Uther Pendragon

Arthur was the half-brother of Morgan. Arthur was born as the result of a “magical” deception of Merlin, his Uncle (and the understood “Wizard of the Realm”). Morgan bemoaned that her father, the Duke of Cornwall, was killed so Arthur’s father, Uther Pendragon, could satiate his unbridled passion for Morgan’s mother, Igraine. Got all that? So now we come to Arthur, who not only becomes King, but becomes the most successful king the Isles of Briton have ever known. Arthur was the first to unite…

The next phase of the “Hero’s Journey” is the “Supernatural Aid” from characters who provide help and guidance for the hero on his path as they represent the “benign, protective power of destiny” (Ubelhor 3). This aid is usually given by wise old men, gods or messengers in the form of weapons, amulets, magical aids and amulets and their roles are only fully fulfilled after the hero completely trust these helpers and protectors. Furthermore, the “helpers’” task is not to finish the task and…

The King Arthur legend thrived for centuries changed but untainted. That is, untainted until Monty Python came along. Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail (directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones in 1975) attempts (and succeeds, for that matter) to satirize the Legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table using a range of different techniques. These techniques include, but are not limited to, deflating the heroic stereotype, breaking the dramatic illusion and using…

Decades ago there was a controversy whether King Arthur was a realistic person or a legend. King Arthur was the King of Britain who fought off the Saxons in 12 straight battles and had his legendary sword named the Excalibur, although historians questioned if this was believable. Historians questioned if it possible to go into 12 straight battles without stopping. Some believed Arthur was a real person because there are fractional evidence of him being real, but other historians believe…

The values of values like loyalty, courtesy, generosity were widely adapted as a secular chivalric code that was applied to the King Arthur’s knights. Over the course of the authorship of his Arthurian romances, Chretien’s opinion of secular chivalry changed and he began to critique the system more and more blatantly. Chretien wrote during the High Middle Ages, where a newfound focus on commercial value and Christianity was taking a much stronger hold in broader communities. Adoption of…

Throughout Sir Thomas Malory’s epic romance, Le Morte D’Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table repeatedly find themselves pressured to behave in ways that are contradictory to their knightly code . The restrictive social structure of Camelot, along with the problematic nature of the Pentecostal Oath , produces a paradoxical environment where knights find themselves compromised by opposing obligations and expectations. For example, King Arthur’s finest knight, Sir Launcelot, is compelled to go…

The Blank Hero: Arthurian Reflections of Societies throughout History When people invoke the name of Arthur, the hero of legend and myth, they often associate the name with King Arthur of Camelot, sitting around the round table along with his noble knights, Queen Guinevere, and mentor Merlin. However, Arthur was not always a King, nor did he have a round table or a magical druid that could see into the future to guide him. Instead, the Britain-hero Arthur is an example of an adaptation of a…

Avalon is associated with Glastonbury Tor, which some legends say was once a magic island surrounded by water. Morgan is one of the three queens that takes King Arthur’s body to Avalon to heal. As a witch and healer, she is said to know the power of both healing and poisonous herbs. In Avalon, She presided over nine priestess’s who were prophetesses and healers. Avalon is known to have been an oracular center. Some believe that Avalon was a Druidic college for priestesses of women’s mysteries.…