Arthur

Who amongst you does not know the tales of Arthur, son of Igraine and Uther Pendragon, guided by Merlin's hand to the throne of Britain. Enchanted by his half sister Morgause, wounded by their son Mordred at Camlan.

Arthur was raised by Ector from a child at Merlin's bequest and molded for the kingship by him as a noble lord who sought to serve the ways of both Celtic and Christian Gods. He became a troubled King due to the triad involving himself, his Queen Guinevere and Lancelot

(arthir) Legendary King of Britain, the traditions and literary compositions about whom form the subject matter of the following:

1.   Name. The name Arthur may be a form of Artorius (# 401), a Roman gens name, but it is possibly of Celtic origin, coming from 'artos viros' (bear man) see Welsh 'arth gwyr'. Bruce also suggests the possibility of a connection with Irish 'art' (stone) (# 178).

2.  Life. Arthur is not mentioned by any contemporary and his historicity cannot be regarded as certain. Milton (History of England) reckoned him a fiction, but Gibbon (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) felt there might be substance behind the legend. Modern opinion tends to echo Gibbon. The earliest mention of Arthur is in the GODODDIN (sixth century) of Aneirin, but it is possible that the line alluding to Arthur may not have formed part of the original. Nennius (early ninth century) links Arthur's name with a succession of battles but does not describe him as a king, saying that he came to the aid of various British rulers.

An outline of the hero's life is given by Geoffrey of Monmouth (twelfth century) in his Historia Regum Brittaniae. Just how much of this life was Geoffrey's invention and how much was culled from traditional material is uncertain. He tells us that King Arthur was the son of Uther and defeated the barbarians in a dozen battles. Subsequently, he conquered a wide empire and eventually went to war with the Romans. He returned home on learning that his nephew Mordred had raised the standard of rebellion and taken Guinevere, the queen. After landing, his final battle took place.

The saga built up over the centuries and Celtic traditions of Arthur reached the Continent via Brittany. Malory (fifteenth century) produced a huge Arthuriad that many would regard as the standard 'history' of Arthur. In this, we are told of Arthur's conception when Uther approached Igraine who was made, by Merlin's sorcery, to resemble her husband. The child was given to Ector to be raised in secret. After Uther's death there was no king ruling all England. Merlin had placed a sword in a stone, saying that whoever drew it out would be king. Arthur did so and Merlin had him crowned. This led to a rebellion by eleven rulers which Arthur put down. He married Guinevere whose father gave him the Round Table as a dowry; it became the place where his knights sat, to avoid quarrels over precedence. A Magnificent reign followed, Arthur's court becoming the focus for many heroes. In the war against the Romans, Arthur defeated the Emperor Lucius and became emperor himself. However, his most illustrious knight, Lancelot, became enamoured of Guinevere and an affair between them followed. (See Lancelot). While Arthur was in Brittany to fight Lancelot, he left his natural son, Mordred , in charge. (Mordred was also his nephew, the result of an unwittingly incestuous affair between Arthur and his sister Morgause.

Arthur had been unaware of the incestuous nature of the intrigue because he was ignorant of his own parentage.) Mordred rebelled and Arthur returned to quell him. This led to Arthur's last battle on Salisbury Plain, where he slew Mordred but was himself gravely wounded. (In Welsh accounts, the site of this battle is called Camlann.)

Arthur was then carried off in a barge, saying he was heading for the vale of Avilion (Avalon). Some said he never died, but would one day return. However, his grave was supposedly discovered at Glastonbury in the reign of Henry II (1154-89). One of the most mysterious aspects of Arthur's reign involves his relationship with Morgan Le Fay. In Malory she is the sister but, when Geoffrey mentions her in the Vita Merlini, he seems to know nothing of the kinship, nor does he mention any enmity between them. This seems to be a later development. It has been suggested that Arthur was originally her lover and only latterly her brother, but such a suggestion is unsupported by evidence.

Whether Morgan is in origin identical with Arthur's sister (Anna in Geoffrey) cannot be decided with certainty. In The Mists Of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, (1982), Morgan is the sister with whom Arthur unknowingly commits incest - this is not implausible. Morgan's enmity towards Arthur is generally taken to spring from the fact that Arthur's father, Uther, killed her father, Gorlois. The actual status or title of Arthur is also uncertain. He is usually styled a king, sometimes an emperor and, in Rosemary Sutcliffe's novel Sword At Sunset (1963), he is represented as turning Britain into the last vestige of the Western Roman Empire.It is certainly not impossible that he did so.

Nennius does not speak of him as a king but as Dux Bellorum (leader of wars), a title which suggests he held a Roman-invented designation such as Dux Brittaniarum (leader or 'duke' of the Britons). Apart from his title, the question of where Arthur functioned also arises. Various persons have favoured the view that he was a leader in the north, in the south-west, in Wales or throughout Britain, but the truth of the matter is that we cannot be certain. Nennius list of battles does not really help, as some or even all of them may not have been originally associated with Arthur.

3.  Date. The date of Arthur's death is given by Geoffrey as AD 542. Malory places his life in the fifth century. Geoffrey Ashe puts forward the argument that Arthur is, at least to some extent, to be identified with the historical Celtic King Riothamus. If this is so, he would have flourished in the fifth century. It is not impossible that the legendary Arthur is a composite of a number of persons so called, living at different times.

4.  Survival. Arthur's survival after death was believed in by many Britons who awaited his return. He was thought to have journeyed to Avalon (a Celtic paradise) or to be lying asleep in a cave somewhere, awaiting arousal. The finding of his possible grave at Glastonbury did not extinguish these beliefs.

5.   Attraction Of The Legend Of Arthur. We must consider the allure of Arthur's saga and why he is so widely known when compared with other national heroes, such as the Russian Ilya Muromets, the Serbian Prince Marco, etc. To some extent the lines of transmission assisted the legend. It was originally adopted from the Bretons by their neighbours, the Normans, who travelled far and wide and took it with them. But another factor is the magical echoes of the legend that convey a sense of the mysterious, the otherworldly, the intangible that is absent elsewhere and which renders them unique.