The Round Table was first written about in poem in the year 1155. According to the legend, Arthur received the table when he married Guenevere, as part of her dowry. A dowry is a gift from the bride�s father to the groom, which is usually money, land, and possessions. An ancient round table with drawings and names of Arthur�s knights is on display in Winchester, a town not far from London. Although many people believe that this table was really Arthur�s, it was probably built for King Edward III around 1340. King Henry VII had it decorated around 1522. These royal families believed they were descendants of Arthur. The table was mimicked from the original, which is nonexistent, for royal fairs in the 1300s. To this day, the table is hung on the wall of the Great Hall in Winchester Castle in England. King Arthur determined that the circular table would make all men equal, none sitting at the 'head' of a cornered table and none sitting higher than the others. It was at the Round Table that much of Camelot's business was conducted amongst King Arthur and his knights.
Here are the descriptions of some of the special members of the Round Table:
Arthur was a leader, perhaps a general, at the head of a long campaign against the Angles and Saxons who had invaded after the fall of the Roman Empire. Writers transformed Arthur into a wondrous king, and leader of the Knights of the Round Table.
Kay is shown as a bragging, irritable, and clumsy knight. He is the foster brother of King Arthur and steward, or supervisor of Camelot.
Gareth is the son of Arthur's sister and King Lot od Orkney. He arrives at the court of Camelot and is put to work in the kitchens.
Gawain is the eldest brother of Gareth, and is described as one of the bravest knights of the Round Table. His honor is tested throughout the stories in many ways, especially while searching for the Green Knight.
Lancelot is the son of King Ban of Benwick, and becomes the most handsome, honorable, and daring Knight of the Round Table. He is King Arthur's best friend, but falls in love with Arthur's wife, Guinevere. In the end, Lancelot becomes a monk and Guinevere becomes a nun.
Perceval is an uncoordinated and uneducated knight but grows to be amongst the best of them in skills and intelligence. He is known for his search for the Holy Grail.
Galahad is developed later in Arthurian literature. He is the son of Lancelot and the princess Elaine, and the purest knight of all. He is the knight who finds the Holy Grail, the magical cup Christ drank from at the last supper.
Mordred is either the son or nephew of Arthur. It is Mordred who brings the golden age of knighthood to an end. In the last great battle, Arthur slays him with Excalibur, but not before Mordred mortally wounded the king.
Bedivere appears in the very earliest Arthurian literature. He is also one of the most important knights of the Round Table. It is Bedivere who is commanded to throw Excalibur, Arthur's mighty sword, into the lake as Arthur died.
