From the recent Merlin TV series to the spoof Monty Python and
the Holy Grail, the legends of King Arthur and his Knights of
the Round Table are some of the most enduring myths in the world
and they continue to fascinate us today, although historians
have found it impossible to confirm whether King Arthur really
existed. The King Arthur that we know today embodies many
chivalric ideals and seems to be a composite of many different
myths and legends that have grown up over a thousand years.
Arthurian legend says that Arthur was the son and heir of King
Uther Pendragon, and that when the king died Arthur proved his
right to rule by pulling Merlin’s sword from a stone. In his
kingdom of Camelot he met with his knights at a Round Table,
quested after the Holy Grail and fought foes using his famous
sword, Excalibur. He was mortally wounded at a battle at Camlan
and his body was sent to the Isle of Avalon where he is said to
be resting with his knights still, ready to awaken and fight for
Britain in its hour of nee