During the years 500
- 550AD the Britons appear to have held back the
Saxon advance. However, in the following years they were forced
back into Cornwall and Wales. The territory held by the Saxons
eventually became known as England and the people in Wales were
called 'Welsh' from the Saxon word 'weala' meaning 'foreigners'.
(It's worth noting that the Welsh called themselves 'Cymry'
meaning 'fellow countrymen' and their country 'Cymru'.) Now,
the importance of this division is that the Saxon conquerors
were hardly likely to be interested in the exploits of a 'foreign'
leader who was successful in holding them at bay. Maybe it is
for this reason that Arthur is not mentioned in early English
chronicles while his name occurs in Welsh ones.
The
first reliable
reference to Arthur is in the 'Historia Brittonum'
written by the Welsh monk Nennius around the year 830AD. Surprisingly
he refers to Arthur as a warrior - not a king. He lists twelve
battles fought by Arthur including Mount Badon and the City
Of The Legion.
Arthur
is mentioned in early Welsh literature, however the surviving
manuscripts which refer to him date from after the legend was
firmly established. These documents, though interesting, do
not help us understand the roots of the legend.
It
was the work of Geoffrey
of Monmouth, another Welsh cleric, which really set
down the foundations of the Arthurian legends. Other subsequent
writers have expanded his themes and added new strands to the
story. His work, 'Historia Regum Britaniae' was written in the
year 1133AD. He claimed to have based the work on an ancient
Celtic document in his possession. It became a 'best seller'
and still survives in two hundred manuscripts.
Geoffrey's
work was intended to be an historical document. Within fifty
years of its completion it had fired the imagination of writers
of fiction across Europe. Many of these added new strands to
the story which subsequently became essential elements:
In
1155 the French poet Maistre Wace added The Round Table.
Chretien
de Troyes, also French, wrote five Arthurian stories between
the years 1160 and 1180. He developed the theme of chivalry
and dwelt on the subtleties of courtly romance.
Another
French man, Robert de Boron from Burgundy, developed the idea
of the Quest for the Holy Grail.
Back
in England at about the same time, (around 1200AD) the priest
Layamon wrote the story in English - the first time it had appeared
in this language. In his version Arthur did not die from his
wounds, he remained on the Isle of Avalon - to return some time
in the future.
In
1485 William Caxton published 'Le Morte Darthur' - one of the
first printed books. Written by Sir Thomas Malory, this was
a collection of eight stories which brilliantly drew together
the whole saga and gave us the account we know today.
It
is interesting that writers placed Arthur in their own times.
In fact the way the whole story develops tells us far more about
the times in which the author lived than the era referred to.
Prior
to the Norman invasion the Vikings were attacking and settling
just as the Saxons had done 400 years before. People must
surely have looked around for a saviour. Times were right for
telling stories of a powerful leader.
The
Norman conquerors must have welcomed Geoffrey's account.
This suggested that the rightful heir to the throne of England
was driven out by the Saxons - maybe to Northern France.
They could claim a direct blood-line to previous kings.
Geoffrey
dedicated his book to Robert, Earl of Gloucester, Lord of the
Gwent Marches. Robert was unusual among the Norman Lords in
as much as he encouraged an intellectual movement in Wales.
It is said that he gathered a brilliant body of learned men
in his court. He must have welcomed Geoffrey's account which
located important events in Caerleon (part of the Gwent Marches)
and stated: "the city contained a college
of two hundred learned men, who were skilled in astronomy and
the other arts and so by their careful computations prophesied
for King Arthur any Prodigies due at that time."
Geoffrey later became Archdeacon of Monmouth!
Geoffrey's
writing obviously touched a nerve particularly in France. Maybe
it was because it harkened to a 'better time'. In reality life
must have been very different from that depicted in the legend
that developed.
The
story as we know it was written by Malory in 1470. He very clearly
set the events in the Middle Ages.
What
is the truth? Is there such a thing as the truth? Locating facts
is very difficult. Geoffrey was writing some 600 years after
the events. His main source is not known. Until relatively recently
there was no standard spelling for even common words - names
of people and places in particular took many forms. So 'creative'
researchers can find what they want to find, while sceptics
find nothing they can call concrete evidence. The deeper you
dig, the less you see. Remember the words of a popular song:
"Don't
push too far, your dreams are china in your hands."
