The Mythology Book

177

legend is that between Guinevere,

Arthur’s wife, and his best knight,

Sir Lancelot du Lac. The pair had

an affair, but were so indiscreet

that many schemed to expose their

adultery to the king, including

Arthur’s bastard son, Mordred.

Once the affair was exposed, the

king was forced to declare war on

Lancelot, thus dividing the Round

Table as he pursued his own knight

back to France. However, while

Arthur fought in France, Mordred

usurped his throne. This treason

reunited Arthur and his knights.

The death of Arthur

As its title suggests, Le Morte

d’A r t hu r ends with Arthur’s death.

Arthur and Mordred wounded each

other fatally at the Battle of Camlann.

As he lay dying, the wounded king

ordered Sir Bedivere to throw

Excalibur into the lake. When he

did so, up rose the arm of the Lady

of the Lake, who waved the weapon

three times before she disappeared

again. Bedivere carried Arthur to

the lake, where he was met by

women in black hoods, who took

Arthur away in a boat. Malory left

it open as to whether the “once and

future king” might one day return. ■

NORTHERN EUROPE

Twelve knights of the Round Table

are named in all medieval tellings of the

legend. Different sources suggest

numbers ranging from a total of 12 to 250

knights of the Round Table.

The Holy Grail

The Grail was supposedly the

same vessel Jesus drank from at

the Last Supper and that had

caught blood from his wounds

during the crucifixion. According

to Malory, it had been taken to

Britain by Joseph of Arimathea.

The Holy Grail first appeared to

Arthur’s knights covered by a

rich white cloth, accompanied

by thunder and lightning.

Malory emphasized that the

knights’ quest was a journey of

the soul as well as the body—

spiritual effort was required to

overcome sinfulness. Although

Lancelot was a knight without

peer, the sin he committed with

Guinevere made him impure,

and therefore unable to achieve

true knowledge of the Grail.

In the early tales, the Grail

was not explicitly called “holy,”

but it was associated with

Christianity. Chrétien de Troyes

described it as an elaborately

decorated bowl that contained

a single wafer for a Catholic

Mass. Some scholars believe

that the idea of the Grail can

be traced back to the mystical

cauldrons of Celtic mythology.

The Holy Grail is depicted in the

middle of the Round Table. The Grail

was variously imagined as a chalice,

bowl, or stone.

Gawain

Lancelot du Lac

Percival

Lamorak

Bedivere

Galahad

Kay

Geraint

King Arthur

Gaheris

Gareth

Tristan

Bors de Ganis

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