If you missed my article on Cu Chulainn, you can find it here.
King Arthur may not be a God or even have his own mythology, he is however a legend in his own right. King Arthur is a combination of English and Welsh folklore. Not only was Arthur king of Camelot, but he was also a knight of the famed Round Table. King Arthur was conceived magickally. His mother was Igraine, wife of Duke Gorlois. Uther Pendragon wanted her and magick made him look identical to Igraine’s husband and they had sex. Arthur was the result. Uther ended up marrying Igraine in the end. Arthur has three sisters, Morgause, Elaine, and Morgan Le Fay.
Everyone of course knows of the ill-fated marriage between Arthur and Guenivere. Depending on who you read, Arthur had sons, none by Guenivere though. His most talked-about son is Mordred, who by some accounts, is his nephew.
Arthur being the firstborn son of Uther Pendragon, the crown would fall to him when his father died. Merlin had Arthur raised in secret. When Uther died the squabbling ensued over who would rule. That is when Merling cast the sword into the stone. It read, “Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of all England.” You know the story. Hopefully, you have seen more than the Disney version. After pulling the sword free, Arthur helped push back the Saxons.
King Arthur built Camelot. He was not only a fair and just ruler, he is chivalrous and kind. They went against the supernatural. This was helped with his gift from the Lady of the Lake, Excalibur. Arthur’s last battle was at Camlan. Mordred, Arthur’s son/nephew depending on the source, was also killed. Arthur was given an ancient king’s burial down the Isle of Avalon. He was attended to by three maidens. His body has never been found so it gives credence to the idea that he is buried in a secret grave with his knights.
King Arthur is one of my favorite stories. What about you? Is there a favorite part of the story for you? Let me know in the comments below. Until next week…
