The Birth of Arthur

Uther Pendragon was Arthur's father and king of Britain. He had had a disagreement with the Duke of Tintagel and had invited him and his wife to his castle to form a truce.

While they were there Uther Pendragon fell in love with Igraine, the duke's wife. But she did not return it. She told her husband and they left and prepared their castle for war.

Uther responded and many on both sides died. Uther's love for Igraine just became stronger and stronger until his warriors called Merlin, a powerful wizard, to help.

Merlin said that he could get the king to Igraine but that in return he wanted to be given the child that would result from their union.

Soon after Uther left for the duke's castle, disguised as the duke, the duke himself attacked Uther's men and was killed.

The two armies were reconciled and when Uther proposed marriage Igraine accepted.

The son that resulted was given to Merlin who gave it to Sir Ector to be raised. The boy was named Arthur.

Several years later Uther became ill. Just before he died he named his son Arthur as the next heir.

The Sword in the Stone

Arthur knew not that he was the named heir and several lords thought that they should made king. Merlin instructed the Archbishop to call all the important lords to London for Christmas. He said that he would have a miracle to prove which was the rightful heir.

When they all left the church they saw a great marble stone with an anvil in the middle that had a sword thrust in it, up to the hilt.

'Whoever pulls this sword out of this stone and anvil if the rightful king of England' was inscribed around it.

Many tried to remove the sword and none succeeded.

They decided that every day they would try to pull the sword out and to keep everyone in the area until the rightful king was found a jousting tournament was held.

Sir Ector, his son, Sir Kay a new knight and Arthur, Kay's squire, attended the joust. But Sir Kay realised that he had left his sword at their lodgings and sent Arthur to fetch it. But the house was locked and everyone had left, so Arthur went to the church and pulled the sword from the stone, thinking that this was not a good day for Kay to be without a sword.

Kay recognised the sword and tried to pretend that he had pulled it from the stone, but when his father made him swear on a bible he confessed that Arthur had given it to him.

Arthur pulled the sword form the stone several times to prove that he could do it and then Sir Ector told him the truth of how they were not his true father and brother and how Merlin had brought him to them.

Twelve days later all the knights assembled and Arthur pulled the sword for them again. It took several times for all of them, rich and poor alike, to bow before him. That day he was crowned king.

The Sword Excalibur

Arthur and Merlin travelled around England so that Arthur could learn his land. During a battle with a knight Arthur lost his sword after he was badly injured. A hermit healed him and then Merlin took him to lake.

A hand thrust a sword out of the water and a lady approached. Merlin warned Arthur to be courteous to her for she was the Lady of the Lake.

Arthur spoke to the lady and promised to fulfil any request she had in exchange for the Sword Excalibur.

He rowed out and collected it and its scabbard.

Merlin told him that its scabbard had magical healing powers and that as long as Arthur carried it he would not be seriously injured.

The Round Table

King Arthur married Guinevere and as part of her dowry she brought with her a large round table, large enough to seat one hundred and fifty warriors at one time. Being round, there could be no head of the table and so no one could take precedence over another.

Thus Arthur and his knights became known for their justice.

Of all the adventures the knights had the most famous was the quest for the Holy Grail. It was said to be the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and it was supposedly filled with Jesus' blood by Joseph of Arimathea.

One night when King Arthur and his knights were seated at the round table a loud crack of thunder was heard. A beam of light stronger than normal came into the room and as they looked around they thought that the others had never looked so beautiful before.

Then a cup, shrouded in white silk, came into the room and, trailing an overbearing sweetness, it travelled through the room leaving behind it the foods that they loved most.

Sir Gawain swore to find it and to see it without its shroud and the other knights stood and made the same vow.

The king was upset for he knew that the knights would never return alive and he was now deprived of their friendship.

In the end he was proven right, for only Sir Galahad would succeed in the quest and even he would not return with the news to Arthur.

The Death of King Arthur

Sir Lancelot, one of King Arthur's bravest knights and his queen fell in love. Their love was discovered and while Lancelot escaped Queen Guinevere was sentenced to being burnt at the stake.

Lancelot arrived just before the fire was lit and with some knights he led a rescue and took her to his castle in France.

Arthur left his son Mordred in charge and went to retrieve Guinevere. While he was gone Mordred forged documents that said that he had been killed and had in turn been crowned king.

Arthur returned and many battles were fought.

Just before the final confrontation Arthur saw a ghost who told him that if he fought his son the following day he would die. To avoid this he got Mordred to agree to meet between the two armies, with fourteen knights each, and to sign a truce. But he told his warriors that if they saw a blade drawn they were to kill Mordred. Mordred gave his own men those same instructions.

They met and while they were drinking an adder crawled up and bit a knight on the leg. Not even thinking the knight drew his sword to kill it.

The battle raged.

Arthur came at his son with a battle cry and plunged his sword in a deathblow. Knowing that he was dying Mordred sliced his father's head open with his final breath and then died there on the battleground.

Arthur's last knight, Sir Bedivere, carried him from the field. Arthur commanded him to take Excalibur and to throw it into the nearest lake. The knight did not wish to do this for Excalibur was a fine sword so he returned to Arthur with his deed undone.

Arthur questioned him as to what happened when he threw the sword in and he replied that nothing had happened. Arthur knew he was lying and angrily told him to obey his orders.

So the knight took Excalibur and threw it into the lake. A hand reached out and caught it, brandished it three times and then took it into the lake. The Lady of the Lake had reclaimed her sword.

The knight returned and took Arthur to the shore where a barge waited. He placed the king in it and asked the king what he was to do.

The king told him to do as best he could for himself because he was going to Avalon to be healed of his wounds.

With this the barge floated off and disappeared into the mist.