Arthurian Legends An Introduction and Review The Beginnings

Arthurian Legends An Introduction and Review

The Beginnings �A legendary figure �According to tradition, he led the Britons, a Celtic people, in their defense against invading Anglo. Saxons �May have lived in the late 5 th to early 6 th centuries �Earliest reference, in the Historia Brittonum, claims he killed 960 men in a single battle

�Supposedly died in the Battle of Camlann �Aside from the Historia Brittonum, there is no conclusive evidence that King Arthur was a real person �“…there may well have been an historical Arthur [but we can say] nothing about him” --- Thomas Charles-Edwards

The Legend �Arthur’s legend can be divided into two phases: pre-Galfridian, and Galfridian) �Galfridian: Latin form of Geoffrey, of Geoffrey of Monmuth �Pre-Galfridian: Historia Brittonum

Three Strands of Pre-Galfridian Arthur �Arthur is a warrior without equal, protected Britian from threats, both natural--- the Saxons, and supernatural--- monsters (dragons, giants, witches, etc. ) �Often a leader of heroes with mystical powers (Professor Xavier) �Often had a strong connection with the supernatural realm--- possibly a god or god-like figure

Galfridian Arthur �First narrative account of Arthur’s life is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Brittanniae (The History of the Kings of Britain). �This serves as the beginning of the legends most familiar to modern readers

Key Points of Geoffrey’s Account �Arthur’s father is Uther Pendragon, who uses the magic of the wizard Merlin to seduce Arthur’s mother Igerna at Tintagel, where she later gives birth �When Uther dies, Arthur succeeds him as King. �Arthur defeats the Scots and the Picts and creates his own empire, incorporating parts of Ireland, Iceland, and the Orkney Islands. �He later conquers Norway, Denmark, and Gaul, where he defeats the Roman emperor in battle. While away, he learns that his nephew, Mordredus, has stolen the throne. �Arthur returns and defeats Mordredus, but is himself mortally wounded and taken to the isle of Avalon.

Arthur as Romance Tale �After Geoffrey of Monmouth, the tale changes �Arthur becomes less significant �Lancelot, Guinevere, Perceval, Galahad, and Gawain become more important

The French Influence �Battle of Hastings, 1066 �Chretien de Troyes �Wrote five Arthurian romances �Introduced Lancelot to the legend �Focused primarily on tales of courtly love

Courtly Love �“A love at once illicit and morally elevating, passionate and disciplined, humiliating and exalting, human and transcendent” �Courtly lovers engaged in short trysts in secret, but never (ideally) became physically intimate �Love as salvation

Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur, and the War of the Roses �Retelling of the Arthurian Legend �Influenced by the dynastic wars between House Lancaster and House York �Utopian, orderly Camelot contrasted with the chaos of civil war

Camelot, Utopia, and the Holy Grail �Mallory’s Camelot is a true democracy �Arthur’s roundtable a symbol of a world without hierarchy--- no one can sit at the head of the table. Everyone is equal. �Camelot becomes base of operations for quests for the Holy Grail