King Arthur

Arthur was the first born son of King Uther Pendragon and heir to the throne. However
these were very troubled times and Merlin, a wise magician, advised that the baby Arthur should
be raised in a secret place and that none should know his true identity.
As Merlin feared, when King Uther died there was great conflict over who should be the
next king. Merlin used his magic to set a sword in a stone. Written on the sword, in letters of
gold, were these words: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is the rightwise born king of
all England." Of course all the contenders for the throne took their turn at trying to draw the
sword, but none could succeed. Arthur, quite by chance, withdrew the sword for another to use in
a tournament. Following this he became King.
He gathered Knights around him and fought back against the Saxons who, since the
Romans left Britain, were slowly but surely taking the country over. After many great battles and
a huge victory at Mount Badon the Saxons' advance was halted.

Camelot
Arthur's base was at a place called Camelot. The romances depict the city of Camelot as
standing along a river, downstream from Astolat. It is surrounded by plains and forests, and its
magnificent cathedral, St. Stephen's, is the religious centre for Arthur's Knights of the Round
Table. There Arthur and Guinevere are married and there are the tombs of many kings and
knights.
Here he built a strong castle. His knights met at a Round Table. They carried out acts of
chivalry such as rescuing damsels in distress and fought against strange beasts. They also
searched for a lost treasure, which they believed would cure all ills - this was the 'Quest for the
Holy Grail'.

Sword in the stone

One of the most well-known Arthurian legends is the Sword in the Stone. It tells of a sword
embedded in a stone that can only be removed by the true King of Britain. One day, when Arthur
was fifteen, Merlin brought him before the Sword in the Stone. A crowd had been assembled,
and was waiting anxiously. Arthur's stepbrother, Sir Kay, was the first to try and pull the sword,
but it would not budge. Then Arthur tried. The sword came loose. The crowd cheered, and Arthur
was crowned King of England.
Local myth suggests King Arthurs sword in the stone event happened at Mitchells Fold
stone circle in Shropshire. One of Mitchells Fold stones had a strange hole in it.This sword was
called 'Excaliburand with this weapon he vanquished many foes.
Queen Guinevere, Arthur's beautiful wife brought romance to the story while his equally
beautiful half sister Morgan le Fay added a dark side.

The death of Arthur

Lancelot was Arthurs best knight. Arthur knew of Lancelot's love for his
queen,Guinevere, but because Lancelot was loyal and a true friend, he remained silent. One
night, Mordred came to him and told him he had seen Lancelot with the Queen. The next day,
Guinevere told Arthur she was going out riding again. When she left, Mordred and some of
Arthur's men followed. When she met Lancelot, they jumped out and grabbed her. Lancelot was
able to escape, but Guinevere was captured. At Camelot, the Queen was found guilty of
adultery.She was tied to a stake and the torches were lit. Just as she was about to be set ablaze,
Lancelot rode in with his men, and cut her free. Arthur found pursuit of Lancelot and Guinevere,
and they were quickly found at Lancelot's castle in Wales.
An agreement was reached, Guinevere was returned to Arthur, and Lancelot was sent to
France in exile. But Arthur was still angry and he wanted revenge. He followed Lancelot into

France, leaving Mordred in charge.In his absence, Mordred had declared himself King, and had
taken Guinevere as his queen.In a dream, Arthur was warned not to fight Mordred right away, so
he sent messengers into his camp to try and negotiate. During their talks, one of Mordred's men
was bitten by an adder. As he drew his sword to kill it, the sun glinted off his blade. Both armies
mistook this as a sign that someone had drawn his sword to fight, and a great battle began.
Seeing Mordred, he picked up a spear, and charged at him. Mordred charged back with his
sword. The sword came forward and cleaved Arthur's skull just as he drove his spear through his
son's hateful heart.
As Arthur lay dying, his last request was that the sword Excalibur and the scabbard be
thrown back into the lake from whence they came. Out of the mists of the lake, three Fairy
Queens appeared. They placed Arthur's body on a barge, and sailed off with him to the mystical
island of Avalon to cure him of his wounds. And some say he still lays there, sleeping in a hollow
hill, and that he will awaken one day to defend Britain, when Britain has need of him.