We explain who King Arthur was, the origin of his legend and the characters that make it up. In addition, we explain his characteristics and works.
King Arthur was imagined as an ideal monarch, just and brave.
Who was King Arthur?
King Arthur King Arthur) is the central character of a legendary British tradition narrated in numerous medieval romances not only British but also French and Germanic (known together as the “Arthurian Cycle” or “Arthurian Legend” and which make up the so-called “Matter of Britain”).
According to the most complete versions, Arthur was an exemplary British king who He ruled virtuously from his castle of Camelot and led a brotherhood known as “the Knights of the Round Table,” until he died at the hands of his son and was taken to the island of Avalon.
King Arthur is a fictional character of possible Celtic origin which is mentioned in stories and epic poems after the Roman withdrawal from Britain (410) and the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476).
The “Arthurian Legend” as we know it today began to take shape in the 12th and 13th centuries from works such as History of the kings of Britain (1136) by Godfrey of Monmouth and Lancelot, the knight of the cart (between 1176 and 1181) by Chrétien de Troyes. At this time, the kings of England They promoted the image of King Arthur as a model of legitimacy for their own reigns. Of particular importance years later was the publication of the novel The death of Arthur (1485) by Thomas Malory, which became the most complete version of the legend.
Currently some historians argue that the legendary King Arthur It could have been inspired by a historical figure from the Early Middle Ages.although the proposals vary and no concrete evidence has been found to corroborate any of the hypotheses.
Regardless, King Arthur continues to arouse interest as ideal of a just and brave monarchsurrounded by fascinating companions and fantastic episodes, which is why it is usually represented today in literary, theatrical, pictorial and cinematographic works.
Origin of the legend of King Arthur
It is not known with certainty when and where the legend of King Arthur originated, although It is believed to have arisen in Wales or other areas of present-day Great Britain sometime after the 5th century.
The story of King Arthur began to take shape from a work written in Latin by the Welsh clergyman Godfrey of Monmouth, entitled History of the Britannia Regum either History of the kings of Britain (1136). This chronicle of the British kings presented many legendary characters and episodes as historical, among them Arthur, who was presented here as a great king. It also provided new mythical or fantastic elements that combined Celtic legends with Christian themes and that were preserved or expanded in later versions of the Arthurian cycle, such as the presence of the magician Merlin.
Others Authors of the 12th and 13th centuries incorporated motifs such as the sword on the anvil or in the stonethe king’s castle at Camelot, the round table, Lancelot’s romance with Guinevere (Arthur’s wife and queen) and the search for the Holy Grail.
These and other versions were collected, selected and edited into a coherent narrative in the novel. Arthur’s death (1485) by the English writer Thomas Malory, which became the most complete version of the legend. In the 19th century, the English poet Alfred Tennyson recovered the legend of Arthur in his book Idylls of the King (1859) and gave it a new impetus that continues to this day.
The legend of King Arthur
The birth of Arthur and the inheritance of the throne
King Uther of Britain was in love with Ingraine, wife of the Duke of Cornwall. He established a pact with the sorcerer Merlin by which the wizard granted him the appearance of the duke so that he could sleep with the duchess in exchange for giving him the first child he had with her. The child born from that encounter was named Arthur, and he was raised by a knight named Hector, not knowing that he was the king’s son.
In King Uther’s final moments, numerous nobles disputed the succession to the throneMerlin prophesied that whoever could remove a sword that was embedded in an anvil or a stone (depending on the version) would be the next king.
Excalibur: the sword in the stone
Arthur was crowned by removing the sword from the stone.
One of the best-known stories in the Arthurian imagination is that of the sword embedded in the stone that only the chosen one would be able to withdrawto be crowned king.
As later works reiterate, Merlin had prophesied that only the true chosen to occupy the throne of Britain would be able to remove the sword. Many nobles tried without success until Arthur, who was the illegitimate son of King Uther, managed to get her out and was recognized as heir to the throne.
In some stories, Arthur’s sword was broken in a fight against an enemy king and he received news from the Lady of the Lake, a mysterious entity whom he visited under the guidance of Merlin.
This sword, called Excalibur, came from a magical place. In Arthur’s hands it represented his power and legitimacy, and Given his imminent death at the end of the story, the sword had to be returned to the lake.similarly to other Celtic traditions related to magical weapons.
