Historia Brittonum

arguing that “popular traditions of an unlettered time do not create something out of nothing” (Fletcher). Likewise, R. G. Collingwood and J. N. L. Myers, who also used a logical approach, said that: “The place which the name of Arthur occupies in Celtic legend is easiest to explain on the hypothesis that he really lived, and was a great champion of the British people” (Collingwood). Therefore they undoubtedly believed that King Arthur is a real historical person. Similarly Sir Charles Oman shared Fletcher’s viewpoint that Arthur is real but he based his claim not only on logic but also on evidence. In his book Sir Charles Oman implied that he believed in the historicity of Arthur not as a king but as a military chief: “As in the Historia (Historia Brittonum, by Nennius), he (Arthur) seems to be merely dux bellorum, a military chief, not a king” (Oman). Compared with Sir Charles Oman’s Arthur, Trelawney Dayrell Reed’s Arthur was placed in the fifth century not as a prince but as a bastard. Reed believed that: “he (Ambrosius) now divided the island into two provinces. He himself remained in the south and retained supreme political control of the whole, and he dispatched one Arthur, who may have been his brother's bastard son, as military governor to the north to cope with Octa, his son Aesc, and the Picts” (Reed). After a many years of debate over the historicity of King Arthur, an English scholar W. M. Flinders Petrie finally stood up to address the issue. In his lecture for…

Arthur transcends time The name King Arthur evokes images of mythical legends and elements that still exist today. The legend of King Arthur effects directors, writers, and even toy makers. But what is it about this legend that fuels our imagination and creativity? Perhaps it is humans desire to see good overcome evil. Some are enthralled with the magical elements. Others love the adaptability of the legend. I believe it is the mixture of good versus evil, magic, and adaptability that…

Morgan le Fay is one of the Arthurian Legends and is known for being an evil enchantresses and a witch. Morgan le Fay’s legend goes that she is the half-sister of King Arthur. Morgan le Fay uses her lover, Accolon to steal King Arthur’s sword when this plan does not go as accordingly she throws the sword into the lake. Morgan le Fay is also considered a healer because in Vita Merlini by Geoffrey Monmouth she heals King Arthur’s wounds from the last battle of Calman but the only way that she can…

Few times in history do we get to have a detailed and in-depth look into a major historical event like we do with Bernal Diaz del Castillo “Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva España” or “The True History of the Conquest of the New Spain.” Written by a foot soldier alongside Hernan Cortes, “True History,” allows us to get a front row view to what can be considered one of the most fundamental encounters between European travelers and New World natives. Notably, it is not written is…

told by the bards, together with the romantic and courtly tales of King Arthur, were eventually written down and made into a book form, becoming the first written compilation or embodiment of medieval literature (Alchin). According to Leah Shopkow, a History professor at the Indiana University, Geoffrey of Monmouth, a Welsh author and cleric, was the main source of information about the legends of King Arthur. He wrote “Historia Regum Britanniae”, also known as “The History of the Kings of…