- Avalon
-- The enchanted isle presided over by Morgan le Fay.
This is where King Arthur's sword was forged and where he
was taken to heal his battle wounds. Avalon relates not only
to a mystical otherworld, but also the island of Glastonbury.
Avalon is where the King's healing, retreat from the world
and source of immortality occurred, and Glastonbury the final
resting place and burial site of the King.
- Arthur
-- King of Britain and the character of the legend begun
by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Arthur's stories, however, were in
existence in Celtic lands before this. He was born in Tintagel,
his home was Camelot, and he was buried at Avalon. He marries
the beautiful Queen Guinevere and establishes his order of
knighthood which has men from all nations coming in answer
to the call, while peace flourishes and Britain rises to an
unmatched level of culture and wealth. In his absence and
near the end of his reign, Arthur and his kingdom are betrayed
by his nephew Mordred who is slain by Arthur upon his return.
Arthur is mortally wounded in this battle with his nephew
and is carried off to Avalon to be healed.
- Camelot
-- A medieval utopia, the name is of unknown origin and
the city cannot be placed geographically. It is the seat of
Arthur's power in medieval romance and pertains to the castle
as well as the surrounding town. It belongs to Arthur, rather
than the nation. Camelot has a religious aura -- knights are
baptized here and it is the where the Grail seekers depart
from.
- Excalibur
-- Arthur's supernatural sword. In some versions it is
referred to as the Sword in the Stone. As Excalibur, Merlin
and Arthur together obtain it from the Lady of the Lake whose
hand holds it aloft from the water. Merlin instructs Arthur
that the sheath is more valuable as he cannot lose blood as
long as he carries it. As the Sword in the Stone, Merlin magically
secures the sword in the stone which only one knight would
be able to remove.
- Galahad
-- Son of Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic. Upon coming
of age, Galahad goes to Camelot where signs reveal him to
be the destined knight who will find the grail. Not only is
he able to sit in the Siege Perilous but he also can withdraw
the Sword in the Stone. His most important attribute is his
chastity which is a prerequisite for realizing the Grail --
which he attained before dying. To medieval mentality, Galahad
was Christ-like. His character in part is an attempt to amalgamate
Christian and chivalric beliefs.
- Gawain
-- The chief knight of the Round Table. Gawain's strength
increases until noon then wanes, hinting that he has origins
as a solar god. Gawain is variously portrayed in the romances.
In some, he is one of Arthur's main champions -- a chivalrous
and brave hero that endures and passes extreme tests, in others
he is depicted as comic, a cheat and womanizer as well as
vengefully violent. He almost attains the Grail but is denied
due to his sins.
- Guinevere
-- Arthur's queen. The romances depict her as the daughter
of Leodegan, previous owner of the Round Table, which she
brings as part of her dowry to Arthur. The recurring theme
of her entanglement with men besides her husband, whether
by consent or abduction, has many variations. The romance
writers show a sympathy for her that Geoffrey of Monmouth
does not. They change her attentions from the conniving Mordred
to the noble and magnificent Lancelot. When Arthur tries to
have her executed for treason, Lancelot rescues her and this
conflict and rivalry within the court signals the beginning
of the end of Arthur's golden age. Guinevere's affair with
Lancelot, while troubled, endures . She enters a convent at
Amesbury after the final battle. When Lancelot visits her
there, she bids him farewell, knowing their affair has brought
about the ruin of the noblest group the world has known.
- Sir Kay
-- The foster brother of King Arthur and son
of Sir Ector. Arthur made him his seneschal at Camelot.
- Knights
of the Round Table -- The 150 knights who had seats
at the Round Table. Twenty chairs were left open for those
who might prove worthy. These knights went in quest of adventures,
but their foremost adventures concerned the quest for the
Holy Grail. Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad, Sir Gawain, Sir Kay,
and Sir Mordred were some of the more famous knights.
- Lady
of the Lake -- There are two different Ladies of the Lake in Arthurian
Legend. Vivien or Dame du Lac was the woman who raised Lancelot
and who gave Excalibur to Arthur. Nimue, was the woman who
Merlin fell in love with and that used his love to obtain
his magical knowledge which she then used against him.
- Lancelot
(du Lac) -- The most famous of the Knights. While he appeared on
the outside to be a model of chivalry, he was internally conflicted
and flawed. Lancelot is the son of Ban, King of Benoic, and
was carried away and raised by the Lady of the Lake. On his
eighteenth birthday, she presents him to King Arthur's court.
Lancelot may best be known as Guinevere's lover. Though their
love is stormy at times, it is deep and lasting and is integral
to Grail legend. While Lancelot is the guest of the Grail-keeper
Pelles, he magically tricks the knight into sleeping with
his daughter Elaine in the form of Guinevere. The result of
their union is Galahad, the designated Grail-knight. Lancelot
himself is denied the Grail because of his adultery. Ironically,
it is that love that conceived the knight that attains the
Grail. ÊWhen Arthur is forced to order the Queen's execution
for her infidelity, a fight breaks out amongst the knights.
Lancelot carries Guinevere off to his castle, Joyous Gard.
This causes a rupture in the Round Table and even when the
Queen is returned, Lancelot found a rival court in France.
Peace is never restored but the possibility arises after the
death of Gawain.
- Merlin
-- Enchanter, wizard, prophet, advisor and scholar with
Druidic attributes. Merlin oversees Arthur's conception and
birth, enables his ascension and acts as high counsel to the
King in the early phase of his reign. He was heralded as a
greater sorcerer than any in the court. In early stories,
Merlin was responsible for creating the Sword in the Stone
-- a test which would prove Arthur's royal birthright. The
later romances tell of Merlin acquiring Excalibur from the
Lady of the Lake and aiding Arthur in his early struggles
for unification. He lays the foundation for the Grail Quest
but is seduced by Nimue who steals his magic and then imprisons
him with enchantment.
- Mordred
-- Traitorous leader that leads to Arthur's downfall.
Modred is Arthur's nemesis and nephew who rules together with
Guinevere during Arthur's crusade in Gaul. Modred sways the
Queen into an adulterous affair, takes the throne and makes
peace with the hated Saxons whom Arthur had destroyed at Badon.
Arthur returns home and kills him but he is mortally wounded
and taken to Avalon.
- Morgan
le Fay -- The fairy sister of King Arthur. She
is a principal figure in Celtic legend and Arthurian romance.
Morgan, a witch, lives at the bottom of a lake and dispenses
her riches to those she was fond of. She also goes by the
names of ÊMorgana, Morgane and Morgue la Faye.
- Sir
Percival -- The Knight of the Round Table who,
in the later romances, finally won sight of the Holy Grail.
- The
Round Table-- The Table reputed to have been made by Merlin for Uther
Pendragon, Arthur's father. The Table seated 150 knights and
was created in a circular design to stave off the appearance
of rank and any jealousy that might stem from it. One seat,
the Siege Perilous, was reserved for the one who located the
Grail.
- The
Lady of Shalott -- A maiden in the Arthurian romances
who fell in love with Lancelot. Her cause of death was unrequited
love. She was found dead, floating in a boat on a river leading
to Camelot.
- Tintagel
-- The fabled birthplace and castle of King Arthur. Located
on the north coast of Cornwall.
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