Arthurian Legends

Avalon

Avalon is an island in Arthurian legend where mystical and magical practices are known to take place. It is the place where King Arthur's sword, Excalibur, was forged. It is also the place where King Arthur was taken to recover after the wounds he received from Mordred after the Battle of Camlann. Theme: Isolation in renewal- After the the skirmish between King Arthur and Mordred, Avalon served as a place of recovery for King Arthur. The time spent there not only allowed his physical wounds to be healed, but also his emotional pain to be healed after Mordred's betrayal.

Camelot

Camelot is King Arthur's castle. It is a symbol of King Arthur's power and realm. Although it was absent in early works of Arthurian legend, it consistently made an appearance in many works following the 12th century. Theme: Property is power- One of the reasons King Arthur is respected and given significant power is because of the castle he lives in. He wants others to know his position and ranking. Were he to live in a small home, his servants would not think he was as a important as he is. Camelot serves as a symbol for King Arthur's power and royalty.

Holy Grail

After witnessing a sign of the Holy Grail, three of Arthur's best knights went out in search of the Grail. The three knights were Sir Bors, Sir Perceval, and Sir Galahad. Shortly after arriving, Galahad had a vision and knew what had to be done. The men were to take the Grail to Sarras in the Middle East, however after getting there the Holy Grail was lifted up into Heaven by a great light. The only man to return to Camelot was Sir Bors, for Sir Perceval decided to become a hermit after what he saw, and Sir Galahad died shortly after having the vision. Theme: Pure men are holy men- Galahad was described as being a very pure and religious man. It is because of this that he was the one to receive the vision; his purity brought him closer to God than any other man could have dreamed of. The reason behind his death was in order to keep remain pure after seeing Heaven. He was the holiest of the three men.

Merlin

Merlin is a magical and mysterious man. He played the role of a prophet/wizard-like character in most legends. Originally he was portrayed in various medieval Welsh writings as a prophetic figure but later was changed in some aspects to fit in better with other stories. He is a very wise man and serves as an advisor to many powerful figures in writing. Theme: Wisdom and power comes from experience- Due to Merlin's many years of practicing magic and spells, he plays the role of a wise figure in most Arthurian legends. He acts as an advisor and prophet.

Mordred

Mordred is most known for being one of King Arthur's knights who betrayed and fought him at the Battle of Camlan. Here, King Arthur managed to kill Mordred but was seriously injured. The reason for their skirmish is centered around the fact that Arthur left Mordred in charge of the the throne while he was gone. Mordred then proceeded to crown himself King and married Guinevere which led to his fatal fight with King Arthur. Theme: Power corrupts even the best in men- Despite Mordred's initial loyalty to King Arthur, the power placed before him by the King fueled his ambitions. This caused him to attempt to become King himself and even fought Arthur in an attempt to retain the power he felt.

Morgan le Fay

Morgan le Fay is King Arthur's half sister. She is the daughter of Lady Igraine and Gorlois. She is portrayed as an adversary of Arthur's and is an enchantress in Arthurian legend. At first she only served as a small character but later became a more prominent one, at one point even playing the role of the antagonist against King Arthur himself. Theme: Anyone can become evil- At first, Morgan Le Fay played a very small role in the chain of events that took place in many Arthurian legends. Later on, she became a strong menacing person who acted against King Arthur himself, showing the secret potential hidden within each character.

Nimue/Vivienne, Lady of the Lake

Nimue is the Lady of the Lake. In the original back story for Nimue, she was a student of Merlin's who hoped to learn all of his magic spells and abilities. Merlin fell hopelessly in love with her and foresaw his own death being caused by Nimue. However, due to his infatuation with Nimue he continued teaching her magic. After continually being pursued by Merlin, the prophecy came true and Nimue trapped Merlin in a stone, tree or cave for eternity depending on the variant of the story. Theme: Love blinds man- Because of Merlin's obsession with Nimue, he could not stop himself from teaching her everything he knew. This led to his downfall, for she used the knowledge he shared with her against him.

