The Legend of King Arthur: An Introduction 8 th Grade GRC OMMS Mrs. Cole

Important Characters Uther Pendragon - The king of England during Arthur’s childhood. He is actually Arthur’s father. King Arthur - He is a conscientious, slightly timid young boy who becomes king of England after being tutored by Merlin. Arthur believes in justice and in doing what is right, but his faith in good sometimes makes him blind to the intrigue around him. Morgan le Fay - Morgause’s sister and Arthur’s half- sister. Morgan le Fay, who is most likely a fairy queen, is Arthur’s ultimate enemy.

A BRIEF summary of the Arthurian Legend: Birth to the Drawing of the Sword Many hundreds of years ago in Britain, King Uther Pendragon of England warred against the Cornish Duke of Tintagil, and so called him for diplomatic discussion. Unfortunately Uther fell in lust with his enemy's wife, Igraine, so the duke and his spouse abandoned the peace process and fled home; the duke holed up in Castle Terrabil, his wife in Castle Tintagil.

Uther laid seige on both, unsuccessfully. Then he asked his friend Sir Ulfius to fetch Merlin, who made a bargain to use his magic to make himself, Uther, and Ulfius look like Sir Jordanus, the duke, and Sir Brastias respectively. In return, any child that resulted from the marriage of Uther and Igraine would have to be turned over to Merlin. Seeing them leaving Terrabil en route for Tintagil, the real duke followed but was killed. The three imposters entered Tintagil Castle, and Igraine was taken by the disguised Uther, who shortly after married her as himself.

Igraine's existing three daughters by the old duke were Margause, Elaine, and Morgan le Fay Nine months later, Arthur was born, and taken away by Merlin according to his bargain with Uther, to be fostered by Sir Ector. Two years later Uther fell sick, thus prompting his Northern enemies to make battle, but he fought back, leading his armies from his horse-drawn sick-bed (Merlin's idea) and drove them off. He died anyway, and the land fell into strife for many years.

Eventually Merlin advised the Archbishop of Canterbury to invite the warring lords to London for Christmas, where mysteriously appeared in the churchyard, against the high altar, a four foot marble cube, and set in it a steel anvil, and stuck in that a sword. Written in gold on the sword were the words "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born of all England". Several tried, but all failed, so the Archbishop called a joust for New Year's Day, so everyone could have try.

Of the many who came were Sir Ector, his son Sir Kay, and young Arthur. At the joust Sir Kay discovered that he had left his sword at his lodging, so Arthur ran back for it. Everybody there was out watching the joust, so instead of breaking in he decided to take the sword instead, removing it with ease, and he delivered it to Sir Kay. Upon reading the inscription on the sword, Sir Ector, Kay, and others, in disbelief, escort Arthur back to the churchyard and ask him to draw the sword again.

After giving several demonstrations of his pulling power to the growing crowd, Arthur finally had revealed to him by Sir Ector that he was fostered on Merlin's orders, but did not tell him his true lineage, which was still a mystery to all but Merlin. The other lords were still dubious and demanded repeat performances at Twelfth Night, Candlemass, Easter, and finally Pentecost, during which Arthur was protected by Sirs Baudwin of Britain, Kay, Ulfius, Brastias and others.

Important Characters Morgause - The mother of Gawaine, Gaheris, Gareth, and Agravaine, and the half-sister of Arthur. Her seduction of Arthur is the first step in Arthur’s destruction. Mordred - The son of Arthur and his half-sister, Morgause. Mordred is raised by Morgause to hate Arthur. Guinevere - Arthur’s wife and Lancelot’s lover. Lancelot - Arthur’s best knight and the commander of his forces. Lancelot has a love affair with Guinevere, Arthur’s queen. Galahad - Lancelot and Elaine’s son; he is morally perfect and invincible and the only knight holy enough to find the Holy Grail.

Arthurian Legend Family Tree Uther Pendragon Igraine Arthur Guinevere Morgan Le Fay Morgause Mordred Gawaine Agravaine Gareth Gaheris Lancelot Elaine Galahad Duke Gorlois

Location of a Legend

Common Legends The Quest for the Holy Grail The Sword in the Stone Knights of the Round Table Lady of the Lake What do you know about these stories?

History or Legend? Though the legend is one of the most common and long-lasting in history, those who study it still cannot prove its legitimacy. Originating in the 5 th century A.D., the stories of Arthur changed much over time, becoming what we now know as the Middle Ages.