Where can I find information about the King Arthur legends?

Question

Would like to know more, thought someone could help me out with a little background

Answer 1

I believe if i were to write about what i know about King Arthur,it would probably take half a page & i believed you wouldn't want to read a hellish long passage for an answer considering the fact that your eyes might hurt from straining into the computer screen.And also,considering the fact that knowledge is better to be discovered by oneself than by the easy way out of others.Below are just afew links about King Arthur.Choose your own answer.

Answer 2

This is a huge subject on its own with lots of theories and conflicting stories. it also depends on whether you want to look at historical Arthur or fantasy Arthur.



The Victorians turned him into the medieval king in the castle with the wizard and a pointy hat and jousting and favours and what not. This isn't so.

Arthur was Romano British Chieftain/warlord/king who was based either in Wales or Cornwall or Both he was better known at the time as being Aurelius Ambrosius. Merlin was called Myrrdyn. He ended up being called Merlin because his original name sounded to much like the French word for '****' for the Victorians to cope with.



One of the most famous stories involves King Vortigern. I'll condense it the best I can to make the answer short.

Vortigern was trying to build a Fort that kept falling down, he was told to find a fatherless boy who would be able to tell him why it wouldn't stand. This boy was Merlin. Merlin explained to Vortigern that the fort wouldn't stay up because under the earth were two fighting dragons, one red and one white (red = Britons and the white = Saxons) the red was meant to win after the lengthy battle. so the Brits were meant to win but in reality the Saxons did and the British retreated to Wales where they still are today with their original Language and Flag.



But there are Stories that say Vortigern invited the Saxons to help with Maurauding Picts from the North.



There is so much more to it. Start with Kids books as patronising as it may seem they have all the basics. Good luck with your reading!



edited to add - Excalibur was not the sword pulled from the stone. Excallibur was the sword given to Arthur by the lady of the lake.

Answer 3

Hello again TDN...King Arthur...one of my favorite folklores/legend. King Arthur of course is well known for his land/castle called Camelot. His wife Guinevere and his best friend and best knight Sir Lancelot. His sword was Excalibur!

Legend has it that King Arthur was the son of Uther Penedragon. Uther, falling in lust over another man's woman, had Merlin cast a spell so Uther could make love to her. She had a son which merlin claimed for his services. Merlin named this child Arthur. And the story goes that Arthur pulled out Excalibur from the stone. Which made him the child king.Now during his reign as King Arthur, he created what is now known as the "round table" so him and his faithful knights could sit and talk about their battles that they had fought. King Arthur finally decides that he needed to be married so he found his true love which was Guinevere. The story goes that Guinevere falls in love with Arthur's best friend and knight Sir Lancelot.Now also you have to remember that Arthur had a half sister named Morgana. When Arthur found out that Guinevere had a romantic interlude with Sir Lancelot, Morgana decided to place a magical spell on herself to make King Arthur believe that she was his beloved Guinevere so she could produce an heir to the throne. So in other words King Arthur supposedly made love to his half sister and produced a son, whom was Mordred. Now this is when the Holy Grail basically comes in when King Arthur asks his knights to go search for the Holy Grail.The story goes on that Perceval finds the Holy Grail and brings it back to King Arthur.Now Mordred wants his fathers kingdom and his crown so King Arthur and his son has a battle.A huge battle to where they both die from each others wounds. Perceval finds King Arthur and Arthur tells Perceval to take Excalibur to a calm lake and throw the sword into the Lake where the "Lady of the Lake" will then return Excalibur from whence it came. It has been said that the priestess's from Avalon then take King Arthur to be with them on the Isle of Avalon.

Now, this is just one version of King Arthur and of course I didn't write down everything. King Arthur has been a mystery to alot of historians. Whether or not he was fact or fiction. Now there is a website you can visit where a gentleman named D.F. Carroll has written a book stating that King Arthur was a real person and a real King. His website is first on the list below. I have listed other's as well to assist you in your research. There is also a good book called the "Mists of Avalon" about King Arthur, which now they have made into a movie. And also the movie called "Excalibur" with Nigel Terry which is an excellent movie about King Arthur.Have a great day!

Answer 4

you could rent a book from the library or type king arthur legends in search

Answer 5

Go to the link below. It has many links related to King Arthur.

Also, I read this book about the Sarmation Knights.

It's called, La Morte d'Arthur. I read the edited version, cause it was for school. (By the way, La Morte d'Arthur means the Death of Arthur (-:)



Here's your link:

http://ableelectric.com/mikeweb/arthur.html

Answer 6

There's a beautiful book, a trilogy actually, based on what the legend tells; it's Mary Stewart's 'Merlin's Trilogy', a great work indeed!

Answer 7

Try the links below to get pages and pages of infomation....

Answer 8

Its wikipedia so probably wrong

Answer 9

The Legend of King Arthur - Who was King Arthur?

