Real Arthur
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King Arthur is a man of mystery and legend. His tales have been told and retold by numerous generations. He has fascinated countless storytellers, novelists, and screen writers alike. Did this man ever exist? Surely legends that have lasted so many centuries had to have had strong beginnings. The man called Arthur did exist, but there are those who debate the truth behind his legends. The real Arthur was not quite the romantic hero that he has come to represent, though a hero of the Britons he was. Still the legends have been supported again and again by the discoveries of various scholars. For instance, a body was discovered at Glastonbury, England, along with a memorial claiming it to be that of King Arthur, and a building has been identified as a possible Camelot, Arthurs home.
To understand the forces that were needed to create a legend as strong as that of King Arthur, one must first know the stories that continue to be retold even today.
The British Isles had been part of the Roman Empire since they were invaded and conquered in A.D. 45. Most Britons thought of themselves as full citizens of the Roman Empire. In fact, Rome so trusted the Britons loyalty that Britain was allowed to govern itself after A.D. 410.
In the fifth century, the Roman Empire was on the decline, and Rome was too worried with matters at home to be concerned with what was going on in the far reaches of the empire. Therefore when the Anglo-Saxons attacked Britain, the Britons had to fend for themselves.
When the Romans left, Britain was in near anarchy. This is the period of time which became known as the Dark Ages. Soon, though, government began to develop on the local level. Warrior kings came to power, ruling as much area as they were strong enough to control. Arthur was probably one of the warrior kings who led his armies in the counter thrust against the Anglo-Saxons.
The Anglo-Saxons had not been expecting the strength with which the British fought back. Until this time, they had only attempted to conquer peoples who were not loyal to their countries. “This unique British rally against the Barbarians is the Arthurian Fact. The tradition of a brief age of glory grew round it and was passed on to the Britons descendants, who kept it green long after the Anglo-Saxons turned most of Britain into England.” (Ashe 53)
The siege of Mount Badon is believed to have taken place somewhere between A.D. 490 and 520. This is the place at which sources disagree. Available sources all agree that Arthur was a general at this battle, that he crushed his enemy, and that he took with him some type of religious symbol. In the Annales Cambriae, written in A.D. 950, it is stated that that Arthur carried a cross on his shoulders for three days and nights. While the Gesta Regum, written in A.D. 1125, says that he rode into battle with an image of Saint Mary sewn onto his armor. Of course, there is always the possibility that both sources written so long ago could be mistaken. An even older record, the Historia Brittonum written only two hundred years after Arthur lived, makes no mention of a religious symbol carried at Mount Badon. It does say that at the Castle Guinnion he carried the image of the Saint Mary.
The battle of Mount Badon was followed by a long spell of peace. The government was working well, and the people were prosperous. Then around A.D. 550, the Anglo-Saxons recovered and started their attacks again in full force. This time the Britons were not strong enough to defeat the Anglo-Saxons.
King Arthurs people told stories of his victories, valor, and goodness. These stories grew and changed until Arthur was not only a strong warrior but also a great and noble king. “Other old stories then attached themselves to the name of Arthur–myths of ancient Celtic gods and tales of magic and the supernatural. (King Arthur 593)
It is easy to see how these truths came to be transformed so much, when one knows how the legends have been spread throughout the centuries. In the Dark Ages, there were virtually no books. Those that existed were handwritten, and only the scholars could read these books. Not even the highest noblemen and princes could read. All history was left up to the storyteller. These storytellers inherited the tales which they told from their predecessors. They did not think of themselves as historians, so there was no reason to keep the stories completely factual. Each story was added to by those who told it to make it relate more to the popular themes of the time.
So it has come to light that King Arthurs legend was “. . .not all lie nor all true, not all fable nor all known–so much have the storytellers told and the fablers fabled, in order to embellish their tales, that they have made all seem fables.” (King Arthur 593)
The legend of King Arthur is an ancient story, and the variations are plentiful. Men and women have been taking the stories for centuries and shaping them to fit into their perception of the world. They have been sung in operas, rhymed in poetry, set to romance, transformed into a Broadway musical, and even made into modern day comedies.
One of the more accepted legends that has been told says that there was a king named Uther Pendragon. Merlin the Magician was one of Uthers most trusted confidants. Not long after the birth of Uthers son Arthur, Merlin came to Uther and said that he had seen a vision. In this vision he learned that Uther would die and the kingdom would be thrust into anarchy. When this happened, it would place Arthur, the only heir to the throne, in grave danger, for those who would wish to be king would try to kill him. When Merlin told the king this, he decided to send the boy away to a place where he would be safe. So Merlin took Arthur to Sir Kay, one of Uthers knights, who raised Arthur as his own son.
Uther did die, and the kingdom was in anarchy for many years until one day a young boy pulled the sword Excalibur from its stone, a feat that no one else could perform. This boy, Arthur, was then told of his birthright and crowned king.
Arthur, with his wife Guinevere, held court at Camelot, which was also known as Caeroeon, on the Usk River. He ruled his kingdom for many years and had many adventures with his Knights of the Roundtable.
The kingdom was a peaceful place until his nephew Modred led a rebellion against him. Arthur killed Modred but was mortally wounded in the battle. After the battle his body was carried to the Isle of Avalon to be healed. It is said that he is expected to return someday to resume his rule.
In 1195 Giraldus Cambrensis wrote De Principis Instructione. In it was a account by monks of Glastonbury