King Arthur, or Arthur Pendragon, is an important character in Breton mythology. He is the central character of the material of Brittany. It is not certain that he really existed, what is however certain is that we find several kings named Arzur, Arthus, Artus, Arthur whose syncretism probably led to the myth of King Arthur Pendragon. Moreover, medieval Welsh texts never give him the title of king, but call him amerauder (“emperor”).
The name itself would come from the Celtic root Arz meaning "bear", a symbol of strength, stability and protection, characters well present in his legend:he was a man reputed to be strong, calm, and as king, guarantor the safety of his subjects. In Celtic civilization, the bear is above all the emblematic animal of royalty. Its name is related to that of the bear goddess Artio.
The term "Pendragon" comes to him from his father Uther Pendragon and means "head of a dragon".
King Arthur in history
Some believe he lived in the 6th century and was originally from Wales, or western England, but the exact location of his court, known as Camelot, remains a mystery. He would have fought the Saxons. He is sometimes equated with a leader named Ambrosius Aurelianus, "King of the Brettones". Unfortunately, we know very little about this chief, and the specialists do not know if the "Brettones" designated the inhabitants of the British Isles, or those of Brittany. It is nevertheless quite likely that the term refers to island peoples, the word "Brittany" at the time not designating any land on the continent. English-speaking historians speak of Britto-Romans (British Romans in English), which refer to all the Romanized Celtic populations of Great Britain, with the exception of the Scots and the Picts of Caledonia. Concerning Arthur himself, an interesting thesis would make him a great Romanized landowner having formed, as was then common at the time, his own troop of buccelaires (mercenaries in the pay of a rich person and paid in food, hence their name (buccelus =biscuit), and having lent a hand to the British kings against the Saxons. Indeed, the chronicle of Nennius (9th century) designates him as a dux bellorum (war chief) fighting "with the Breton kings". In addition, from the 4th century, the corps of buccelaires were mainly made up of horsemen. The legend of a body of elite horsemen serving Arthur is not far away...
Kemp Molone thought he had found the real Arthur in the character of Lucius Artorius Castus. The kinship of name is indeed quite troubling. This Roman prefect, based in York, commanded (the epigraphy attests to this) the VI Legion Victrix, responsible for fighting the Caledonians (people of present-day Scotland) beyond Hadrian's Wall. He won against them (and not against the Saxons) a series of victories between 183 and 185 AD. Then he was sent to Armorica to quell a rebellion. On the occasion of this expedition, he bore the title of dux, which is reminiscent of the title of dux bellorum reported by the chronicle of Nennius.
According to Geoffrey Ashe, the legendary Arthur is inspired by the real character of Riothamus, "king of the Bretons" who landed in Gaul in 468 to lend a hand to the Romans against the king of the Visigoths Euric and the Saxons.
More recently, C. Scott Littleton and Linda A. Malcor have taken up these last two hypotheses and claim that the Arthur of Camelot is the synthesis of the Roman Lucius Artorius Castus and the British Riothamus[4]. For these two researchers, the name of Arthur is the "Celticization" of Artorius.
Others believe that Arthur is an embodied Celtic demigod, such as the sea god Lir (supposedly embodied by King Lear), or even a fictional character like Beowulf. This theory would be reinforced by the fact that other Britons of this period, such as Ambrosius Aurelianus, fought the Saxons at the Battle of Mount Badonicus.
According to legend, the Arthurian Empire would have included, in addition to present-day England, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Gaul. Some chronicles even recount the victory won by Arthur over the Roman legions in Burgondie (Burgundy), during an expedition that would have taken him to Rome...
Finally, it should be noted that this name could have been common in Celtic times and could have designated several chiefs, whose lives would have served to constitute that of the mythological character. The surname Arthur could then correspond to a status of warlord that can be worn by various characters at the same time. It is interesting to note that this name knows a very important vogue in the Celtic aristocracy in the years which follow the Battle of Camlann, where Arthur would have died, between 537 and 542.
In 1191, monks from Glastonbury Abbey announced that they had discovered the tomb of Arthur and Guinevere. These tombs were visited by many people, and moved to a new burial in 1278. This was destroyed during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Antiquarian John Leland reports that he found the cross among the debris, and translates its inscription:
“Hic jacet sepultus includesvs rex arturius in insula avalonia, Here lies the famous King Arthur in his isle of Avalon. »
The first legends of King Arthur
King Arthur appears for the first time in Welsh literature. In the first Welsh poem to be found, the Gododdin, Aneirin (c. he fed black ravens on the ramparts, although he was not Arthur”, in Welsh:“Gochorai brain du fur caer/ Cyn ni bai ef Arthur.”). But this poem can be interpreted in many ways.
Another early reference to King Arthur is in the Historia Brittonum attributed to the Welsh monk Nennius, who is said to have written this Welsh History around 830. King Arthur is described as a "warlord" rather than a king.
King Arthur also appears in Welsh history Culhwch and Olwen, usually associated with the Mabinogion.
The later parts of Trioedd Ynys Prydein make mention of Arthur and place his court at Celliwig in Cornwall. Celliwig would be present-day Callington or Kelly Rounds, a fortified hill near Egloshayle.
King Arthur is also sometimes described as the leader of the Wild Hunt (a group of mythical hunters), not only in the British Isles, but also in Britain, France, Germany and Greece.
The Romance of King Arthur
In 1133 Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his Historia Regum Britanniae. This book was the equivalent of a medieval bestseller, and drew the attention of other writers, such as Robert Wace and Layamon, to these stories. These writers took advantage of this to improve the stories of King Arthur.
