The Mythology Book

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Arthur easily pulled the blade from

the anvil. After proving several

times that he could withdraw the

sword, Arthur was hailed as the

rightful king of Britain.

The sword in the stone was

not the only famous blade in the

tale of Arthur. The sword named

Excalibur appears in many of the

Arthurian legends, with some

suggesting this is the very sword

he pulled from the anvil. In Malory’s

tale, Arthur was given the sword

by the “Lady of the Lake.” After

seeing the magical sword and

scabbard in the middle of a lake,

raised up by an ethereal hand,

Arthur promised the Lady a future

gift in exchange for them.

Grail quest

Books 13–17 of Malory’s account

contain the quest of Arthur and his

knights for the “Sangreal,” the “holy

grail.” This aspect of the Arthurian

legend was a popular subject in

medieval French accounts, such as

the Vulgate Cycle. Malory based

his information on the Holy Grail on

a story from this cycle: La Queste

del Saint Graal (“the quest for the

holy grail”). According to this

account, the Grail appeared on the

Round Table during the Christian

feast of Pentecost, which celebrates

Christ’s disciples being endowed

with the Holy Spirit. The Grail

brought forth food and drink

THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR

Lancelot and Guinevere depicted by

Herbert James Draper (c. 1890). After

Arthur’s death, Guinevere became a

nun, believing that their affair caused

the destruction of the Round Table.

for all those assembled before it

disappeared again. Arthur and his

knights then dedicated themselves

to searching for the Grail.

Tragic romances

The Round Table was a wedding

gift from King Leodegrance to

Arthur, who married the king’s

daughter Guinevere. This table is a

key element of the legend—during

Pentecost, King Arthur gathered

his chosen knights in Camelot (his

castle and court) and granted them

seats at the Round Table in exchange

for their fealty. Each knight swore

an oath, promising never to take up

arms in “wrongful quarrel” for the

sake of love or worldly goods.

Despite this, many of the books

of Le Morte d’Arthur contain tales

of quarrels over love, which often

ended in tragedy. This was the

case for Sir Tristan, who loved the

“belle Isolde” and was eventually

killed by her husband, a king.

The most famed romance in the

Excalibur is returned by Bedivere to

the Lady of the Lake. In Malory’s tale,

there were two women with that title:

the maiden who held the sword, and

Nimue, ruler of the Isle of Avalon.

Merlin warned the king

covertly that Guinevere was

not wholesome for him to

take to wife, for he warned

him that Lancelot should love

her, and she him again.

Le Morte d’Arthur

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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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