FREE ESSAY ON THE MYTH OF KING ARTHUR

THE MYTH OF KING ARTHUR

There has been a lot of material written about King Arthur and his court. He has been a
popular figure in literature for over 800 years. People believe he was only a myth and
some people believe he was an actual person. Not a lot of information on King Arthur is
fact; most is fictional from many types of writers. The earliest reference of Arthur is
the poem  Gododdin (A.D. 600) also Historia Bitton by Nennius (A.D.800). In Sir Thomas
Mallory's Novel Le Morte D'Arthur, people receive a good idea on how he worked and how
the life back then was. Many stories have been written and tales have been told of King
Arthur but stories can't be proven to be true. There are many different versions and many
different styles and languages written about King Arthur. Welsh, Italian, Celtic, and
Arabian, are just a few types of origins from where Arthur has traveled. 
It is believed that Arthur was a fifth-century British king also named Rithoamus (meaning
high king)1. The historic Arthur lived in the mists of the dark ages. From the
encyclopedia of Arthurian Legends, Arthur was not a medieval king. It is believed that he
was a fifth century chieftain who protected his people . Arthur changes from a God-like
Celtic king, to a monarch, to an ordinary man. There are many different opinions as of
whom King Arthur was. King Arthur appeared as a national hero in Geoffrey of Monmouth's
book called Historia Regum Britanniea (meaning, History of The Kings of Britain). Many of
the legends told about Arthur and the round table take place in the castle of Camelot.
This is to be believed to have been Cadbury Castle. This is near Somerset. There is no
evidence that a little castle, Camelot, existed. There is evidence; however, that there
was a castle in the large hill, inside the outer walls, believed to be Camelot.
Arthur was a wonderful leader and a terrific fighter. When fighting, Arthur based his
strategies on his hill forts, and mounted commando's. It is said that Arthur fought wars
that gave him power over Britain, Ireland, and France. After he gained control, he made
his claim of the Roman Empire. Many of the wars he fought were against the Saxons. Arthur
was a great Calvaryman.
Sir Thomas Mallory's Book, Le Morte D' Arthur-, one of the worlds famous books about
Arthur, his court, and his life, is very important to young readers in all different
countries. This is a very important book, and contains immense details on how life was
back in those years.
In The Book, Le Morte D' Arthur, written By Sir Thomas Mallory, tells the story of King
Arthur. In this tale of King Arthur, King Uther Pendragon is his father 2. King Arthur's
father Uther Pendragon died while in his bed 3. Uther Pendragon died when Arthur was two
years old. King Arthur received his title, king, by pulling Excalibur out of the stone.
People in the country looked upon him as his king because he had the power to pull the
sword out. In Mallory's book, Arthur is the great king of Britain. Arthur conquers Rome
and was the founder of the Knights of the Round Table. Many people saw Arthur as a pure
and flawless man, however, he commits incest and adultery with his Queen Margause and
conceives with her bastard Sir Modred, whom Arthur tries to drown. King Arthur finally
marries Gwynevere, who he later sentences to death 4. He sentences her to burn because of
adultery.
Mallory's Novel was one of the greatest works published and a wonderful piece to read if
one is interested in learning more about Arthur and his court. Another important writer
was a Welsh writer, Geoffrey of Monmouth, who also wrote in detail about King Arthur and
his life. His piece of writing was called Historia Regum Britanniea, (which means,
History of the Kings of Britain). The two pieces of writing differ in ways. 
Geoffrey was a Welsh cleric. It's been suggested that Geoffrey took Arthur as his last
name because it was his father's name. It may not be going too far to believe that
Geoffrey's fascination with the ancient Celtic hero Arthur may have begun when he was a
child, hearing the tales his father may have told him about his name 2. My name is
Arthur, his father may have said, and I want to tell you about another man named Arthur
who lived long, long ago. So it was that Geoffrey of Monmouth who wrote his book, ,
History of the Kings of Britain  incorporating parts of an earlier work of his. While
it's certain that Geoffrey had his sources, this ancient book has identified as being
true, and may never have existed. 
In Geoffrey's work, the story of King Arthur takes up only about a fifth of the book.
Geoffrey begins Arthur's reign by pitting him against the Saxons. Saxon or Anglo-Saxon is
the collective name for these invaders of German blood, who came from Germany, the
Netherlands, and Scandinavia. In the middle of the fifth-century, a British chieftain
named Vortigern sought help from the Saxons in fighting off the Irish and Scottish. In
Geoffrey's History, he is elevated to being a king, the brother of Arthur's father Uther
Pendragon who was also a king. Probably around the year 490, the name of another great
general begins to be whispered: Artorius. Today we know the name as Arthur. Geoffrey's
Arthur was an empire builder, though a failed one. Although the History of the Kings of
Britain can no longer be treated as pure history, it is still one of the most important
books of the Middle Ages. The King Arthur Geoffrey wrote about, isn't exactly the Arthur
we know today. In  The History of the Kings of Britain  there is no round table, no sword
in the stone, and no Lancelot. Queen Guinevere is known as Ganhumara, and the sword
Excalibur is known by the earlier name of Caliber.
The works by Geoffrey and Mallory differ for many reasons. In Geoffrey's novel, there are
different characters and different names for characters. Also in Geoffrey's novel, the
story is based on the father of the writer knowing Arthur. There are many differences but
that doesn't mean that either novel is wrong in it's content. Neither of these stories
can be proven true. Either book is as equally as enjoyable as the other is. Both writers
use great detail and description of the character as well as their atmosphere. Geoffrey
of Monmouth and Sir Thomas Mallory are two of the most widely known writers who wrote
about King Arthur's adventures, his losses, his triumphs and his loves.
The legend of Arthur is a wide topic to discuss. There are many types of writers from all
over the world. Many believe he lived and many people believe he didn't live. Like all
legends, the legend of King Arthur remains still a mystery after many, many years. One's
imagination can decide if there really was such a great, and noble Celtic king. Mallory
and Geoffrey best describe King Arthur and his people in each of their pieces of
writings. If a person such as Arthur lived a long time ago, the countries had great
control because of King Arthur's capability to fight, conquer, and keep the faith of his
people. Then and now King Arthur was and still is a popular figure in literature all over
the world.