The Coming of Arthur!

The land was in a state of chaos.  The Romans had left Britain and the remaining Celts were struggling to uphold the law of the reigning kings.  There were constant invasions from the North, East and the South by the Barbarians.  Destined to be the one man who could lead the Celts and Britain out of this state of lawlessness was Arthur!  Son of Uther and Igraine, Arthur Pendragon would follow his destiny and become the great chieftain that would lead the people of Britain and unite them as one against the invading Barbarians, and return peace to the land.

Uther was so infatuated with Igraine, that he laid siege to the castle Tintagel, home of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall and his wife Igraine.  The castle was sited on a promontory and was virtually impregnable.  A stalemate was reached, and with Uther’s men becoming weary after being camped outside the castle for a considerable period of time without gaining any advantage, Uther sought the help of Merlin.  With some persuasion Merlin cast the dragon’s breath for Uther with the hope of ending this senseless siege.  As for Uthers part in the bargain, he had to swear to Merlin the he would not harm Gorlois, and, that if a child should result from his union with Igraine, the child was to be given to Merlin.  So greedy in his desire for Igraine, Uther agreed to these conditions.  He then ordered his men to draw camp and retreat from the castle.  As darkness descended on the land, Gorlois ordered his men to leave the stronghold and follow Uther to ensure that he had indeed withdrawn.  As Gorlois and his men left the stronghold, Merlin cast the dragon’s breath to give Uther the appearance of Gorlois.  Then, under disguise, after Gorlois had left, Uther rode to castle claiming that he was Gorlois returned.  Once inside that castle Uther falsely took the lady Igraine.  Unbeknown to Merlin, Uther had ordered his men to slay Gorlois and his army, and in the ensuing battle, Gorlois was killed.

The result of Uther’s night with Igraine was that she was with child.  When the time came, Igraine gave birth to a boy.  Merlin then claimed the child, much to the dismay of Igraine, and named him Arthur.  So that the child may grow in safety, Merlin had the boy fostered in secrecy to Sir Ector.  Arthur was raised by Sir Ector alongside his own son Sir Kay.  The result was that Arthur had a happy childhood of innocence.  Eventually Sir Ector had decided that it was time for his son, Sir Kay, to show his skill in the art of warfare.  They set of with Arthur for a tournament that was to be the testing ground for Sir Kay.  During the event, as it reached the time for Sir Kay to partake in the event, Arthur was sent to collect Sir Kay’s sword.  Arthur couldn’t find the sword, and realised that in his excitement at attending the event he had forgotten to pack the sword.  Distraught and not knowing what else to do, Arthur had seen the sword that stood in a bed of stone.  So that Sir Kay would not be disappointed at being unable to enter the contest, Arthur ran to the sword and pulled it from the stone.  He then offered it to Sir Kay.  Upon the offering, Sir Kay recognised the sword immediately as that belonging to the future King of Britain.  The result of this innocent accident was that Arthur was proclaimed the King of Britain, even though he had yet to prove himself in either nobility, or in battle.

Once crowned, Arthur took Merlin as his advisor, and inspired by the Druid and protected and guided in battle by Excalibur, there was no one in the land who could equal Arthur.  Bards spread the tales of his victories across the land, and sung of his spirit that shined as brightly as the sword by his side.  With his skill as a chieftain, and with Merlin advising him, Arthur fought and won twelve battles to bring about a reign of peace in Britain.  Arthur also had a vision of the castle that he wanted and set his craftsmen about building the place that would be called Camelot.  He also envisioned a table around which, he and his knights would meet.  It was to be a round table, so that each man at the table would be the equal of the next man, with no one better than anyone else, and no one below anyone else.

Arthur was also known as the Celtic Sun King, and there are many a tale told about Arthur and his knights and their deeds of valour.  Although Arthur was a shining light in the land that brought about peace, there was also a darkness in the land, seeking to reclaim the darkness that was lost.  The darkness took the form of some of the king’s relatives.  There was Arthur’s half sisters, Morgause and Morgan-Le-Fay, daughters of Igraine, and also his son and nephew Mordred, son of Morgan-Le-Fay.  Arthur’s half sister Morgan-Le-Fay, is also reputedly a Faery Queen, and in an attempt to redeem herself she is one of the Faery Queen’s that escort the dying King Arthur to the sacred Isle Of Avalon.

The Demise of Arthur!

There are several factors that all have their part to play in the downfall of the king.  Firstly, there is Morgan-Le-Fay, Arthur’s half sister and mother of his illegitimate son Mordred.  She troubled the King with the use of her magical skills.  Although she was never the sole reason for his demise, she didn’t help matters when she deliberately lost the scabbard for Excalibur, which was imbued with the power to heal all ills.  When she had reached maturity she was known by several names.  A couple of them being as Fata Morganna (or Queen of the Faeries), or as Modron, the ancient Celtic Mother Goddess.

Next there was Merlin, his advisor.  Although Merlin was a Druid and advisor to the King, he was also a man.  As a man, he had a deep desire for Nimue, Lady of the Lake.  The result was that he was taken from Arthur’s side.  The loss of the friendship and the counsel given by Merlin, affected Arthur deeply.  His judgement and confidence as a King was affected as well as the personal loss of a friend.

Added to that the tales of Lancelot and Guinevere.  Unfortunately for Arthur, Guinevere loved him as a King, but not as a lover.  Lancelot also loved Arthur as a King, and for the light that shone around him.  However, neither one nor the other is totally to blame.  Lancelot’s desire for the Queen, and her desire for him, was far more powerful that any faith either of them had.  Although they both fought against the feelings they had for each other, eventually, they could not help themselves.  Neither of them wanted to break the heart of the King they both loved and admired in their own separate ways, and tried their best to prevent that from happening.  The result of their actions weakened the King, and in an attempt to concentrate his mind of other things, the King sent his knights in search of the Holy Grail.

Added to the mix is Morgause.  She herself had rather a wicked and evil nature.  She knew of the true heritage of Mordred, and when Arthur was in trouble, Morgause took advantage of the situation and was actually one of the main instigators in Arthur’s downfall and the downfall of Camelot.  Although not before the downfall of the Sun God, Morgause eventually she met her end at the hands of her own son Gaheris.

Lastly we have Mordred himself, son and nephew to the King.  Mordred managed to gain himself a place at the Round Table.  After doing so, he managed to bring about the downfall of Camelot after deceiving Agravaine so that he would disclose the “love affair” of Lancelot and Guinevere.  Mordred knew the effect this would have on Arthur.  After the King was weakened by these revelations, Mordred set about manipulating the Knights.  The result was that Arthur met Mordred in battle on the fields of Camlan.  During the battle Mordred and Arthur cam face to face.  During the ensuing fight between the two, Mordred grievously wounded he King that was to prove to be a mortal wound to Arthur.  The result was that after the blow from Mordred, Arthur delivered a deathblow to Mordred.  Neither of them survived the battle!