The Truth Behind the Arthurian Legend
"In scores of languages and shaped to all sorts of storytelling genres, from medieval epic to modern musical, tales of Arthur and his knights have been enthralling people for more than a thousand years" (Alexander 1). The question is, however, how much truth is there behind the Arthurian Legend? King Arthur, Camelot, and the Round Table are three of the central elements in the tales that are told of this great era, but the legend does not reveal the whole truth. It is believed by many scholars who have long studied the Arthurian legend that Camelot and the others were real in a sense at some point in time, and over the last 500 years their actual deeds developed into the legendary tales that are told in this day and age. The legend begins with King Arthur being born to Uther Pendragon and Ygraine, the wife of Gorlois. This conception occurred in the castle of Tintagel. After his birth, Arthur grew up as a squire to Kaye, who was the son of Sir Ector, a knight loyal to Uther. Ector had been given the responsibility of raising young Arthur, who never knew his true heritage. According to the legend, Arthur needed to find Kaye's sword so he could participate in a tournament. Unable to do so, Arthur found a sword stuck in
"The castle was surrounded by plains, with a forest and a river nearby. The name Camlann would be translated into Camboglanna in British, meaning "crooked bank" (Alcock 67). This particular structure was erected in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, well after Arthur's time, but these are not the only ruins in the area. Camelot was "that place where Arthur and his knights feasted at the Table Round, where Guinevere lit the hall with her radiant beauty, where chivalry flourished. The next stage of Arthur's life was a time of peace that lasted for twenty years. The legend states that Arthur himself was responsible for single handedly killing 960 men, winning the battle (Stobie 34). The table was round to show that all who sat at it were equal. The discovery of what is occasionally called Tintagel pottery also gives more credibility to the tales of Arthur.
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Acceptance Essays