Perceval

Perceval was raised by his widowed mother. Once he reached an age of maturity he served as one of King Arthur's knights of the round table. He was one of the three knights sent by King Arthur on the quest of the Holy Grail. He married Lady Blanchefleur and had a son with her who as an adult would become a royal king and knight. Theme: Anyone can become powerful- Perceval, despite his tough childhood and lack of a father figure, was able to become a strong and significant person. He became one of King Arthur's most trusted knights, so much so that he was one of the three knights sent in pursuit of the Holy Grail.

Uther and Igraine/ Story of Arthur's Birth

There once was a noble King named Uther-Pendragon who ruled all of England. With the help of his two loyal assistants, Merlin the Wise and Ulfius, he was able to overcome any obstacle. After many years of ruling his kingdom, Uther-Pendragon met a beautiful young lady by the name of Igraine. Soon after, Merlin the Wise came to Uther-Pendragon with a strong prophecy claiming that the King would have a strong fever come upon him, ending his life. Out of fear that the King's son would be seized for his inheritance and position, Merlin offers to cast the child away where Ulfius and himself will protect him. The King, out of fear for his son's death, accepts and shortly after the King's death came in the form of a harsh fever, as Merlin had predicted. Theme: Sacrifice is a natural part of life- In order to prevent his child from being killed, the King had to sacrifice time with his son in order to keep him safe. He preferred to die alone then die with his son being in possible danger.

Arthur/Guenevere/Lancelot

There was a great knight by the name of Lancelot who served King Arthur; he was strong, skilled, and above all loyal. His greatest fault however was rooted in his secret love affair with Queen Guinevere, King Arthur's wife. After hearing multiple rumors about the affair Sir Agravain and Sir Modred rallied up 12 knights and barged into Guinevere's chamber, catching her in bed with Lancelot. He fought off multiple guards and managed to escape from the castle. However, upon hearing that Guinevere would be tried and possibly killed due to her infidelity, Sir Lancelot returned in an effort to rescue her and shortly after King Arthur sent a group of men after him. Lancelot ends up living as a hermit while Queen Guinevere ends up living in a convent for the remainder of their lives. Theme: Trustworthy men can still betray you- Despite being King Arthur's most trusted knight, Lancelot still betrayed him. And Temptation undermines willpower- Lancelot's desire to be with Guinevere was more powerful than his loyalty to King Arthur.

Sir Gawain/"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"

During a New Year's Eve celebration at King Arthur's court, a man referred to as the Green Knight challenges someone to strike him with his own axe in return for him to do the same to the challenger in exactly one year at the Green Chapel. Arthur accepts the challenge but Gawain interrupts the King and requests that he make the blow instead. Time passes and while on his way to the Green Chapel Gawain encounters a castle where he is welcomed by the lord who promises to give Gawain his winnings from hunting every day in exchange for anything Gawain acquires in the castle. On the first day the man's wife tries seducing Gawain but can only steal a kiss. That night Gawain gives him a kiss since he managed to win one from his wife. The second day the wife manages to steal two kisses so Gawain gives the man two kisses. The third day the woman manages to steal three kisses and gives Gawain a green girdle that she claims could protect him from death. That night Gawain gives the man three kisses but not the girdle. The next day Gawain makes his way to the Green Chapel where he sees the Green Knight. He turns out to be the lord from the castle and strikes Gawain three times, only drawing blood on the 3rd strike due to Gawain's lack of honesty on the third night of the exchange. Gawain is relieved to be alive but feels terrible for his lies and wears the girdle on his arm as a reminder of his sin. Theme: Breaking promises leads to one's own pain- Sir Gawain broke the promise he made with the owner of the house to give the man everything he acquires throughout the day. Since he did not give him the green girdle on the third day, the Green Knight managed to draw blood on the third strike.

Excalibur

Excalibur is King Arthur's legendary sword that was forged on Avalon. It is often associated with having some sort of magical power and serves as a status symbol for King Arthur. Theme: Power derives from a man's weapon- King Arthur's sword, excalibur, acts as the physical embodiment of his power and prowess over his opponents.