giving us a reliable history, because He wrote
  Arthur as a Celtic chieftain fighting the Saxons.
  This account is likely to be factual because
  history tells us that after the 5th century, the
  Celts were forced into Cornwall, Wales, and
  Scotland by the Saxons.

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Will we ever know?

• Over the years, Arthurs story has been edited,
  elaborated, and artistically altered by dozens of
  authors It would be impossible today to distill
  the facts from the fiction. Is there a real man
  behind the myth? However solid our evidence may
  be, and whoever claims to know the Correct
  story, we will probably never know the answer to
  this question. However, there is no doubt that
  his legacy as a true Mystical hero will endure
  for generations to come.

The End
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Bibliography

• Rise, Brian Edward. Arthurian Legend.
  Encyclopedia Mythica. April 27, 2004.
  http//www.pantheon.org/areas/folklore/arthurian
  
• Nennius. Historia Brittonium. April 27, 2004.
  http//www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/nennius-full.
  html
  
• Geoffrey of Monmouth. The history of the kings of
  Britain. Penguin USA 1977.
  
• King Arthur A Man For the Ages.
  http//www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4186/Arthur/h
  tmlpages/kingarthurfaq5.html
  
• The Legends of King Arthur. San Francisco
  University. April 22, 2004.
  
• http//www2.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/kingarth/1in
  tro.html
  
• The Prose Vulgae Cycle. The Norton Anthology of
  English Literature. May 1, 2004.
  http//www.wwnorton.com/nael/middleages/topic_2/vu
  lgate.htm
• King Arthur and the Matter of Britain. May 3,
  2004. http//www.legends.dm.net/kingarthur/malory.
  html

By Amelia Taber