The Legend of King Arthur
The legend of King Arthur is an age-old story about a king and his court. The tale of Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table is one that nearly everyone knows.
Arthurian Legend
As the story goes, Arthur was the son of Igraine and Uther Pendragon. Igraine was originally married to Gorloris the Duke of Cornwall. After Gorloris was killed by Uther in a battle, Uther married Igraine. They had a son, Arthur, who was born at Tintagel Castle. Stories say that Arthur was brought up by either Ector or Merlin, not by his parents.
The Sword in the Stone
When Uther died, Britain was left without a king. There was great debate over who would rule. This was to be solved by a challenge. Whoever could pull the sword from the stone was meant to be king. Many local kings tried to pull the sword out, but no one succeeded. One day, Arthur went with his foster brother Kay to a tournament. Kay had forgotten his sword and Arthur went to seek a replacement. He found the sword in the stone and easily pulled it out and gave it to Kay. Kay recognized the sword and told everyone that Arthur had pulled the sword from the stone. When the people did not believe it was Arthur, he successfully repeated the task.
The Lady of the Lake | Excalibur
After Arthur had removed the sword from the stone, the local kings decided that they did not want to be ruled by a youth, so they began a rebellion against their rightful king. To protect him, Merlin took Arthur to see the Lady of the Lake. The Lady of the Lake gave him the magical sword Excalibur. Arthur then returned to defend his place as king. After a battle, the local kings gave in and Arthur became king.
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
After Arthur was crowned, he married the princess Guinevere. As part of her dowry, Arthur was giving the famous Round Table by her father. Through the course of his reign as King of Britain, many events occurred. Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table fought many battles with the Saxons. Eventually, they won the war at Mount Badon. Arthur and his knights also went in search of the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail is thought to be a vessel used by Jesus at the last supper. Before having a Christian influence, the grail was magical cauldron.
The End of Camelot & Death of Arthur
During his rule, Guinevere and Lancelot, one of Arthur’s knights, become lovers. When he discovers the affair, Arthur condemns Guinevere to be burned at the stake, but Lancelot rescues her. This starts a war between Arthur and Lancelot. While Arthur is away, his nephew Modred seeks the throne for himself. After hearing this, Arthur returns to Camelot to take back control. Arthur kills Modred but during the fight at Camlann, he is mortally wounded. Sir Bedivere returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake at Arthur’s request. Arthur is then taken to the isle of Avalon, where he soon died.
Conclusion
The story of the legendary King Arthur is one that is retold repeatedly. It is also a story with many variations. The Legend of King Arthur has been changed and added to throughout time, often to fit the desires of the existing culture.
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