Synopsis of King Arthur's Tales - What are Excalibur and Knights of the Round Table?

Synopsis of King Arthur's Tales - What are Excalibur and Knights of the Round Table?

A) Outline

1)

King Arthur is a legendary figure who is said to have led the Britons around the 6th century.

In the 1st century BC, the Romans invaded an island in the western part of the continent (now Great Britain), named the area they controlled Britannia and called the Celtic peoples who originally lived in Britannia Britons.

2)

In the 4th century, the Romans retreated to the continent when the Germanic invasions began within the Roman Empire.

As the Romans withdrew, Germanic Saxons invaded Britain from the mainland.

Around the 6th century, King Arthur is said to have led the Britons against the Saxons.

3)

In the history books 'History of the Britons' and 'Cambrian Chronicles', written several hundred years after the period in which King Arthur is said to have been active, a supposed King Arthur appears.

However, it lacks authenticity, and research continues into the historicity of King Arthur.

Over the years, folklore from all over Europe has been incorporated and passed down as Arthurian tales.

There are many stories about King Arthur, and no one work can be called a source.

4)

The characters and episodes differ from work to work, but the most widely known is The Death of King Arthur, compiled by the English writer Thomas Mallory in the 15th century.

Synopsis of King Arthur stories.

B)

5)

When Arthur, with the holy sword Excalibur in his hands, ascends the throne as King of the Britons, the knights of the Round Table gather and unite Britannia.

Amidst tales of the knights' adventures, slaying giants and conquering Rome, it is discovered that knight Lancelot is having an affair with Queen Guinevere.

Arthur reconciles with Lancelot after a battle.

However, in the meantime, Mordred rebels. He is staved off but dies of his wounds.

6)

Accession of King Arthur.

Arthur, Son of the Briton King Uther, is given to Sir Ector by the sorcerer Merlin and raised with Sir Ector's Son Kay.

7)

One day, Kay is to participate in a jousting tournament but breaks his sword.

Looking for a replacement, Arthur finds a sword stuck in stone in front of Canterbury Cathedral and pulls it out.

The sword was the holy sword Excalibur, which only the rightful king of Britannia was said to be able to pull out.

8)

Excalibur appears in novels and games as a sword with magical powers.

In the Arthurian Tales, it appears as a sword that only the rightful king of the Britons can possess.

Excalibur is also known as Excalibur or Caliburn.

The different pronunciations occurred as the Arthurian tales were retold in English, French and Latin.

9)

Arthur ascends the throne as King of Britannia and makes Camelot his capital.

Where was Camelot, King Arthur's castle, located? Unfortunately, the location is not known.

Knights of the Round Table.

C)

10)

When King Arthur caused the battle for the unification of Britannia, King Leograndez gave his daughter Guinevere to Arthur.

The round table was Guinevere's present tool when she married.

11)

One day, King Arthur loses a battle and breaks his holy sword Excalibur.

When the magician Merlin takes Arthur to the lake, the Maiden of the Lake appears and gives him a new sword (the second holy sword Excalibur).

12)

There are two episodes in which Arthur obtains Excalibur, one in which he pulls the sword out of a stone and the other in which it is given to him by the Maiden of the Lake.

The Death of King Arthur by Thomas Malory employs both, which has created confusion in subsequent interpretations.

13)

King Arthur continued to expand his power by defeating giants and making expeditions to Rome.

Knights gathered in Camelot and formed the Knights of the Round Table.

14)

'Knights of the Round Table' were the knights around the Round Table at Camelot, King Arthur's castle, who served him.

The number of knights is often assumed to be 12, in imitation of Jesus Christ and the 12 Apostles.

Still, there are many stories about King Arthur, and the number of knights and members of the Round Table varies from level to account.

In one such story, Lancelot, one of the Knights of the Round Table, falls in love with Queen Guinevere.

Quest for the Holy Grail

D)

15)

At one point, King Arthur orders the knights of the Round Table to search for the Holy Grail.

So the knights search for the chalice, and Galahad, Percival and Boles discover where the chalice rests.

16)

The Holy Grail is the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper in Christianity, or the cup that received the blood of Jesus on the cross and is considered holy for performing miracles.

17)

And when Galahad took the chalice in his hand, his soul was taken up to heaven with it.

On the way back to Camelot, Percival also dies, and Balls, as the sole survivor, reports the conclusion of the Grail search.

Death of King Arthur.

E)

18)

When Lancelot's affair with Queen Guinevere was exposed, he killed the knights and fled with Guinevere to his native France.

19)

After Lancelot killed his brother, Gawain insisted on defeating Lancelot.

King Arthur attacked France but reconciled with Lancelot after a battle.

Guinevere also returns, but Gawain's anger is not appeased.

Finally, after single combat, Gawain is defeated by Lancelot.

20)

At the same time, Mordred, who was supposed to defend his castle Camelot, revolts.

Arthur hurriedly returns to Camelot and defeats Mordred but is mortally wounded.

21)

When King Arthur realises he is dying, he returns Excalibur to the Maid of the Lake and is carried by the Lake Maidens to Avalon in a small boat.

When England was in danger, it was believed that King Arthur would return with the holy sword Excalibur in his hand and his wounds healed.

F)

22)

Main characters.

King Arthur.

A legendary figure said to have fought the Saxons as king of the Britons. Many stories survive, and after defeating the Saxons, he unified the island of Britain and uniformed Scandinavia and France. Some enthrone him as Roman emperor.

23)

Uther Pendragon.

Father of Arthur. Also called Uther.

While Uther was fighting the Saxons, a giant comet appeared overhead.

When Uther asks the sorcerer Merlin about the comet, he says it is a sign that Uther's child will defeat the Saxons.

Hearing Merlin's prophecy, Uther creates two dragon sigils to represent the comet and calls himself 'Pendragon'.

Note that 'Pendragon' means 'head (leader) of the dragons'.

24)

Uther then fell in love with Igraine, Queen of the enemy King Gorlois of Cornwall.

With the help of the magician Merlin, he transforms himself into King Gorlois and spends a night with Queen Igraine. The queen becomes pregnant and gives birth to Arthur.

25)

Merlin.

A sorcerer in the service of the Briton king.

He is spoken of as having built Stonehenge, but this is not a historical fact as Stonehenge was built in BC.

26)

Guinevere.

Queen of Arthur. He falls in adulterous love with Lancelot.

After Arthur's death, she became a nun.

27)

Maiden of the Lake.

She is also called Vivienne or Nimue.

She is a wizard who is said to live in a castle standing in a lake.

She often appears in episodes such as "giving King Arthur Excalibur", "raising Lancelot", and "inviting King Arthur to the island of Avalon", including one in which she is killed.

As a result, some theories suggest that he is a generic name for more than one person.