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King Arthur
(Page 2)
Arthur is mentioned again by
William of Malmesbury
in early
12th century, who maintained that he was the hero of many Welsh fables, but Arthurian romances owe most
of their notoriety to
Geoffrey of Monmouth and his
Historia Regum
Britanniae, published circa 1139. Here Arthur is identified as the son of the British king
Uther Pendragon, and his counselor Merlin
is introduced.
The
Historia Regum
Britanniae also mentions the isle of
Avalon, where Arthur went to
recover from wounds after his last battle, and it tells of Guinevere's infidelity and the
rebellion instigated by Arthur's nephew Mordred.
Much of Geoffreys material
was gathered from folktales and contains historical and chronological
inaccuracies. King Arthur was most likely
based on a figure from around 500 AD or earlier, whose life and deeds became
interwoven with romance mythology. According to
Celtic lore, Arthur helped stave off invasions
by Angles and Saxons, Germanic tribes that subsequently conquered Britain in
the fifth century.
Various scholars have favored the view that
Arthur was a leader in the north, in the south-west, in Wales or throughout
Britain. The truth of the matter is that we cannot be certain.
In conclusion, if King Arthur indeed lived, he did so at a
time when British history was hardly documented at all, a time of historical
shadow-lands of which all manner of tales and fables could be told without
fear of contradiction. Nonetheless, more Arthurian novels and movies
continue to be turned out continuously for the delectation of a voracious
public. Whether as outlandish fantasies or as profound archetypes of the
unconscious mind, the Arthurian characters continue to stimulate and inspire
us, for they have a enchanting fascination that is timeless.
See
Avalon,
Merlin,
Camelot,
Lyonesse,
Casting Black Magic Spells,
Commanding Spirits,
The Tarot Store and
Divination & Scrying Tools and
Supplies.
Sources: (1) Spence, Lewis,
An Encyclopedia of
Occultism, Carol Publishing Group;
(2)
Lacy, Norris J.,
The New Arthurian Encyclopedia,
Routledge
Publishing; (3)
Steiger, Brad and Sherry
Hansen,
The Gale Encyclopedia of
the Unusual and Unexplained,
Thomson Gale
Publishing; (4) Coghlan, Ronan,
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Arthurian
Legends, Houghton Mifflin
Publishing.
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