Feature

Comparing History to Fiction 2


The Legend of King Arthur
Traditional

A long time ago, a baby named Arthur was born in a castle in Britain. His parents were the king and queen. Because the castle was under constant attack, Arthur's parents sent him to live with another family in the countryside. When Arthur was a boy, the king died.

One day a stone appeared that had a large sword stuck inside it. Carved on the sword were these words: "Whoever pulls this sword from the stone will be Britain's new king." Many brave men tried to pull out the sword, but none of them could move it an inch.

Years passed, Arthur became a young man, and the sword remained stuck in the stone. When Arthur's stepbrother, Kay, needed a sword, Arthur pulled the sword from the stone. He didn't realize the sword was special. Word about what Arthur had done spread, and he became King of Britain. Arthur kept the sword, called Excalibur, for the rest of his life and used it to fight many battles.

Arthur was a good king. He invited the knights of Britain to meet in his castle. There, the knights sometimes argued over who would sit at the head of the rectangular table. To stop the knights from fighting Arthur had the men sit at a round table instead. At this table, no man held more power than any other. The men became known as the Knights of the Round Table.

Arthur and the knights had many adventures. They helped people in need, and they fought dragons and other powerful creatures. Arthur kept Excalibur with him always.

Before Arthur died, he asked his friend, Bedivere, to throw Excalibur into a nearby lake. Bedivere couldn't part with the beautiful sword, but he finally closed his eyes and threw Excalibur into the lake. When Bedivere reopened his eyes, he saw a woman's hand reach out of the lake and catch the sword. The magical Lady of the Lake took Excalibur under the water to keep it safe. When Bedivere told Arthur what he had seen, the great king died in peace.

Was King Arthur a Real Person?

We’ve all heard stories about King Arthur of Camelot, who according to medieval legend led British forces (including his trusted Knights of the Round Table) in battle against Saxon invaders in the early sixth century. But was King Arthur actually a real person, or simply a hero of Celtic mythology? Though debate has gone on for centuries, historians have been unable to confirm that Arthur really existed. He doesn’t appear in the only surviving contemporary source about the Saxon invasion, in which the Celtic monk Gildas wrote of a real-life battle at Mons Badonicus (Badon Hills) around 500 A.D. Several hundred years later, Arthur appears for the first time in the writings of a Welsh historian named Nennius, who gave a list of 12 battles the warrior king supposedly fought. All drawn from Welsh poetry, the battles took place in so many different times and places that it would have been impossible for one man to have participated in all of them.

Later Welsh writers drew on Nennius’ work, and Arthur’s fame spread beyond Wales and the Celtic world, particularly after the Norman conquest of 1066 connected England to northern France. In the popular 12th-century book “History of the Kings of Britain,” Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote the first life story of Arthur, describing his magic sword Caliburn (later known as Excalibur), his trusted knight Lancelot, Queen Guinevere and the wizard Merlin. An irresistible blend of myth and fact, the book was supposedly based on a lost Celtic manuscript that only Geoffrey was able to examine. A series of romances by the French poet Chrétien de Troyes gave Arthur’s quest a spiritual motive by introducing his search for the mysterious Holy Grail. Though Arthur may not have been a real person, his mythic power would only grow stronger as the centuries passed. English rulers from Henry VIII to Queen Victoria have appropriated the Arthur legend for political purposes, while countless writers, painters, photographers, filmmakers and other artists have produced their own versions for posterity.
Question 1
The fictional portrayal of King Arthur emphasizes
Responses
A how many good laws King Arthur enacted.how many good laws King Arthur enacted.
B the terrible tensions that ruined his court.the terrible tensions that ruined his court.
C how magic, myth, and adventure surrounded this king.how magic, myth, and adventure surrounded this king.
D the difficulties Arthur experienced in his marriage.the difficulties Arthur experienced in his marriage.
Question 2
Based upon the information in the historical passage, which two statements best describe the actual King Arthur?
Responses
A It is very likely that the person known as King Arthur actually never existed.It is very likely that the person known as King Arthur actually never existed.
B King Arthur was, without question, the greatest and most powerful king to ever rule England.King Arthur was, without question, the greatest and most powerful king to ever rule England.
C King Arthur was chosen by the magical ritual of the sword in the stone to become King of England.King Arthur was chosen by the magical ritual of the sword in the stone to become King of England.
D King Arthur may have been a minor warrior who fought in a few battles against the invading Saxons.King Arthur may have been a minor warrior who fought in a few battles against the invading Saxons.
E King Arthur was the first person in England to institute the idea of democracy, evident in his creation of the Round Table.King Arthur was the first person in England to institute the idea of democracy, evident in his creation of the Round Table.