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The Dragon King of Britain
Topic Started: May 20 2009, 04:45 PM (1,186 Views)
hunter207
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King Arthur is a legendary British leader who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians.[2] The sparse historical background of Arthur is gleaned from various sources, including the Annales Cambriae, the Historia Brittonum, and the writings of Gildas. Arthur's name also occurs in early poetic sources such as Y Gododdin.[3]

The legendary Arthur developed as a figure of international interest largely through the popularity of Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain).[4] However, some Welsh and Breton tales and poems relating the story of Arthur date from earlier than this work; in these works, Arthur appears either as a great warrior defending Britain from human and supernatural enemies or as a magical figure of folklore, sometimes associated with the Welsh Otherworld, Annwn.[5] How much of Geoffrey's Historia (completed in 1138) was adapted from such earlier sources, rather than invented by Geoffrey himself, is unknown.

Although the themes, events and characters of the Arthurian legend varied widely from text to text, and there is no one canonical version, Geoffrey's version of events often served as the starting point for later stories. Geoffrey depicted Arthur as a king of Britain who defeated the Saxons and established an empire over Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and Gaul. In fact, many elements and incidents that are now an integral part of the Arthurian story appear in Geoffrey's Historia, including Arthur's father Uther Pendragon, the wizard Merlin, the sword Excalibur, Arthur's birth at Tintagel, his final battle against Mordred at Camlann and final rest in Avalon. The 12th-century French writer Chrétien de Troyes, who added Lancelot and the Holy Grail to the story, began the genre of Arthurian romance that became a significant strand of medieval literature. In these French stories, the narrative focus often shifts from King Arthur himself to other characters, such as various Knights of the Round Table. Arthurian literature thrived during the Middle Ages but waned in the centuries that followed until it experienced a major resurgence in the 19th century. In the 21st century, the legend lives on, both in literature and in adaptations for theatre, film, television, comics and other media.

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So lets see if we cant get a lively debate going on this guy... Historically speaking he is a fascinating figure in British lore... took hundreds of warring factions and brought them all under one banner to drive off the Saxon invasion for seventy years (Proof of this can be found in the Saxon Chronicles... No mention of Arthur are there directly, but the Saxons actually dont take on any major invasions of the british isles for over seventy years...) So my question to you is a real figure, or just a figment of the British medieval imagination? If yes, then what do you think happened to him?

Facts to remember:
-Hundreds of different kingdoms were under constant warfare in the 6th century.
-the saxons did indeed invade, then quite suddenly stopped their advance and in fact withdrew south.
-The warring factions, who absolutely hated each other, suddenly came together to fight off the saxons... how is this possible when not even the Irish could do that at that time? (Except for King Johns botched invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, of course)
Tell me what you think! "Hypo"
You can take your heaven, when I die I sooner go to Middle Earth..

- George R.R. Martin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgcoBKWTW14
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Max
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IMHO, I believe there was an Uther and Arthur Pendragon,that Arther defeated or withstood the Saxons,and that he and his- Knights? Cataphacts? Heavy Cavalry?-were quite a striking force in early Briton. Excaliber? Seems unlikely that it had magic power,but if were of sufficiently fine make...... Lady of the Lake? A very romantic notion,and an appealing one. Morgana Le Fae? Not as "sorceress" perhaps,but as symbol of a culture that worshipped a Goddess or Goddesses?

So....could Arthur have been a Roman-trained Heavy Cavalryman,with a talent for diplomacy as well as war? I think so.
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hunter207
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What about camelot... where do you think it was?
You can take your heaven, when I die I sooner go to Middle Earth..

- George R.R. Martin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgcoBKWTW14
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Max
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You know,that's a good question. Usually,they built fortresses and castles because they needed to hold what was there. If you had a Cavalry force,you'd need grazing plus food for your soldiers and families. I'd have to look at some maps,but Wales or somewhere close that had defensible terrain.
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hunter207
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I also do believe they really did have a stone castle... look at the romans, their fortresses were made of stone...
You can take your heaven, when I die I sooner go to Middle Earth..

- George R.R. Martin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgcoBKWTW14
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Max
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I agree. I know tradition says Glastonbury Tor is "Camelot",but I'm not ready to say either way.

Sounds like we share similar opinions of Arther,huh? :)
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hunter207
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haha yessir... I've done a ton of research on this guy, and I think I've come up with a better picture of him...
You can take your heaven, when I die I sooner go to Middle Earth..

- George R.R. Martin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgcoBKWTW14
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Ashley Star Child
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I think he was a real person
Does a fallen angel deserve a second chance? You decide
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Max
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Hi Ashley. :) I bet most of us here believe Arthur existed. The legend is just too.............real? not to be based on something!
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Ashley Star Child
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Hi Max, yeah I think there's no doubt about it
Does a fallen angel deserve a second chance? You decide
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hunter207
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Welcome Ashley!
You can take your heaven, when I die I sooner go to Middle Earth..

- George R.R. Martin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgcoBKWTW14
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hunter207
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So through quite a bit of research I found something interesting... I found that Arthur is mentioned through out the Historia Brittonum and the Annales Cambria, but before he is mentioned as king of Britain he is mentioned as a great warrior... which got me thinking, and I think he was not born to a king but born small and fought his way to being king... possibly as a hired sword to kings who want him to fight...
You can take your heaven, when I die I sooner go to Middle Earth..

- George R.R. Martin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgcoBKWTW14
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Max
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Interesting! Cambria is Wales now.....makes ,e think maybe Arthur was a Roman or Roman-descendant Cavalry officer..........
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hunter207
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Roman descendent, Rome fell about 150 years before... Arthur was born around 500 AD
You can take your heaven, when I die I sooner go to Middle Earth..

- George R.R. Martin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgcoBKWTW14
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Max
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OK,that makes sense. I'm thinking a strong core of late-Imperial combat tactics,weapons,and armor. That would make them different then the Saxons and such,probably impressively so.
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