A name that is always associated with the Kings of the Middle Ages is the legendary King Arthur. But if we look at the Timeline of Middle Ages Kings the name of King Arthur does not appear. The timeline is accurate. During the Middle Ages there were documented records about all of the Kings of England from William the Conqueror in 1066 to the end of the Middle Ages in 1485 and the beginning of the Renaissance period. So where does King Arthur fit in? Who was King Arthur? We associate King Arthur with the Knights of the Round Table, with the Code of Chivalry and courtly love and with a place called Camelot and a magician called Merlin. If King Arthur was not a king in the Middle Ages did King Arthur rule England during the Dark Ages ( 410 AD - 1066 AD )? The name of King Arthur does not appear in records detailing the Dark Ages Kings of England either! It is therefore not possible to provide an accurate biography of the life and history of King Arthur - we can only create a biography from his legend. But the Dark Ages got its name due to the fact that documented records of the era were scarce. Was there a great man who lived in the Dark Ages who gave rise to the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?



The History of King Arthur - The One, True King of the Britons

The legend of King Arthur is not based on real historical evidence, nor can it be verified with hard and fast facts. The legend of King Arthur was based on the books written by the clerics of the Medieval era or the Middles Ages. The stories found in many Welsh legends and Celtic Myths about King Arthur and the Arthurian Legend provide the Welsh people with a claim to the sovereignty of the whole kingdom of Britain. King Arthur is referred to as "the one, true King of the Britons".



How did the Legend of King Arthur Start?

The main source of information about King Arthur and the Arthurian Legend was written by a Welsh cleric called Geoffrey of Monmouth. Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote a fictional book called Historia Regum Britanniae - the History of the King's of Britain in 1136. Other stories about King Arthur and the Arthurian Legend were written in the 'Black Book of Caernarvon' (Welsh: Llyfr du Caerfyrddin). This book was written, in Welsh, in 1250 and contained stories and poems relating to the heroes of Britain in the Dark Ages including those connected with the Arthurian legend of King Arthur and Merlin. Other books entitled Historia Brittonum by Nennius, the Annales Cambriae, the Chronicon Anglicanum and the Welsh Mabinogion also make references to the Arthurian Legend and King Arthur. Fiction was slowly being perceived as fact.



The Romantic Legend of King Arthur

The romantic legend of King Arthur was fuelled by the Troubadours, jongleurs and Minstrels of the Medieval era of the Middle Ages. The stories of the valiant King Arthur, great knights, Camelot, chivalrous deeds, great battles and fair ladies were spread from court to court all over Europe by the troubadours. The image of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table took on the the clothes and fashion of the Medieval era. Jousting in tournaments were also incorporated. Fiction was again turning into fact. And we have an answer as to why we associate King Arthur with the Middle Ages.



Making a Legend of King Arthur - The One, True King of the Britons

The Kings of England during the Middle Ages turned these myths and legends to their advantage and Fiction was turned into Fact for political purposes. The Arthurian legend and the legend of King Arthur had highly significant influence on the actual history of England and Wales. These legends and myths about King Arthur "the one, true King of the Britons" were used by Kings of England to authenticate their claims to the both the Welsh and English thrones! King Edward I (Longshanks) used these Arthurian legends and myths about King Arthur when he conquered Wales. Connections between Caernarvon, Arthurian Legend, Merlin, Prophecies and even Stonehenge were made in an attempt to give King Edward a 'legitimate claim' to the Welsh throne. The Tudor Kings of England used the same ploy! These Kings of England used the stories from Arthurian Legend and the Legend of King Arthur to give them credibility. It was convenient for them to turn the stories and myths about King Arthur and the Arthurian Legend into hard facts!



Merging History with the Legend of King Arthur

The Arthurian stories and the Legend of King Arthur was clearly used by Medieval politicians to strengthen the claims of Middle Ages Kings to both the English and Welsh thrones - the legend of King Arthur had a huge influence on the course of actual English and Welsh history. It is easy to see how much influence, advantage and credibility could be gained by these Kings to connect their lineage to King Arthur "the one, true King of the Britons", his realm of Camelot and the prophecies of Merlin the Wizard. The connections with these Arthurian legends and myths provided the Medieval people with:



Ancient Prophecies from the Arthurian legends about King Arthur ( arrangements were made by the King of era to be seen to fulfil such prophecies)



The people of England liked connections to the old Religions and life before the Normans conquered England - The magicians and wizards and the Druids.



The connection to King Arthur - A King whose rule was based on Honour, Honesty, Loyalty, Chivalry and Valour



The 'one, true King of the Britons' prophecy increased the Middle Ages Kings credibility, especially in Wales



A romantic story of love, fair ladies, brave knights and triumphant battles - good publicity for any king of the Middle Ages



The King Arthur legend provided a link to Christianity, the crusades and the search for the Holy Grail



Any 'proof' of their lineage to ancient Kings, like King Arthur, gave Middle Ages Kings justification for their sovereignty



The Legend of King Arthur

Some interesting facts and short biography information about the Legend of King Arthur. Additional details, facts, history and information about the famous Medieval Kings of the Middle Ages and important events during their times can be accessed via the Middle Ages Sitemap and the section detailing the life and times of the Kings of the Middle Ages.