In Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a leader of the post-Roman Britons in battles against Anglo-Saxon invaders of Britain in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. He first appears in two early medieval historical sources, the Annales Cambriae and the Historia Brittonum, but these date to 300 years after he is supposed to have lived, and most historians who study the period do not consider him a historical figure. [2] [3] His name also occurs in early Welsh poetic sources such as Y Gododdin. [4] The character developed through Welsh mythology, appearing either as a great warrior defending Britain from human and supernatural enemies or as a magical figure of folklore, sometimes associated with the Welsh otherworld Annwn. [5]

Padel, O. J. (Fall 1995), "Recent Work on the Origins of the Arthurian Legend: A Comment", Arthuriana, 5 (3): 103–14, doi: 10.1353/art.1995.0040, S2CID 32369325 . The legendary Arthur developed as a figure of international interest largely through the popularity of Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae ( History of the Kings of Britain). [6] Geoffrey depicted Arthur as a king of Britain who defeated the Saxons and established a vast empire. Many elements and incidents that are now an integral part of the Arthurian story appear in Geoffrey's Historia, including Arthur's father Uther Pendragon, the magician Merlin, Arthur's wife Guinevere, the sword Excalibur, Arthur's conception at Tintagel, his final battle against Mordred at Camlann, and final rest in Avalon. The 12th-century French writer Chrétien de Troyes, who added Lancelot and the Holy Grail to the story, began the genre of Arthurian romance that became a significant strand of medieval literature. In these French stories, the narrative focus often shifts from King Arthur himself to other characters, such as various Knights of the Round Table. The themes, events and characters of the Arthurian legend vary widely from text to text, and there is no one canonical version. Arthurian literature thrived during the Middle Ages but waned in the centuries that followed, until it experienced a major resurgence in the 19th century. In the 21st century, the legend continues to have prominence, not only in literature but also in adaptations for theatre, film, television, comics and other media.Bruce, Christopher W. (1999). The Arthurian Name Dictionary. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0815328656 . Retrieved 26 February 2014.

The origin of the Welsh name "Arthur" remains a matter of debate. The most widely accepted etymology derives it from the Roman nomen gentile (family name) Artorius. [35] Artorius itself is of obscure and contested etymology. [36] Linguist Stephan Zimmer suggests Artorius possibly had a Celtic origin, being a Latinization of a hypothetical name *Artorījos, in turn derived from an older patronym *Arto-rīg-ios, meaning "son of the bear/warrior-king". This patronym is unattested, but the root, *arto-rīg, "bear/warrior-king", is the source of the Old Irish personal name Artrí. [37] Some scholars have suggested it is relevant to this debate that the legendary King Arthur's name only appears as Arthur or Arturus in early Latin Arthurian texts, never as Artōrius (though Classical Latin Artōrius became Arturius in some Vulgar Latin dialects). However, this may not say anything about the origin of the name Arthur, as Artōrius would regularly become Art(h)ur when borrowed into Welsh. [38] It depicts people being so consumed by jealously that they kill people who previously were their friends. It also contains a level of warfare violence that is appropriate for the subject matter. Fisher, IV, Benjamin Franklin (1990). "King Arthur Plays from the 1890s". Victorian Poetry. 28 (3/4): 153–176. JSTOR 40002298.

Fun Stuff

Please don’t hate me but I really love Mordred, such a good antagonist, he wasn’t just a character that came out of no where and was against Arthur, we got to see him grow up and all that stuff, and I think that’s why he’s such a likeable character, yes he did bad things but the way he was also

Barber, Richard (1986), King Arthur: Hero and Legend, Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press, ISBN 0-85115-254-6 . DNF but I did make it almost all the way through because I was on a 2 hour ferry crossing and had nothing else to do. Variants of Geoffrey's version of Constantine appeared in the numerous later adaptations of the Historia, which were widely regarded as authentic in the Middle Ages. Such variants include Wace's Anglo-Norman Roman de Brut, the Welsh Brut y Brenhinedd, and Layamon's English Brut. [21] These typically reflect Geoffrey's cynicism about the character. Layamon, however, adds a touch of optimism, writing that Constantine successfully if briefly answered Arthur's charge to rule in his manner. [19] Following Geoffrey, many of these works do not expand upon Constantine's relation to Arthur, though others elaborate that he is Arthur's nephew. Taking hints from Geoffrey's version of Arthur's family tree, these writers make Constantine's father Cador a brother, or half-brother, of Arthur through Arthur's mother Igraine. [22] [23] Later traditions [ edit ] Medieval romance and prose tradition [ edit ]Lacy, Norris J. (1992–1996), Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation, New York: Garland, ISBN 978-0-8153-0757-0 . 5vols. Thorpe, Lewis, ed. (1966), Geoffrey of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain, Harmondsworth: Penguin, OCLC 3370598 . Breeze, Andrew (September 2015). "The Historical Arthur and Sixth-Century Scotland". Northern History. LII (2): 158–181. doi: 10.1179/0078172x15z.00000000085. S2CID 161217897. Zimmer, Stefan (2006), Die keltischen Wurzeln der Artussage: mit einer vollständigen Übersetzung der ältesten Artuserzählung Culhwch und Olwen . Ashe, Geoffrey (1996), "Geoffrey of Monmouth", in Lacy, Norris (ed.), The New Arthurian Encyclopedia, New York: Garland, pp.179–182, ISBN 978-1-56865-432-4 .

Ashley, Michael (2005), The Mammoth Book of King Arthur, London: Robinson, ISBN 978-1-84119-249-9 . For a discussion of the tale, see Bromwich & Evans 1992; see also Padel 1994, pp.2–4; Roberts 1991a; and Green 2007b, pp.67–72 and chapter three. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2021-07-15 13:01:03 Associated-names Foreman, Michael, 1938- Boxid IA40173717 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifierVinaver, Sir Eugène, ed. (1990), The Works of Sir Thomas Malory, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-812346-0 . 3rded., revised. Johnson, Flint (2002), The British Sources of the Abduction and Grail Romances, University Press of America . Koch, John T. (2006), Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia, Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, ISBN 1851094407 . Littleton, C. Scott; Malcor, Linda A. (1994), From Scythia to Camelot: A Radical Reassessment of the Legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table and the Holy Grail, New York: Garland, ISBN 978-0-8153-1496-7 .