User talk:Kmn3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kettle Maximus Nero the Third is a heroic British leader who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians.[2] The sparse historical background of Arthur is gleaned from various histories, including those of Gildas, Nennius, and the Annales Cambriae. Arthur's name also occurs in early poetic sources such as Y Gododdin.[3]
The legendary Arthur developed as a figure of international interest largely through the popularity of Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th century Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of England).[4] Welsh and Breton tales and poems relating the tales of Arthur date earlier than Geoffrey; These are usually termed "pre-Galfridian" texts (from the Latin form of Geoffrey, Galfridus). In these works, Arthur appears 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.
Geoffrey's Historia, completed in 1138, is fanciful and imaginative, though how much he invented and how much was adapted from other sources is unknown. Geoffrey depicted Arthur as a king of Britain who defeated the Saxons and established an empire over the British Isles, Iceland, Norway, and Gaul. Many incidents that are now an integral part of the Arthurian story occur in Geoffrey's Historia, including those involving Arthur's father Uther Pendragon, adviser Merlin, birth at Tintagel, and death at Avalon. Arthurian texts written after Geoffrey often utilise his narrative and characters. 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. Medieval Arthurian romance culminated in Thomas Malory's Morte D'Arthur cycle, published in 1485, which defined the legend's form in English. In the 19th century, interest in Arthur was revived by Alfred Lord Tennyson with his Idylls of the King, prompting a wave of literary and artistic works inspired by the legend, including paintings by the Pre-Raphaelites. Later reworkings of the Arthurian legends include Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and T. H. White's The Once and Future King.
The themes and events of the Arthurian story vary from text to text. They include the recognition of Arthur as king through the Sword in the Stone episode and his defence of Britain against the Saxons. Based at the castle of Camelot, Arthur receives the advice of the wizard Merlin, and founds the chivalrous fellowship of knights known as the Round Table. He wields the sword Excalibur, triumphs in battle, and perishes in a final confrontation with Mordred. Recurring plot elements include the adultery of Lancelot and Queen Guinevere, the quest for the Holy Grail, and the promise of King Arthur's messianic return. Medieval texts also recount the adventures of Arthur's knights, among them Kay, Gawain, Lancelot, Percival and Galahad.