King Arthur

In distant days, a Welsh monk, Nennius, records events in his book, History of the Britons (c. 800). These stories identify a warrior hero named Artorius or Arthur.

According to Nennius:
1. Lucius Artorius Castus (c. 100) fights on horseback like a Legionnaire, and with a long sword, like a Briton chief.
2. Artorius fights 12 battles against the Saxons, including the Battle at Mount Badon (which brings peace and stability).
3. Artorius dies in France, in battle –at the hand of his son.

According to Arthurian Legend:
1. King Arthur is fearless on horseback and with a long sword.
2. Through battle, Arthur brings peace and stability to the region. He rules through the Knights of the Round Table, armed soldiers dedicated to the Code of Chivalry.
3. Arthur dies in France, in battle – at the hand of his son.

The Code of Chivalry: "Chanson du Rolande"

• Defend the Church.
• Be faithful to your liege, and your lady.
• Defend the defenseless, widows & orphans.
• Be strong, brave, and truthful.
• Seek honor and glory ... not bucks.
• Speak the truth. Avoid offense.
• Finish what you start.

The Arthurian Legend

It begins: King Uther's rightful heir is unknown. Fostered out as a babe, he is taught by a mage.

At the age of 13,
Arthur pulls a legendary sword from a stone, and becomes "the rightful king of all England."

Arthur creates Camelot: the chivalrous ideal

Arthur lives with betrayals,
and Camelot eventually crumbles.

The legend says Arthur will rise again, when England needs him. This idea reconnects him to the Code, the Church, and, perhaps, a human yearning for idyllic times.

... Then from the dawn it seem'd there came, but faint
As from beyond the limit of the world,
Like the last echo born of
a great cry,
Sounds, as if some fair city were one voice
Around a king returning from his wars.
~ Tennyson,
from Idylls of the King

Art: William Morse Co. (Holy Grail Tapestry), Frank Cadogan Cowper (Lancelot Slays Sir Tarquin), John Williams Waterhouse (Lady of Shallot, and The Magic Circle of Morgan le Fay), N.C. Wyeth (The Birth of Arthur), Walter Crane (Arthur Draws the Sword), Wyeth (Untitled), Wyeth (Arthur and Mordred), Edward Burn Jones (The Beguiling of Merlin)