MERLIN

Go to http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projs993a/arthurian/merlin.htm

Merlin is Arthur's c_________ and m__________, and in many ways, he is the prime architect of Arthur's reign: Merlin helps U_____ P_________ to become Arthur's f_________; he guides Arthur to withdraw E_________ from the Stone; he is the creator of the R______ T_______ and prophet of the G______; and he helps Arthur attain various g______.
Even with all his magical p_____, however, Merlin has some w__________. He becomes infatuated with M_____ Le Fay, the half-s_____ of Arthur. After teaching her the t______ of the trade, he is imprisoned by her. In other versions, Merlin is e__________ by Viviane.

MORDRED

Go to http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projs993a/arthurian/mordred.htm

1. Mordred was the evil s____ of Arthur and his half-sister M______. Mordred seizes the t_______ of England when Arthur, Gawain, and their troops pursue Lancelot into France.

2. Mordred attempts to claim Guinevere, Arthur's Queen, as his own w_____ in Arthur's absence. Guinevere, however, cleverly r_______, saying she must go to L______ to shop for their wedding. Once there, she takes refuge in the T______ of L______.

3. Mordred is absolutely e_____, a villain and ______ who mortally wounds his f_____ in the final battle in the same m________ that Arthur kills him.

LANCELOT

Go to http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projs993a/arthurian/lancelot.htm

1. Usually presented as the foremost K_____ of the Round Table and as the legendary l______ of Guinevere, Lancelot is raised by the L____ of the Lake before joining Arthur's c_____. His adventures are told in many Arthurian t____.

2. He is also the most beautiful and at_____ of Arthur's knights, the most skilled w____ and the most valiant. After Arthur's fall in the Last B______, Lancelot leaves his lands and becomes a h______ devoted to God.

EXCALIBUR

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1. Arthur's sw______, symbol of divine k_________, is as much a character in the legend as any human or supernatural being. Excalibur is a symbol of the r_____________ of p_______.

2. By grasping the sword, Arthur accepts responsibility that l__________ entails.

3. There are two e_____________ of the way in which Arthur acquires Excalibur. Contemporary story-tellers are fond of "the s______ in the st________" narrative in which young Arthur pulls the m________ sword from a r_____ and anvil bearing this inscription: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is likewise King of all England." Arthur's a________ to pull the sword from the stone proves his w___________ as King.

4. A second version describes Arthur and Merlin r_______ to a l______. Here they "see an arm rising from the w_______ and holding a sword. Presently a damsel r_______ rapidly toward them, and at Merlin's bidding dismounts and w______ with dry feet over the w_______. She takes the sword, the arm v________, and the damsel brings the coveted w_______ back to Arthur. "

SO WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW??

Go to http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4186/Arthur/htmlpages/kingarthurfaq3.html

1. Lancelot is entirely the c________of Chretien de Troyes and is no p_____ of historical investigation.

Go to http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4186/Arthur/htmlpages/kingarthurfaq11.html

2. The idea of Arthur's d__________ the Sword from the Stone and becoming k______ of Britain is not to be f_______ in the historical texts.

3. It is quite possible that the story of Arthur had him k_______ a great Saxon l______ and taking his sword as a s______ of v_________.

4. It is also quite possible that in c_______ (which is what they did in those days), a scribe might have forgotten to add a l_______, "Arthur pulled the sword from the S_______" may have become "Arthur pulled the sword from the s_______."

5. The idea could have had its origins in the religious b________ of the Sa_____________, some of whom would have been left b_________ when the R________ suddenly l_______ in 410.

Go to http://www-personal.umich.edu/~merrie/Arthur/kidhistory.html

What most people want to know is, was there really a King Arthur?

What we know to be true:

in the M______ A_______ (from about 800 to about 1400 A.D.), there was no King Arthur in E________
in the D______ A_______ (from about 500 to about 800 A.D.), there may have been a King Arthur, but no one has substantial p_______.
the people who lived in B________ during this time had been heavily influenced by the R______, and were probably C_________ and quite c________
G________, a monk living in the sixth century (after King Arthur would have d_______), wrote a b_____ about the Saxon invasion. He explained how B________ was invaded by the _______, and mentions a battle at a place called Mt. B_______. Gildas does not specifically n______ King Arthur, but the Arthurian l______ seems to fit inside Gildas' history quite w_______.
there are s_______ from the archaeological r______ that there was a period of t______ when the Saxons were stopped from continuing to take over the whole is_______. This gives us a h_____ that Gildas was at least partly r______, and gives us another hint, that King Arthur, or someone s_______, was f__________ the Saxons at that time.