Although many scholars agree that Geoffroy sparked medieval interest in King Arthur, another hypothesis exists. Stories about Arthur could come from Breton oral traditions, disseminated in the royal courts and from the nobility of Europe thanks to professional jugglers. The French medieval writer Chrétien de Troyes told stories from this mythology in the mid-twelfth century, as did Marie de France in her lais, narrative poems. Stories from these and many other writers would be independent of Geoffrey of Monmouth.
These stories, brought together under the term “matter of Brittany”, became popular from the 12th century. In these stories, Arthur gathered the Knights of the Round Table (specifically Lancelot, Gawain, and Gilead). This assembly was usually located at Camelot in later accounts. The magician Merlin, known as "the Enchanter", took part in it from time to time. These Knights took part in mythical quests, such as that of the Holy Grail. Other stories from the Celtic world became associated with the legend of Arthur, such as the legend of Tristan and Iseult. In later legends, the romance between Arthur's champion Lancelot and Queen Guinevere became the primary cause of the downfall of the Arthurian world.
Robert de Boron wrote in his Merlin that Arthur obtained his throne by drawing a sword from a rock and an anvil. This act could only be performed by the True King, which means the king chosen by the God(s), or the heir of Uther Pendragon. This sword is in some versions the famous Excalibur. In other tales, Excalibur emerges from a lake carried by one hand, and is delivered to Arthur shortly after the start of his reign by Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, a maid witch. The sword could slice through anything, and its sheath made its wielder invincible.
The end of King Arthur
Arthur's last stand, the Battle of Camlann, against the forces of Mordred saw its loss. Stories show that Mordred was a Knight of the Round Table and the incestuous son of Arthur and his sister Morgana or his half-sister Morgause. King Arthur was mortally wounded in this battle, and taken to Avalon. There, his hands were treated or his body buried in a chapel. Other texts say he did not die, but retired to Avalon, an enchanted underworld created by Merlin; King Arthur is dormant and will return one day. Many places are claimed to be the Avalon mentioned in the legend:Glastonbury (in Somerset, England), the island of Aval (an islet in the town of Pleumeur-Bodou in Côtes d'Armor)... But it should be noted that the Celtic peoples carry their legends and transpose them as they emigrate. This therefore explains why there are several forests in Brocéliande, several Cornwall...
The legend of King Arthur spread throughout Europe. Images of Arthur have been found in many places. In particular, in the cathedral of Modena in Italy, an engraving dated between 1099 and 1120 depicts Arthur and his knights attacking a castle. A mosaic from 1165 in the cathedral of Otranto, near Bari, Italy contains the curious depiction of Arturus Rex carrying a scepter and riding a goat. Fifteenth-century merchants baptized an Arthurian Hall in Gdańsk, Poland. Many places evoke King Arthur in Brittany, in particular the forest of Brocéliande or the Grotte Artus in the forest of Huelgoat.
The symbolism of King Arthur
The single and undisputed king never existed in Celtic civilization. We remember the tribal divisions (heads of clans vassals of provincial kings themselves vassals of a supreme king) which allowed Julius Caesar to take control of Gaul. In return, the popular imagination has taken hold of a king, more or less attested, adorned with the noblest assets of his office:a strong man, a good warrior but wise, unifying and well advised. Even after his disappearance, he still carries the hopes of a people:his dormition is only temporary, and he will return to unite the "two Brittanys" and save the Bretons. What perils? One thinks of the invasions of the Angles and the Saxons, then of the Norman domination in Great Britain.
Myth and politics
In 1066, William the Bastard became William the Conqueror and imposed himself as master of England... But how do you get a Norman accepted as king, when he comes from a minority people? Based on the Arthurian legend and on Arthur, its figurehead, unifier of Great Britain and the Breton people. Because on the continent are the descendants of Bretons who left the island a few centuries earlier. To build his army, William used the services of a number of noble descendants of these emigrating Bretons. By promoting the dissemination of the myth of Arthur's survival, his dormition on the island of Avalon and his imminent return, William popularized his fight against the Angles and the Saxons and counted on rallying the Welsh. This was the beginning of “Breton hope”.
Similarly, Henry II Plantagenet used the Arthurian myth to consolidate his power, maintain his authority and unify the island of Britain. Crowned in 1154 after many difficulties (grandson of Henry I, designated as successor but dismissed from the throne by the late king's nephew), he confiscated the legend for his benefit. In order to blur the non-English origins of the Plantagenet dynasty, Henry II prefers to rely on Breton civilization by presenting himself as the worthy successor of Arthur, who died in the final battle. Because the monarch must assert his authority:vassal of the King of France for the Duchy of Normandy, he needs Breton support against Saxon claims which have difficulty in accepting Norman domination over England. In order to reinforce this analogy, he even unsuccessfully attempted to conquer Ireland and Scotland in order to unite under his banner the whole supposed kingdom of Arthur.
Arthur also served extensively during the Second World War with the British to vitalize the efforts of the population in the face of the risk of invasion by Nazi Germany.
In the imagination of continental Brittany, he represents the unity of the Breton people, since he was king of the two Brittanys. The authors of the Middle Ages updated it according to the courtly canons of their time, making it a model of nobility and Christian virtue.
Family and descendants
Arthur is the son of Uther Pendragon, King of the Bretons and Ygraine (or Ygerne), widow of Marc De Tintagelle, Duke of Cornwall. He is the brother of Anna, wife of King Budic of Armorica. He married Guinevere, Queen of Ireland and daughter of Léodagan, King of Carmelide or of Patrick, known as Le Liar, King of Ireland from 522 to 536. Queen Guinevere, who became a widow, had a son whose father is unknown. This son will also have a son, Patrick 1er Le Perdant, King of Ireland from 556 to 601.