King Arthur: A Revered Hero, or a Tale of Chivalry

 

The tales of King Arthur and his knights of the round table have fascinated many for centuries.  The tale of King Arthur and his various encounters with Lady Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, and Merlin as written by Sir Thomas Mallory, among others, captivates audiences and sends their imaginations into a tailspin about the romances and ideology of the Medieval Period in history.  After readers indulge upon these fascinating stories, readers often wonder whether or not King Arthur really existed, and if so what  happened to his empire and Camelot.

The legitimacy of King Arthur has been a hot topic of debate on the tongues of scholars for many years.  Some believe Arthur to be a purely fictional creation, while others believe the legendary King Arthur truly existed.  One Arthurian researcher, Geoffrey Ashe, describes King Arthur’s existence as being able to “give no straight yes or no answer”[1].  Ashe believes that a great King named Arthur did in fact exist, but the thought and the romances associated with Arthur are the work of people’s idealistic minds.  The real King Arthur, as found to be by many historians, was a great military leader.  Arthur led the Celtic Britons in keeping Saxons from encroaching upon their territory.  The existence that is conclusive from most tales, legends, and other forms of data puts King Arthur’s existence between the fifth and the sixth centuries.  Geoffrey Ashe notes that “one of these documents is the “Historia Brittonum,” History of the Britons, compiled early in the ninth century, and ascribed dubiously to a monk of Bangor named Nennius.  In a single chapter it lists twelve Arthurian battles.  The other document is a chronicle, the “Annales Cambriae,” Annals of Whales, which is somewhat later and has two Arthurian entries, also about battles.  There is a penumbra of Welsh poems and traditions, and support for the Latin tests can be claimed from that quarter, especially from an allusion to Arthur’s martial prowess which may be as early as 600”[1].   

There have been many findings that give proof for an existence of a known King Arthur.  For example, on July 8, 1998 the Associated Press in London reported that a slate in Latin text was found bearing the inscription of King Arthur's name.  In the article, a notable Arthurian historian Geoffrey Wainright responds, "Although there is no evidence linking the stone directly with King Arthur, the slate is proof that the name Arthur existed during the era in which he reputedly lived …It proves for the first time that the name existed at that time and that the stone belonged to a person of status, he said, adding that the discovery will enhance the strong Arthur legend'' [3].  The slate also gives proof there was indeed a noteworthy person, named Arthur, that deserved to have a slate carved in his honor.  By finding a slate with such an inscription, the debate over King Arthur’s existence becomes more prominent and prevalent in today’s society, a society far from the idealistic romances and chivalries of the past. 

The Glastonbury Abbey also comments on the legend concerning King Arthur.  The Arthurian legends proclaim that King Arthur was buried beneath two pillars at Glastonbury Abbey.  In the early thirteenth century, the monks of Glastonbury became increasingly interested in the legends and King Arthur’s burial at the Abbey.  The monks excavated the site and they found a stone marker that was inscribed in Latin with “Here lies buried the renowned King Arthur in the Isle of Avalon”[2].  With the bones of a man, smaller bones and a lock of hair were also found.  These bones and lock of hair were guessed to be those of Lady Guinevere.  The bones were then moved to a casket and placed by the alter in the church.  However, vagabonds ransacked the church and the bones were stolen and have not been found since the theft.  According to the curators of the Abbey, the ghost of King Arthur still haunts the Abbey. 

Since much of the evidence for the existence of King Arthur is conclusive that a person of noble blood and military prowess did exist, the evidence also suggests that the stories and fantasies surrounding the legend are a work of the writers of the Medieval Period.  The writers of the Medieval Period were of a noble blood, and unlike modern writers, these writers did not research the history of their topic.  The main focus of Medieval writers was to provide entertainment for the upper class society.  Therefore, many Arthurian scholars focus more on the question of the origin of the Arthurian legends and why the legends exist.  Most scholars place the origin of the Arthurian legends around the time of the Saxon invasion.  If this is so, the Arthurian legends were probably used to keep strong ties among the Celtic Briton people.  The Arthurian legends centered and focused on such topics as knighthood, codes of honor, chivalry, and respect for the King, which the Celtics held in high regard.  The legends illustrate the Celtics desperately trying to hold onto a tradition, while the Saxons were invading and destroying a time-honored code of chivalry [3]. 

Although the debate concerning the extent of truth in the Arthurian legend and how much of the legend is truthful to the existence of the real King Arthur has never been resolved, and probably never will be resolved, one thing is certain, the legends about him and his knights of the round table will be remembered for a long time in the literature books, under the names of great authors such as Thomas Mallory.  According to the legends, King Arthur was supposed to be immortal, although his bones have supposedly been recounted for, Arthur’s immortality is present the writings of various authors throughout history.  The writings represent an idealized version of the past.  Although the past was probably not this romantic, the idea creates a utopia in the minds of the readers.  The past represents a time when men would fight nobly for the honor of a lady, and the lady would return the favor with undying love.  Modern societies love the idealized version of the past, thus King Arthur will live on in the literature of every generation.   

Note:  The picture of King Arthur's wedding came from
http://www.greatdreams.com/arthur.htm

 

WORKS CITED AND CONSULTED

1.  Ashe, Geoffrey.  "Origins of the Arthurian Legend."  Britannia.  1999.
          http://www.britannia.com/history/artorig1.html (24 Sept. 2000).

2.  "Glastonbury Abbey Official Website."  1999.  http://www.glastonburyabbey.com/ (24 Sept. 2000).

3.  "Proof of King Arthur's Existence."  http://www.greatdreams.com/proof.htm (24 Sept. 2000).

 

 

 Article by 
Tara Mancl