Camelot and the Holy Grail
Arthur’s reign was so just that many wanted to serve him at the court established in Camelot Castle. That’s why he acquired a round table with the intention that the most valuable knights would sit next to it with equal opinion on all matters. Originally the table had twelve seats, but more knights were added until the table numbered more than three hundred. In addition, Arthur had the advice of Merlin.
Once his court was established, King Arthur summoned his knights to search for the Holy Grail that Jesus Christ had used at the Last Supper, and that had received his blood after the crucifixion, which gave it healing properties.
The first reference to the “grail” is documented in an unfinished work by Chrétien de Troyes from the 12th century. It was a kind of fountain or dish that He had a magical power that allowed him to heal wounds.. Later, Robert de Boron equated the grail with the sacred chalice that, according to Christian tradition, Jesus had used at the Last Supper.
The Holy Grail” could only be found by a noble-hearted knight. The knights of the round table undertook the task, facing all kinds of dangers, and it was Galahad who was the protagonist of the discovery and then ascended to heaven.
The death of Arthur
One of King Arthur’s closest knights, Lancelot, had an affair with his wife Guinevere. When Arthur found out, a conflict broke out within the kingdom. The way in which the king became aware of the infidelity varies in the different versions.. In one of them, an illegitimate son of Arthur, Sir Mordred, took advantage of the situation to seize the throne: when Arthur left with his army to fight against Lancelot’s forces, Mordred proclaimed himself king.
In both versions, the Knights of the Round Table took part in the conflict, some for Lancelot and others for King Arthur. The war ended with Lancelot’s retirement to a hermitage and Geneva’s retirement to a convent.. In addition, Arthur and Sir Mordred faced each other, and killed each other. Before dying and being taken to the island of Avalon, Arthur returned the sword Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake, who raised her hand to the surface and received the sword.
Characters from the legend of King Arthur
The Knights of the Round Table were searching for the Holy Grail of Jesus Christ.
The knights of the round table
The round table was introduced into Arthurian legend by the Norman poet Wace in his work Roman de Brut (1155) and became one of the central elements of later versions. The round table went on to express the just and equitable character of King Arthurwho decided that among the knights who wanted to follow him and who were brave enough to accompany him there would be no privileges and everyone’s voices would be heard equally, including his own.
The history of the names of the knights who made up King Arthur’s court in his castle of Camelot vary from one version to the other. However, its composition as a brotherhood with codes of honor and courteous values was probably influenced by the orders of knights that were formed in Europe from the 12th century onwards.
Some of the most famous knights of the round table are:
- Lancelot or Lanzarote. Raised since childhood by the Lady of the Lake, he was one of the closest knights to King Arthur. He fell in love and had an affair with Queen Guinevere, Arthur’s wife, which sparked a war within the kingdom.
- Perceval or Parsifal. Son of King Pellinore or another nobleman, he was one of the great protagonists in the search for the Holy Grail.
- Gawain or Galvan. Son of King Lot and Morgause, a sister of King Arthur, he was one of the most select knights of the round table. His strength increased with the presence of the sun and decreased when it set.
- Bors or Boores. This name was shared by two gentlemen, father and son. The first was king of Gaul and the second was one of the three knights who reached the Holy Grail.
- Galahad or GalazThe illegitimate son of Lancelot and Princess Elaine, he was very pious and, perhaps for this reason, was the main protagonist in the discovery of the Holy Grail.
Merlin the wizard
In Merlin the hermit, the magician, the shaman and the prophet merge.
Merlin was introduced into Arthurian legend by Geoffrey of Monmouth.. In its History of the kings of Britain (1136), Merlin was a young magician and prophet born of a woman and a spirit who could perform spells and who predicted the victory over the Saxons that King Arthur later achieved.
He was also responsible for the birth of Arthur, as he used a spell to make King Uther resemble Duke Gorlois, whose wife he was in love with, and from the union between the two Arthur was born.
The inspiration for this character, or at least his name, appears to have been Myrddin Wyllt, a bard from Welsh Celtic mythology who was believed to live in the woods and perform prophecies. His name was Latinized as Merlinus and then it went to other languages like Merlin.
The inclusion of Merlin as a wizard in the legend of King Arthur was repeated in the works of the 12th and 13th centuries, especially in Marline by Robert de Boron, where the character acquired greater prominence and for the first time was represented showing Arthur the sword on the anvil (which in later works became the sword in the stone). In this work Merlin appeared strongly linked to Christian beliefsnot only because of his supernatural birth from a woman and a demon (and because of the fact that he embraced goodness after being baptized) but because his story was connected with the…