King

Arthur
Pro. Ghomshei
Parinaz Assadzadeh
Was King Arthur a real person?

One question which has preoccupied historians for

centuries is whether or not King Arthur was a
real man or entirely a work of fiction. Evidence
for a historical King Arthur is very scant, but the
stories around him form an important part of
Britain's national mythology, So was King
Arthur actually a real person, or simply a hero of
Celtic mythology?
Romans invaded and occupied Britain for 300
years. Some historians believe that back in that
time there existed a person called “Arthurus”
who was Duke of Britain and had some glorious
achievements.

When Roman rule faded on the island, the old noble families
of the tribes and regions re-emerged. Soon after that, the
Saxon conquered Britain. They took advantage of the
weakness and chaos of the abandoned territory to dominate
Britain.
The inhabitants of Britain fought fiercely
against the invaders through several centuries
of turbulence and distress, but managed to
keep a degree of independence. The residents
with Celtic culture remained strong in
Cornwall, Cumberland, and Wales. As a
result, the Celtic rhymesters could travel
everywhere and narrate folk tales of the past.
Y Gododdin
Gwawrddur
Over time, Arturus, the military leader, became
King Arthur of England. That’s why it’s difficult
to reassemble an accurate history. However,
surviving poetry from the era gives us some clues.
One of the poems, The Y Gododdin, contains
the very first reference to Arthur, though Arthur
himself doesn’t actually appear in it. It brings a
name of different warrior, called Gwawrddur
, who was skilled at slaying his enemies. But
whoever this Arthur was, he must’ve been the
Disputed (7th–11th century)
gold standard of warriors.
Old Welsh and Middle Welsh
 Historia Regum Britanniae
Hundreds of years later, in 1135CE , a clerk called
Geoffrey of Monmouth, gathered pieces of
information from Celtic and Latin sources and wrote
the Historia Regum Britanniae. The highlight of this
book was King Arthur. A few of his sources
contained mentions of Arthur, and some others were
realistic accounts of battles and places. But many
featured legendary heroes fighting strange mythical
enemies with the help of magical swords and sorcery.
A Hero – A magician – magic elements

Caliburnus Merlin
King Arthur Latin Translation of Based on Celtic
The Hero rhymester
Caledfwlch Myrrdin
 Wace
Author of
Roman de Brut
Wace added another key element to
Geoffrey’s sword, castle and wizard, the
famous Round Table. The Round
Table is a key symbol in the legends of
King Arthur. It represents the
unbroken bond between the knights,
all of whom are dedicated to the same
goals. Since the table does not have a
“head” each knight is given a position
of equal importance. The idea of
equality was important to the knights
of Arthurian legend.
 Chrétien de Troyes
the
French poet
After Wace’s translation,
another French poet,
Chrétien de Troyes, added a
series of romances that
brought Arthur’s story to
fame. He introduced tales
of individual knights like
Lancelot and Gawain,
and mixed elements of
romance along with the
adventures.
 The Legendary
Kink Arthur
LeMorted'Arthur
by
Sir Thomas Malory
 Le Morte d'Arthur opens with Arthur
believed to be the illegitimate son of Uther
Pendragon (literally 'the Head Dragon' or
Uther the Pendragon
King of Britain). However these were very
troubled times and Merlin, a wise magician,
advised that the baby Arthur should be raised
Excalibur
in a secret place and no one should know about
his true identity. Merlin uses his magic to set
a sword, named Excalibur, in a stone.
Sir Thomas Malory
Merlin
Merlin goes to the Archbishop of Canterbury, tells him that a miracle is
coming to happen soon, and advises him to assemble all the lords of the kingdom at

Christmas. They come and find a sword stuck in a stone. There were letters in gold

written on the sword as following: “Whoso Pullets Out this Sword from This Stone and
Anvil is Duly Born King of all England”, Which means: "The person who pulls out this
sword from the stone is the legitimate king of all England." But no one can get it out and
keep it in hand. Therefore, the archbishop arranges a New Year's Day tournament.

This time Arthur comes along by chance and withdraws the sword and proves
himself as the king.
 So King Arthur begins a new life. He
marries Guinevere. In Sir Thomas
Malory’s book, King Arthur and his half-
sister Morgause have a child named
Mordred who later in the story rebels
and tries to seize the throne. He Sets up
the Knights of the Round Table at Camelot.
He and his knights ride out from Camelot
to fight enemies, do good deeds and
perform brave achievements. They go
through the country to bring back peace Fair Guinevere
to their homeland. As a result of King
Arthur and his knights bravery. His
country becomes a quiet and blessed
place again.
Following 12 years of prosperity, Arthur's knights begin a
quest to discover the HolyGrail, the cup from which
Jesus drank during the last supper and believed to
have miraculous powers. That was the most honourable
and difficult of all their actions. During this period of
time, Sir Lancelot, Arthur’s chief knight, betrays him
and makes an adulterous affair with Queen Guinevere.
But they can’t manage to conceal it from Arthur. The
betrayal of Lancelot eventually destroys the special
fellowship of the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur
and Lancelot go through many battles. Once again, the
chaos invades the kingdom.
 At the end of the story, Arthur discovers an attempt by Mordred to seize the

throne. In a final battle, Arthur tries to repress the rebellion. However, it leads to

the death of Mordred and Arthur receives a mortal wound. after which he is

transported by a flat boat to the Vale of Avalon and he stays there for the rest of

his life. Meanwhile his sword Excalibur is returned to the Lady of the Lake and

that is the end of King Arthur legend.

In the thousand years since Arthur first
appeared in a Celtic poem, his story
has transformed many times to reflect
the concerns of his chroniclers and their
audiences. And we’re still rewriting
and adapting the legend today.Whether
or not this man ever lived, loved,
reigned, or adventured, it’s undeniable
that the character has achieved
Immortality.
The End