KING ARTHUR
The legend of King Arthur begins at the dawn of the Middle Ages, when England was known as the kingdom of the Britons, constantly ravaged by Saxons, Angles, and Germanics from southern Scandinavia. Arthur acted as a savior and defender of the British. A book written in the 11th century talks about the life and exploits of King Arthur, but the essential book to get to know this king is Thomas Malory’s The Death of King Arthur (year 1485).
Arthur’s father was a king of Great Britain named Uther Pendragon. During his reign, peace reigned in his town, but he had a great concern because he did not have a son to inherit his kingdom. Arthur was madly in love with a woman married to a duke, named Igraine. Arthur organized a great party and invited the duke and his wife. Given the continued harassment that Arthur did to his wife, the duke left the party very angry and without saying goodbye to the king. This led to a war between the duke and the king. The king asked Merlin, the magician, for help to cohabit with Igraine, in exchange for giving him the son that was born from that relationship. Merlin agreed and changed the appearance of the king for that of the duke, so that Arthur cohabited with Igraine, and that same night they conceived a son. Uther and Igraine were married, the duke having been killed in battle. When the child Arthur was born, he gave it to Merlin, as he had promised, and he in turn gave it to Sir Ector, without telling him who he was. Igraine died in childbirth and shortly after Uther died, and since no one knew of Arthur’s existence, a fight began between the nobles in order to seize the vacant crown. Arthur grew up being his teacher Merlin. The nobles got tired of so much fighting and asked the magician Merlin for help. Although many tried, no one succeeded, until Arthur, who was 15 years old at the time, easily extracted the sword Excalibur and was proclaimed king.
At the end of one of his many battles, Arthur stayed to sleep in a castle. There he met Guinevere, and he thought that she was the most beautiful woman in the world and that he wanted to marry her, and indeed Arturo and Guinevere got married.
Arthur smashed his old sword, the one he had drawn from the stone, so Merlin took him to see the Lady of the Lake, who provided him with a magical sword, called Excalibur, whose scabbard would protect him from any injury he suffered.
King Arthur and his knights discussed the affairs of the kingdom around a round table, which was in Camelot.
Before Arthur married Guinevere, he cohabited with a young woman who asked for shelter in his castle. This was called Morgause, and she was Arthur’s half-sister. Morgause became pregnant and had a son whom she named Mordred. It is then that Morgana appears in the legend who wants to end Arthur using his son, Mordred.
The legend of the Holy Grail: The Grail was thought to be the cup of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, and all of King Arthur’s knights were hell-bent on finding it. It was said that she was hidden in a mysterious castle. One of the knights was Lancelot, who over time became Arthur’s best friend. He entrusted the care of his wife Guinevere to said gentleman. Lancelot ended up falling in love with Queen Guinevere.
One day, Lancelot disappeared for several years. She met King Pelles and his daughter Elaine, who fell in love with Lancelot, and using spells managed to sleep with the knight, conceiving a son named Galahad. Lancelot returned to Camelot. When his son grew up, Lancelot brought him to Camelot to make him a Knight and seat him at the round table, but suddenly an image of the Grail appeared and Arthur ordered his knights to find it. Many died to find it. Galahad finally found it, but he had an illusion that he said not to take the Grail to Camelot but to Sarras, in the Middle East.
Lancelot was in love with Guinevere, and Arthur did not know it because he trusted his knight’s loyalty. One night, Mordred visited Arthur and told him that he had seen Lancelot and Guinevere together. Arturo did not want to do it, but agreed to set a trap for the two lovers. Guinevere was captured in the ambush, but Lancelot was able to escape. Guinevere was sentenced to burn to death at the stake, but was freed by Lancelot and his knights, fleeing from Camelot. After several months of siege of Lancelot’s castle by King Arthur, they reach an agreement: Guinevere would return with Arthur and Lancelot would go to France, but Arthur changed his mind and went to France to kill Lancelot, meanwhile Mordred names himself. himself king and claims Guinevere as his queen. Arthur leaves France and returns to Camelot to reclaim his kingdom.
Arthur was not satisfied with this arrangement and entered France to attack Lancelot. Arthur left Mordred in charge and while he was away, Mordred made himself king and claimed Guinevere as his wife. Arthur was forced to give up his fight with Lancelot and return to Camelot in an attempt to win back his kingdom. In the heat of the battle Arthur loses Excalibur and its scabbard, but takes a spear and sticks it through the heart of the latter, which has time to hit Arthur’s head with his sword. His last words were to tell them to take his Excalibur sword and scabbard to the lake. His body rests on Avalon, an islet in the middle of the lake.
THE EXCALIBUR SWORD AND KING ARTHUR
Excalibur is the best-known nickname for King Arthur’s legendary sword. It is a magical sword to which the magician Merlin attributes surprising powers, during the countless adaptations of the myth and its corresponding stories. About the origin of its name there are many versions, but none definitive.
WHERE IS THE EXCALIBUR SWORD?
The legendary Excalibur, nailed to a rock, is in the Chapel of Montesiepi, near the abbey of San Galgano, in Tuscany, near the city of Perugia.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE EXCALIBUR SWORD IN THE LEGEND?
When he was taken to Avalon, King Arthur, already dying, gives the sword Excalibur to the magician Merlin who in turn gives it to the Lady of the Lake. His hand rises from the waters and grasps the sword. Slowly the Excalibur sword was submerged in the icy waters of the lake.
HOW MANY EXCALIBUR SWORDS ARE THERE?
The original Excalibur was broken, and with the fragments 7 different swords were made with the name Excalibur, and it seems that some of them are kept by the Vatican, the Protestant Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.