Stories about Arthur, the legendary king of ancient Britain, form the Arthurian legend. They are a combination of history, myth, romance, fairy tale, and religion. Some of the popular themes are the order of the Round Table, the fabled sword Excalibur, the magical island of Avalon, and the search for the Holy Grail. Arthur and his knights represent the virtues of honor and chivalry in legend and literature.

Origins and History

Some scholars believe that there actually was a historical Arthur, who lived in Britain in the 5th or 6th century AD. He became a famous leader of the Christian Celts in the wars against the Saxon invaders. Arthur was defeated and killed in battle. His people fled to the mountains of Wales and to Brittany in France where they told stories of Arthur's valor and goodness. The stories became more glorified in the retelling until Arthur was elevated to the status of a heroic, wise, and all-powerful king.

Eventually other old stories, such as myths of ancient Celtic gods and tales of magic and the supernatural, were attached to the name of Arthur. It is believed that the real Arthur lived long before the age of chivalry of the 12th and 13th centuries. Nevertheless, the knights and poets who idealized chivalry depicted him as a knight like themselves.

Knights were soldiers and men-at-arms who were ceremonially given a special military rank. The term chivalry came to mean the gallantry and honor expected of knights. Stories of fabled knights, such as those of Tristram and of Gawain, became part of Arthurian legend. Sir Lancelot was considered the most chivalrous of the legendary knights and his son, Sir Galahad, the most noble.

Excalibur

According to legend, Arthur was the son of King Uther Pendragon. Immediately after his birth, Arthur was given into the keeping of Merlin, a magician and wise man frequently mentioned in Arthurian legend. As a boy Arthur pulled the sword Excalibur out of a stone in which it had been magically fixed and proved his right to the throne. According to another version of the story, the legendary Lady of the Lake gave Arthur the sword. Her arm appeared above the surface of the lake with the sword in hand and when Arthur took it, her arm disappeared. When Arthur was later wounded in battle, it is believed that he ordered one of his knights to throw Excalibur back into the lake.

The Round Table

King Arthur married Guinevere and held his court at Camelot, which is also sometimes identified as Caerleon on the River Usk in Wales, near the English border. Around him he gathered many strong and brave knights. They all sat as equals about a great round table, and so they came to be known as the Order of the Round Table. According to the legend King Arthur had a round table made so that none of his knights, when seated at it, could claim to be superior to another. This famous Round Table served as a symbol of equality and fellowship.

King Arthur was strong and powerful and extended his conquests far and wide. However, his traitorous nephew, Mordred, rose in rebellion and challenged King Arthur's authority. In a great battle Mordred was defeated and killed, but Arthur himself was badly wounded. His body was then mysteriously carried to the island of Avalon to be healed, and at some future time, it was hoped, he would return and resume his rule.

The Holy Grail

A religious element was added to the stories about Arthur with the legend of the search for the Holy Grail. The Grail was believed to be the cup that had been used by Jesus at the Last Supper. According to the legend, only the pure in heart and deed could see the Grail. The quest for the Grail became a symbol of the search for God.

Arthurian Legend in Literature

One of the earliest chronicles that mentions King Arthur is the Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons). This work is believed to have been written by a Welsh monk named Nennius in about AD 800, some two centuries after Arthur's death. In the 12th century another Welshman, Geoffrey of Monmouth, compiled the Arthurian legends in literary form in his Historia regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain). In this chronicle Geoffrey blended history and legend with his creative imagination. French poet Chrétien de Troyes wrote five Arthurian tales in the 12th century. He used Celtic sources and introduced the theme of the Holy Grail into the legend. The 15th century English writer Sir Thomas Malory produced the first English language account of these idealized and romantic stories in Le Morte Darthur (The Death of Arthur). Malory's work became one of the chief sources of the Arthurian legend. In the 20th century the English writer T.H. White adapted Malory's account into a four-novel collection called The Once and Future King. This in turn became the basis for the musical Camelot (1960) and the 1967 film version of the musical. The animated Walt Disney film The Sword in the Stone (1963) was also an adaptation of White's work.