The document discusses the many contributors to the Arthurian legend and how accounts of King Arthur have varied over time. It notes that the earliest writings were by Nennius in the 9th century, focusing on Arthur's battles, while Geoffrey of Monmouth placed Arthur in the 5th century but incorporated Welsh legends. Later authors like Chretien de Troyes introduced characters like Lancelot and the Holy Grail. The document concludes that while Arthur likely defended Britain from invaders as a Celtic chieftain, the facts have been altered so much over time that the real King Arthur, if he existed, may never be fully known.

1. King Arthur
Is there a real man
behind the myth?

2. What did Arthur look like?

3. Who was King Arthur?
Despite, or perhaps because of, so many
authors’ accounts of King Arthur, it is
impossible to discern which Arthur is the real
Arthur, or if in fact there is one at all. Some
works are considered historical, and some
literature, though this distinction is hardly
credible since it is based on the author’s
societal position during his lifetime. The
Authors were rarely specific about Arthur’s
life: most did not discuss the time or place of
Arthur’s reign. Therefore, much of our
information is not factual. With that in mind,
Here are the accounts of some of the more
Prominent contributors to the Arthurian Myth.

4. Arthurian England

5. Historia Brittonum
Nennius
Nennius wrote his histories in Bangor in
the 9th century. He was the first to
write about King Arthur and focused
mainly on his battles. His writings are
important because, while they may
not be entirely true, they Allow us to
place Arthur’s story in a verifiable
time in history. He mentions Arthur’s
battles in the midst of other historical
battles with which we are familiar. It is
probable, though, that Nennius was
writing about a man who is not the
Arthur with whom we are most
familiar.

6. Arthur of Britain
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey’s account of Arthur is
included in his History of the Kings
of Britain (12th century), and is
considered historical. However, this
does not make it entirely reliable.
He placed Arthur in the 5th century,
but He incorporated many Welsh
legends into his writings and
invented many himself. For
example, only in his History is
Arthur’s sword known as Caliburn
and the character of Mordred is his
nephew.

7. The Knight of the Cart
Chretien de Troyes
Chretien De Troyes was a french writer in the mid-12th
century; he was born when Geoffrey of Monmouth
was published. His literature can be held accountable
for the introduction of Lancelot, Camelot, and the
Holy Grail into Arthurian Legend. His stories did not
focus directly on Arthur, but used his court as a
backdrop. The Knight of the Cart tells the story of
Lancelot’s rescue of Guinevere from Melegeant. He
tells nothing of Merlin, Excalibur, or any of the knights
of the Round Table.

8. Joseph d’Arimathia
Merlin
Robert de Boron
Robert De Boron lived in Burgundy
and wrote his Poems in 1180. His
works are considered to be
literature as well. He elaborates on
the presence of the Holy Grail, but
Arthur is hardly mentioned. At the
time He was writing, The supposed
bones of the real Arthur and
Guinevere were found at
Glastonbury. This refuted the belief
that Glastonbury was previously
Aval0n, the burial site of the Holy
grail, because Arthur never found
the Grail.

9. The Vulgate Cycle
various authors
The Vulgate Cycle is a medieval collection
of eight volumes telling the most
detailed story of Arthur. This account
involved every central character found in
all Arthurian literature, including Nimue,
Merlin’s true love. It defines Lancelot’s
and Guinevere’s affair as the central
cause for the breakdown of Arthur’s
Round Table. This text adopts much of
its plot from Robert De Boron and
Chretien De Troyes.

10. The Death of Arthur
Sir Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory wrote during the
reign of King Henry V (to whom
Malory’s Arthur looks very similar).
He places Arthur’s Court in
Winchester, where Arthur is the
reigning leader of all men. The title
of his book is misleading, and was
given by a mistaken editor at the
printing press. In his later works,
Lancelot becomes the dynamic
protagonist of Malory’s stories. In
fact, he was the Hero of his own
novel, called the tale of Sir
Lancelot Du Lake.

11. The Coming Of Arthur
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Tennyson wrote a series of poems and
novelettes about most of the
characters found throughout Arthurian
history, focusing on no one in
particular. His book The Coming of
Arthur focuses on Arthur’s conquests
and his marriage to Guinevere, but
does not mention Lancelot or Merlin
(who appears five poems later).

12. The Once And Future King
The Book of Merlyn
T.H. White
White’s classic work is a beloved
combination of four previous ones: The
Sword In The Stone, The Queen Of Air
and Darkness, The Ill-Made Knight,
and The Candle In The Wind. These
four stories tell of the King Arthur with
which everyone today is most familiar.
This story was made into a made-for-tv
movie in 1998. T.H. White then
continued the story in his Book of
Merlyn, which colors and completes
Merlin’s life.

13. Where does History point?
Though we don’t know the exact history of Arthur, it is safe to
assume that he was a leader forced to defend his land from
many different invaders. Geoffrey of Monmouth probably came
closest to giving us a reliable history, because He wrote Arthur
as a Celtic chieftain fighting the Saxons. This account is likely to
be factual because history tells us that after the 5th century, the
Celts were forced into Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland by the
Saxons.

14. Will we ever know?
Over the years, Arthur’s story has been edited, elaborated, and
artistically altered by dozens of authors; It would be impossible
today to distill the facts from the fiction. Is there a real man
behind the myth? However solid our evidence may be, and
whoever claims to know the “Correct” story, we will probably
never know the answer to this question. However, there is no
doubt that his legacy as a true Mystical hero will endure for
generations to come.
The End

15. Bibliography
• Rise, Brian Edward. Arthurian Legend. Encyclopedia Mythica. April 27, 2004.
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/folklore/arthurian
• Nennius. Historia Brittonium. April 27, 2004.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/nennius-full.html
• Geoffrey of Monmouth. The history of the kings of Britain. Penguin USA: 1977.
• King Arthur: A Man For the Ages.
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4186/Arthur/htmlpages/kingarthurfaq5.html
• The Legends of King Arthur. San Francisco University. April 22, 2004.
• http://www2.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/kingarth/1intro.html
• The Prose Vulgae Cycle. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. May 1,
2004. http://www.wwnorton.com/nael/middleages/topic_2/vulgate.htm
• King Arthur and the Matter of Britain. May 3, 2004.
http://www.legends.dm.net/kingarthur/malory.html
By Amelia Taber