Rithvik Ghankot, Kushagra Ghosh, Arvind Rajaraman, Anthony Kim
The Arthurian Legend
Origins
The Arthurian legend is a group of stories about Arthur, a legendary king in ancient Britain. This story is actually based off of a real person. This person was a great leader of the Celts (in Britain) and the people told stories of his bravery and generosity. As you may all know, oral history turns into oral exaggeration and his status grew from this. He became known as a heroic, wise, and all-powerful king.
Excalibur
According to the legend, he was given to the wise magician Merlin when he was born. When the king died, it was said that the next king would be able to pull the sword Excalibur out of a stone. Arthur was only a young boy, but he easily took out the sword and claimed the throne. Another version says that the Lady of the Lake gave Arthur the sword. When Arthur took the sword, the Lady disappeared in the water. Later, when he was hurt in war, he threw the sword back and the Lady of the Lake caught it from the lake and sank.
The Round Table
King Arthur married Guinevere and held court at a place called Camelot. Many knights swore loyalty to him. Arthur’s knights were known as the Order of the Round Table because they sat around a large circular table. No knight could claim to have a better spot to sit than the others, so the knights were seen as equal . They went in many adventures like heroic battles, beautiful ladies, the Holy Grain, and magical creatures.
Arthurian legend in literature
A middle ages writing, Historia Brittonum, possibly by a Welsh monk named Nennius included his story. Another man, Geoffrey of Monmouth, included the Arthurian legend in his book Historia regum Britanniae in the 1100s. Geoffrey’s work blended history, legend, and his own imagination. A French poet named Chrétien de Troyes wrote Arthurian tales later in the 1100s. He used Celtic stories in his work. An English writer, Sir Thomas Malory, wrote Le Morte Darthur in the 1400s. Malory’s work became one of the main sources of the Arthurian legend.