Camelot

In the medieval tales of King Arthur, Arthur had ruled from a magnificent city  Camelot. Unfortunately, the writers disagree on its location and its whereabouts has long remained a mystery.  However, wherever it was, the city would not have been called Camelot during the historical Arthur’s time.  The name Camelot was an invention of the twelfth-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes

Countless legends and stories about Camelot create an enduring impression of a wonderful, mystical castle where knights in shining armour lived. A castle now immortalised in the lyrics of the song where the climate of Camelot was perfect all of the year, where winter and spring always started on exactly the same day and where there was not a more congenial spot - a land of happy endings that was Camelot! 

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Excalibur

We all know the story of young knight Arthur and his famous sword Excalibur. One legend says that Lady of  the Lake gave it to Arthur and another says that it was removed from stone by Arthur. There are as many legends about Excalibur as there are about Arthur, Merlin or knights of Camelot.

Excalibur, the legendary sword of King Arthur, has been referred to by many names. Such names include different spellings of Excalibur such as Excalibor and Excaliber. Other names include Caliburn, Caledwich, Caledfwich, Calibia

According to different legends, before the birth of Arthur, Merlin has put the sword into the stone and locked it there until the true ruler of Britain comes to remove it. Some legends say Arthur removed Excalibur as a small boy to get a sword for his cousin. Another story says he removed it as a young man when he, like other knights, went to the stone to try his luck at removing it. It is believed that  only Arthur could use the sword.

The sword has been described as having a gold hilt with twin dragons whose eyes shoot out fire or, depending on the source, whose eyes have the power to calm. 

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Holy Graal

According to one of many legends about King Arthur and his knights, one of their most aim was to find a Holy Graal, mysterious plate, dish or cup, from which Jesus Christ drank at the Last Supper and in which Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood from the wounds of the Savior crucified on the cross.

Knights of round table, against the king Arthur wish, vowed to find Graal and gave up their duties.
But most of the knights were unsuccessful for their sins, and Round Table was scattered, so the kingdom became weakened by the neglect of ordinary duties in the search of something, that couldn't be gained by a mortal men.

It is believed that  Joseph of Arimathea gave the Graal to the King's Arthur storage. According to one legend, King Arthur was buried with the cup on the magical Island of Avalon. Many researchers of King Arthur's time tried to find not a magical but a real island. One of the possible burial sites was called the island of Glastonbury.

At the end of the 12 century, the legend of King Arthur's grave in Glastonbury Abbey was confirmed. In 1184,  there was a big fire on the territory of the abbey that destroyed the building almost to the ground. Later, in 1190, during the reconstruction, at a depth of three meters  a hollow chamber was  discovered by monks  . Once opened,in the tomb were found two shrines with the bodies of woman and man.Accordng to inspection, the male skeleton was two meters twenty-five centimeters and there were found fair hair on female skeleton . The discovery was announced as a burial of Arthur and Guinevere, their bodies were solemnly reburied  in the burial place of a huge cross. At the end of the twentieth century, British archaeologists who came to the burial place of King Arthur, had an autopsy to determine the graves of the individual bodies. Skeletons of Guinevere and Arthur were sent for a medical examination, which confirmed that they belong to the time of King's life. The mystery of Avalon has been disclosed, but in spite of careful excavation and studies well druids, the Graal was not found.
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King Arthur’s Influence on The Lord of the Rings

Who might have thought that one great tale can inspire someone to create another story, both epic and  immense? But sometimes it happens, an here is an interesting research of parallels found between Arthurian legend and Lord of the Rings saga. Research by Denise O Donoghue, both pics are also from there.

The legendary figure of Arthur can be seen in the character of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. Aragorn was raised by Elrond in Rivendell and by the elves of Lothlórien. Similarly, following Arthur’s birth he was taken by elves and blessed with many enchantments. The role of elves and the fae in the two tales play central roles to the shaping of their kings. They bestow upon the heirs many kingly virtues and qualities either through magic, as in Arthur’s case, or upbringing, as in Aragorn’s case. The two kings’ true identities were hidden from them since birth until they came of age and came into possession of their ancestral swords and began their quests to reclaim their lost heritage.

 

Both fulfil prophesies by coming into public awareness bearing swords of great importance which allow them to unite and rule kingdoms. Both swords are symbols that herald the return of the rightful King. The ownership of these swords further entitles the bearer to contest their right to the crown. Aragorn and Arthur are instrumental in fighting for their people’s freedom and bringing victory where once there was defeat.

In The Lord of the Rings the island of Avalon is embodied in the forest of Lothlórien. Galadriel can be compared to Morgan le Fay. The “Isle of Apples” is echoed in the “Golden Wood”. While Arthur’s story ends with his journey to Avalon, which becomes his resting place, there is no way back for Aragorn, who chooses to die in Gondor. However, Lothlórien becomes the final resting place for Arwen, his queen.

If we see Aragorn as Arthur, it is easy to find other comparisons between the two texts. Gandalf is clearly the wizard Merlin, sent to aid the rightful and future king to free his lands, unite his kingdom and begin his reign.

Aragorn’s reforged sword Narsil is Arthur’s Excalibur. Although Aragorn does not get the sword through mystical means, he must still earn the sword by fighting for his people and his land.

The Fellowship’s quest to destroy the One Ring bears resembles the Knights of the Round Table’s quest to find the Holy Grail. It is not the king, but a member of the Fellowship who is best equipped to complete the quest and destroy the ring, just like it is one of Arthur’s Knights who earns the grail.