It is a tale of mystery and intrigue; of passion and adultery; of balancing national peace with courageous morals and of the search for a cure for all ills and eternal happiness. You would be forgiven for thinking that these are the ingredients of a modern story, but with the small addition of a wise sorcerer, a faithful sword and a magnificent hilltop castle, this is in fact one of the oldest and most famous legends in the world.

The fables and sagas of King Arthur are also some of the most hotly debated. After many centuries of meticulous research, scientific theories, romantic assumptions and historic analysis, there is still no unanimous opinion as to the life and times of the “real” Arthur, or indeed, if Arthur ever really existed.

Arthur Who?

The legendary king, his knights, the infamous round table and the kingdom of Camelot are ingrained into British fables, and have been retold countless times over the centuries. Additions and variations have been made through generations, but the basic tales remain the same.

Britain was in turmoil in the 5^th century. The Romans had not long abandoned the country and local landowners were embroiled in bitter struggles for power as well as trying to defend against the Saxons who were slowly gaining land from the south of England, pushing Britons into the corners of the country – Wales, Scotland and Cornwall.

Sometime during the middle of the 5^th century, Arthur was born at Tintagel Castle, in Cornwall. His father was Uther, the High King of Britain, who gave the newborn to his trusted friend and magician, Merlin so that he could be taken away from danger. Merlin fled with the baby and took him to the depths of the countryside.

Fifteen years passed before Uther was killed in battle. As his heir was unknown, passionate fights broke out among local lords about who should appropriate the crown. Mysteriously one morning a large stone appeared in the middle of the land with a huge sword driven deep into its middle.

Merlin declared that whoever could pull the sword from the stone should be king. Of course, where all others had failed, the young Arthur efficiently swiped the sword and was crowned the king.

Arthur went on to rule the country with charm, chivalry and an inclination for high morals. He defended against invasions and was victorious against the Saxons at the battle of Mount Badon. In times of peace Arthur and his knights rescued distressed damsels, met at the infamous table and hunted for the mysterious “holy grail”; the holy chalice that they imagined would cure all ills.

Literary Legend

Arthur was first written about between the 8^th and 10^th centuries, and most of these early legends come from Wales. He features in the early tales of the Mabinogion and when the Welsh monk Nennius published his Historia Brittonium around 830AD, Arthur is mentioned as a brave warrior who fought numerous battles.

But, it wasn’t until Geoffrey of Monmouth, another Welsh cleric, completed his epic work about the historic Kings of Britain, that tales of Arthur really began to capture the country’s imagination. Geoffrey depicts Arthur as a brave warrior who creates an Arthurian empire, and introduced many of the characters that are so closely associated with the legend such as Excalibur, Merlin and Guinevere.

Whether Geoffrey’s work is partly fact, partly borrowed from earlier works or purely of his own rich imagination has been fiercely debated over the years, but it was certainly popular and became a “best-seller” of its time.

Geoffrey’s work inspired an Arthur-frenzy over the next few centuries, with works about the legendary King appearing in Britain and France. But, it is widely acknowledged that the Arthur as we know him today is thanks to English writer Thomas Malory in the 15^th century, who compiled the tome Le Morte d’Arthur. It was one of the earliest books to be printed in English, and was a huge compilation of all the tales and stories that had previously been told. It’s interesting to note though, that Malory placed Arthur as a knight living in the middle ages, rather than the Roman king of earlier depictions.

The fashion for Arthurian legends waned during the latter part of the middle ages, but the public’s interest was revived when Tennyson published his collection of poetry entitled “Idylls of the King” which re-wrote the heroic tales of Arthur for the genteel sensibilities of Victorian England.

Snowdonia’s history is entwined with the legends of Arthur. One story is that the terrifying ogre, Rhita Gawr, was killed by Arthur on the top of Snowdon, while another story claims that Sir Bedivere, the knight charged with returning Excalibur to the lady of the lake, is buried on the mountain of Tryfan; and the lake below it, Llyn Ogwen is said the final resting place of the legendary sword.