II.

The Legend

Arthur is conceived when King Uther Pendragon falls in love with a married woman, Ygraine, and arranges for the magician Merlin to transform him into the likeness of Ygraine's husband. The husband, Gorlois, dies in battle, and Arthur's parents marry soon thereafter.

But Merlin exacts a price for his assistance. Uther and Ygraine must give to him the child who will be born. When Arthur is born, Merlin delivers him to Hector (also called Antor), who raises Arthur alongside his own son, Kay, and trains him to be a squire to Kay once Kay becomes a knight. When King Uther dies, the land is left without a leader, so one must be chosen. Ensuing events take different forms from text to text, but virtually all include the story of the Sword in the Stone.

According to legend, Merlin announces to the assembled barons that God has established a test to identify the chosen successor to Uther. Before the cathedral they find a great stone, topped by an anvil in which a sword is embedded. Merlin informs them that no one other than the intended king will be able to draw the sword. All those present try and fail the test. Meanwhile, Arthur is sent to find Kay's sword. Unable to do so, he sees the sword in the stone and easily draws it. The barons make him repeat the test a number of times because they do not want to be ruled by a young commoner, but they eventually recognize his claim to the throne.

With Merlin as his adviser, Arthur begins his reign. He first fights Britain's enemies, and early texts describe him defeating the Saxons, Picts, and Scots and overrunning Ireland and Iceland. His conquests are made easier because of his marvelous sword, first called Caliburn and later known as Excalibur. He receives the sword from a hand that emerges from a lake. (In some versions of the story, Excalibur is the Sword in the Stone.)

Arthur rules his land from Camelot, his favorite castle, and he meets, courts, and marries a beautiful young woman named Guinevere. Following his initial wars, he and his followers enjoy a period of peace, during which he founds a fellowship of knights known as the society of the Round Table. The shape of the table that serves as the group’s meeting place ensures that all who sit around it are equal in status.

Men come from every land to be knighted by Arthur and to seek fame as members of the Round Table fellowship. One of the finest knights is a young Frenchman named Lancelot. He quickly becomes one of Arthur's favorites, but he also falls in love with Queen Guinevere, and she with him. Their illicit love is one of the major causes for the eventual destruction of Arthur's kingdom. But Arthur’s own flaws contribute to his downfall as well. Despite his valor and wisdom, he fathers a son named Mordred with his half sister Morgause. (Some versions present Mordred as Arthur's nephew rather than as his illegitimate son.)

Adventures and quests are an essential element of chivalry, and eventually most of Arthur’s knights embark on the greatest quest of all, the quest for the Holy Grail, which is understood to be the chalice that Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper. All the finest knights at the court swear to seek the Grail, however long the search might take. Arthur is displeased by these events, because he knows that the quest means the end of Camelot. Indeed, many of his best knights die in the quest, some of them even killing one another.

As Arthur fathers an illegitimate son, so too does Lancelot, although he does so while under a spell that makes him think the woman (named Elaine) is actually Guinevere. Lancelot's son, Galahad, is entirely free of sin and weakness, and thus he alone is ultimately qualified to complete the quest and find the Holy Grail. (Sir Bors and Sir Percival accompany him, but they are excluded from the final holy vision that appears to Galahad as he reaches the Grail.)

Once the quest is ended, peace does not last, and eventually Arthur's armies are embroiled in new wars, including one with the Romans, who demand tribute from Arthur and provoke a battle. Not all the conflicts involve foreign enemies, however. When Arthur discovers Lancelot and Guinevere's love affair, his system of justice requires that Guinevere be arrested and condemned to death. Lancelot flees but then returns to rescue her. During the ensuing battle, Lancelot kills the brothers of Sir Gawain, who remain loyal to Arthur. As a consequence, Gawain and Lancelot, formerly the closest of friends, become enemies.

Arthur’s absence from court while battling the Romans and pursuing Lancelot offers Mordred the opportunity to seize the throne. He attempts to do so by buying the allegiance of Arthur's barons, and some texts say that he either marries Guinevere or attempts to do so after lying to her and telling her that Arthur is dead. The king learns of Mordred's treason and returns to reclaim his rights.

During a great battle on Salisbury Plain, Arthur kills Mordred, but before dying the young man strikes Arthur a grievous blow. Arthur orders that his sword be thrown into the lake to prevent it from falling into unworthy hands. Twice his orders are disobeyed. The third time they are followed, and as Excalibur nears the water, a hand mysteriously rises from beneath the surface to grasp it and disappear.

Arthur's ultimate fate is uncertain. Some tales say that he dies, and that his body is either buried or taken away, never to be seen again. Most stories, however, preserve the idea of Arthur's immortality. They tell that, although gravely wounded, Arthur does not die. A group of women (usually including Arthur’s half sister Morgan le Fay) takes him and they sail away to the island of Avalon. There his wounds will be healed, and eventually he will return to Britain.