The Sword in the Stone
A King Arthur Legend
From orphan to king
How did the legend of King Arthur come to be? It all started when Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote a fictional book called Historia Regum Britanniae. He wrote about an orphan boy born into royalty. He wrote about a magical sword called Excalibur and he wrote about the Fair Guinevere, queen of Camelot, starting a war.
Once there was an Englishman named Arthur who was born into royalty. His father, King Uther of Camelot, had a magician tell him that his boy was in danger, so Uther sent his son away to safety. When King Uther, Arthur's father, died many people argued about who should be High King. The king's magician, Merlin put a stone in the courtyard that had a sword in it. Whoever pulled the sword out of the stone became king. When Arthur went to one of his foster brother's tournaments, he forgot his brother's sword. He went looking for a sword, and came to the courtyard where the stone sat. He pulled the sword out with ease. At first, nobody believed he did it, so he demonstrated again. Arthur took his rightful place as the heir of the throne at 15 years old.
Now many people didn’t want a fifteen year-old for a king, and Merlin, the old king’s magician and Arthur’s advisor, was worried so he asked an old friend the Lady of the Lake to help. The Lady of the Lake was a magical creature who lived underwater. She presented Arthur with a magical sword, Excalibur.
Under Arthur's rule, the Knights of the Round Table were formed, an order of knights whose charge it was to defend Camelot. At the Round Table, all knights sat together, and discussed how to protect the kingdom. King Arthur’s most favored knight was Sir Lancelot. Sir Lancelot and Guinevere fell in love. When this was exposed to Arthur, war broke out between them. Arthur chased Lancelot all the way to France.
While he was away, Mordred, Arthur’s nephew, took over the kingdom. Mordred wanted the throne for himself, so he worked on winning over the people of Camelot. Fortunately, Arthur caught wind of this and rode back to Camelot with his army and waged war against Mordred. Arthur took on Mordred in single combat. Arthur won, but badly wounded himself. Three Queens arrived in a boat and took Arthur away to the Isle of Avalon. It is thought that he died there soon afterwards.
How the Fair Guinevere started a war
When Sir Meliagaunt became suspicious of the two's relationship, he confronted them in front of the king. Lancelot and Maliagaunt battled. Sir Lancelot beheaded Sir Meliagaunt and the matter was forgotten.
Another knight, Sir Agravain and King Arthur's nephew, Mordred, led a party of knights and caught Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere together. Lancelot fought his way out, but Guinevere was caught and sentenced to be burned for adultery. Later, Lancelot returned and rescued Guinevere. Arthur chased them back to his kingdom. There he attacked Lancelot's castle without success. Lancelot lived out his days as a hermit in his castle. Guinevere lived out her days as a nun at Amesbury.
The hyper link below states the website that has a poem written by Lord Alfred Tennyson about Lancelot and Queen Guinevere.
Renaissance Fairs
One way to keep the medieval time alive is the Renaissance fairs. People go to the Renaissance fairs dressed up in medieval costumes and take part in different activities. Some of these activities include jousting, crafts, knife or ax throwing, and fortune telling.
One fair, in Arizona is an annual event. It is their 29th anniversary this year. There they have a student day where any student or teacher who wishes to come and immerse themselves in learning about Galileo, Da Vinci, and Shakespeare can.
There is a Renaissance fair as close as Shakopee, Minnesota. At this fair, they have a thing called the Feast of Fancy. It is a six course meal, and includes two gifts and two hours of entertainment.
Renaissance fairs take place all around the United States. If you ever need a piece of the Renaissance, take a journey to one and see what it has to offer.
Excalibur
This is Excalibur and its scabbard.
The Map
Lord Alfred Tennyson
Bibliography
"Arizona Renaissance Festival." Arizona Renaissance Festival. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016
"King Arthur: An Introduction." King Arthur. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
"King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table." King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. © March 2015 Siteseen Ltd., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
"Top 10 Renaissance Festivals and Fairs in the USA." Top 10 Renaissance Festivals and Fairs in the USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
"Welcome to the 2016 Minnesota Renaissance Festival!" Fairs & Festivals. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.