Monday, March 19, 2007

The Legendary King Arthur

King Arthur is a fictional king who has been the center character of many legends throughout the history of England. He is meant to represent ideal leadership, and all the traits that a knight should have. He is brave, chivalrous, and wise in everything he does. This was the romantic idea of the age, and something that all parents tried to raise their kids with by telling them the tales of the heroic King Arthur. If you are not familiar with some of the legends of King Arthur, read on. You can find out about some of the heroic stories that originated over 1000 years ago.

The legacy of King Arther has been passed from writer to writer over the years. However, the main concept has still stayed the same. The stories have several different themes that they can follow. Arthur is first renowned as a great leader in times of battle. Therefore, a good number of stories revolve around him leading his army of brave and chivalrous soldiers into battle against the horrible enemies. The end result is to vanquish the land of the evildoers and restore peace to Camelot. Usually the Knights of the Round Table play a big role in these tales.

Other stories involve King Arthur displaying his seemingly infinite wisdom. The citizens of Camelot will be faced with some sort of conflict that seems as though it is impossible to resolve. King Arthur will not only calm down both parties, but will propose an answer to the problem that somehow satisfies both people completely. So he not only acts as the brave leader that can handle large scale battles, but he also acts as a mediator for smaller and more local problems. He is definitely a well rounded man who works well under pressure.

If you want to read for yourself some of the stories that first spawned the legends of King Arthur, you will probably be able to find them at your local library. The originals are a series of legends known as the Matter of Britain. It is not recommended that you read these because of the older style of language. However, there have been many modern adaptations or translations of the originals that are much more accessible to a regular person. Look for these, and find out what exactly made King Arthur the most popular legend of all time.

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