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! 

Pic 

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. 

Pic 

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.
Pic1

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.

Artorias the Abysswalker

It is truly outstanding how much the Arthurian legend inspires modern writers and producers, as well as game developers. As a great example for us would serve a noir fantasy game "Dark Souls" by Japanese game developer From Software. Besides it is an absolutely dramatic game with original Medieval setting, it's plot was also partially influenced by our favorite legend.

In DS, Artorias is one of the four mighty knights of lord Gwyn. Gwyn once plotted to steal the secret of fire from the dragons, which resulted in a worldwide cataclysm and turned all of the people to the mindless undead. Artorias himself was also infected by the Abyss - dreadful curse which turned him into a non-merciful, violent murder, while he tried to save his homeland. In contrast to original story, Artorias was never crowned, and after failing to protect his folk from Manus, the Father of the Abyss his only fate would be death with the player's hand. He also bears a powerful sword which was cursed, and It has a significant meaning to the plot, but there is not much story behind his weapon, unlike in traditional legend.
What also makes 2 stories similar is existence of Guinevere, who is named Gwynewere here. She is a daughter of lord Gwyn, but unlike from original story she has no connection with Artorias at all.

How to create your own Dragon Egg

 Everybody knows that medieval time is a time of  Dragons.So if you want to surprise your friends or neighbours, just make them.

Addicted to Round Table

For real fans of King Arthur's legend and other medieval stuff,company NeocoreGames made a game for PC users.It was released in November of 2009.This game includes real-time tactics for advanced gamers and turn-based strategy and of course it was made on Microsoft Windows Platform. pic 1

About gameplay I can tell you that campaign map displays an overview of Roman Britain in a fantasy-oriented style. Laws, research, and production all play a role in building the player's kingdom. 

On the pics ou can see the multipayer of the game. pic 2

Guinevere

pic

The dark ages held many myths.  King Arthur’s wife Guinevere is one of those myths. Every scholar, historian and poet have recognized Guinevere but with reluctance.  One reason for the apprehension is the lack of supporting documentation. Some historians claim there were 3 Guineveres who were married to Arthur.  The Guinevere that is told in this part of the New Theory is his first wife Guinevere of Orrge.

Guinivere, a Celtic Priestess, due to inherit most of Briton upon her marriage.  She was the daughter of King Orrge of the Douglas River.  He father had been defeated by King Urien of Gorre.  Guinevere’s father wanted her to be well trained to defend her large estates so he sent her to the Roman training camp at Caerlaverock on the east bank of the Nith.  She received full training to become a commander in an army. While she attended the training, she met Arthur.

Legend speaks of Guinevere’s beauty.  She was very handsome in her strange ways. Imagine a stout built woman of average height with long dark golden hair and dark blue eyes that is a trait of her Scandinavian blood.  A fair skinned warrior that was one of the richest women of all times.  Many men pined for her. 

Guinevere did something UN-heard of in her time, she chose to marry Arthur.  This broke the earlier arrangement made by her father to King Urien.  Guinevere took with her to Sterlingshire, The Round Table.  This was along with all the lands of Briton she possessed.

"Merlin" series

"Young Merlin is a teenager, discovering and then learning to master his magical gift. Magister Gaius, King Uther Pendragon's learned court physician to whom he's assigned as humble page, teaches him medicine, coaches his magical self-study, and warns him of Uther's strong aversion to magic. Merlin becomes squire to the noble but imprudent crown prince, Arthur, whose fate is linked with Merlin." - IMDb
Merlin series by BBC seem to be the most popular Arthur related story in the past 10 years. It really differs from other legend because the main character is not King himself but his companion, Merlin. Moreover, the plot is interpreted rather freely, but it does not mean that it is not interesting. Story is quite thrilling and with a good portion of humor. And you will definitely enjoy the acting of Bradley James and Colin Morgan!

King Arthur - the Film

If you want to look on interpretation of King's Arthur life, you can watch the movie directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Based on a more realistic portrayal of "Arthur" than has ever been presented onscreen. The film will focus on the history and politics of the period during which Arthur ruled when the Roman empire collapsed and skirmishes over power broke out in outlying countries as opposed to the mystical elements of the tale on which past Arthur films have focused.

For more inf. please press ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349683/?ref_=sr_1 )

Trailer taken from (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqZh1tg_bF4 )

Greetings, fellow wanderer.

If you found yourself visiting this blog then you are probably interested in the history of Britain. Or ancient and medieval legends are your hobby. Or you just find story of King Arthur magnificent and would like to know more about this legendary ruler. Anyway, you came to a right place.

Without thinking much about it, one can remember at least half a dozen of different films, books, video-games about King Arthorius. The purpose of this blog is to guide you through the myriads of various versions of this legend, beginning from Medieval times till our century. Please make yourself comfortable and enjoy the show.

Sincerely yours,
Pony Team