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Introduction
The story of King Arthur has captivated readers for a long time and stories of the great king, complete with the Wizard Merlin, Sword of Excalibur, Knights of the Round Table, have become a part of the folklore. However, there is much debate and scepticism whether King Arthur actually existed and if any of the stories have really happened. The paper would discuss if King Arthur was real, mythical, legendary or a mixture of all.
Main Text
Ashe (1985) comments that King Arthur first finds mention in the 1138 work of Geoffrey of Monmouth who wrote the book History of the Kings of Britain. In this work, King Arthur is reported to have fought the Saxons when they invaded Britain in the 5th century. The King engaged in a series of romantic battles and finally managed to drive away from the invasion. He also manages to conquer Denmark, Norway and Gaul. Experts have argued that argues that the work of Geoffrey was nothing but fiction that was based on old songs and fables that tended to glorify the King. According to the sceptics, there was nothing like Merlin the Wizard or the Excalibur sword. Ashe does not believe that King Arthur was a totally fictional character and argues that the story penned by Geoffrey was based on an actual king called Riotamus who ruled Britain in the 5th century. While he agrees that over the centuries, King Arthur has been glorified by fables and folklore and recently in operas and movies, there is some substance to the legend.
Barber (1986) comments that the medieval scribes were very much prone to fictionalising and inventing events and deeds of the historical characters. Literacy was very rare in those days, even many kings were illiterate, and what was worse, the kings excreted pressure on the hapless scribes under their service who were made to write historical facts as the kings wanted them to appear and not as the events had actually happened. The author argues that the notion of King Arthur as a romantic figure who threw out the invaders was very good and it served the Kings who used the legends to boost the morale of their armies. Many supernatural events that are described could not have conceivably happened and the story of the Excalibur sword and the Holy Grail was just a figment of imagination.
Coe (1995) however points out that there were a number of Celtic fables and folk songs that hailed Ambrosius Aurelianus as the brave warrior who held off the Romans and the Viking raiders. The songs are legends are often referenced with many actual facts and happenings that are part of documented history such as the Battle of Mount Badon where the Saxons were defeated. The author concludes that the legend of King Arthur grew from this warrior king who managed to save his people. Over the centuries, the name was anglicised to Arthur and this was the real king Arthur. The fifth century was a period of intense violence and wars with marauding enemies and mercenaries overrunning major parts of Europe. Britain was relatively protected since it was an island. Coe argues that in such conditions, the legend of King Arthur grew from old wives tales and gradually came into the popular folklore.
Conclusion
The paper thus concludes by saying that there is reasonable information to assume that a great King did live in the 5th century who drove out the Saxons. He was called by many names and King Arthur is one of them. However, the legends attributed to him are not all true and much of these stories are fictionalised and romantic.
References
Ashe, Geoffrey. 1985. The Discovery of King Arthur. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday.
Barber, Richard. 1986. King Arthur: Hero and Legend. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press.
Coe, John B. 1995. The Celtic Sources for the Arthurian Legend. Felinfach, Lampeter: Llanerch.
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