Read more about the Exploring King Arthur: Top 10 Sites in England to Unveil the Legend >>
Read more about the Morgan le Fay: Enigmatic Sorceress of King Arthur Legends >>
Read more about the The Lady of the Lake: A Mythical Enchantment >>
Read more about the What was the Significance of the Sword in the Stone? >>
The body of literature surrounding King Arthur contains many stories. These have been penned by various writers across medieval Europe during various stages of the medieval period. The Arthurian legend played a major role in informing the chivalric norms and aspirations of the medieval knights in European courts.
The origin of the Arthurian legend can be traced back to a 9th century manuscript by a Welsh cleric. This manuscript and many subsequent variations depicted Arthur as a British leader who led the Bretons against Saxon invaders.
Legend has it that Arthur descended from Roman-Celtic parents who had the status of nobility during the Roman period.
When the Romans withdrew and left the Breton population to fend for itself, Arthur rose to prominence as the champion of the Bretons. He and his knights fought many decisive battles, defeating the Saxons and securing Breton independence for a period.
“Arthur has proved to be a kind of seismograph of the modern imagination. He registers our tremors and eruptions, the echoes of our cultural and political crises. He is an icon of everything we most regret losing in the past, of everything we most hope to gain in the future.”
Geoffrey Ashe, a renowned Arthurian scholar and historian:
The Knights of the Round Table were the knights who accompanied King Arthur and were a part of his court. These knights fight alongside Arthur to secure his Breton kingdom’s survival and vanquish her enemies.
The same knights later undertake a quest in search for the Holy Grail. Famous knights of the order included Lancelot, Tristan, Percival, Galahad, Bedivere, Gawain, and Mordred.
Queen Guinevere was the legendary queen-consort of King Arthur. Some variations of the legend state that Guinevere was unfaithful to Arthur and had an affair with the king’s knight, Lancelot.
This led the Knights of the Round Table to be divided into several warring factions, destroying the order. It also indirectly led to King Arthur’s downfall.
Other variations of the tale state that Guinevere had an affair with the king’s rebellious nephew, Mordred. This leads to a war between Mordred and King Arthur, in which both die.
The Round Table was a table around which King Arthur and his knights would sit. The table signified equality among all, ensuring that no one had precedence over the other. It also unified the knights as a single group, granting them an identity.
Only the most valiant and chivalrous knights were permitted to be a part of this group.
A historical round table is present in a great hall in Winchester. It measures 18 feet in diameter and dates back to the 13th century. Some have claimed that this was the actual Round Table, although was made much later.
This is one of the most popular stories surrounding the Arthurian knights. As per legend, King Arthur and his knights had an ethereal vision of the Holy Grail. This was a sign that they should set out to seek it. However, only the purest of heart were worthy of going after the prized chalice.
Perceval, Galahad, and Bors were three of the knights who ultimately had a chance of finding the chalice. The chalice was first seen in the castle of the Fisher King. The three would eventually secure the Holy Grail before it ascended into the heaven before their eyes.
King Arthur was engaged in warring on the continent when his nephew, Mordred, usurped the throne and seduced Queen Guinevere. This forced Arthur to return and engage in a final decisive battle.
The battle resulted in the death of most of the Knights of the Round Table. Eventually, Arthur also kills Mordred and is mortally wounded himself. This marks the end of the Arthurian legend.