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| Arthur, King: The legendary king of the Britons who is the center of an ever-growing group of legends, myths, romances and fairy tales generally gathered under the rubric "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table". King Arthur represented the highest ideals of medieval chivalry. He was a model to all his knights in such virtues as loyalty,bravery, integrity, the fair dispensing of justice, gallantry towards women, charity to the poor and defenseless. The adjective "Arthurian" often is used to describe a person who seems to embody these qualities. Similarly, the name of King Arthur's legendary capital CAMELOT, has come to stand for an ideal city or society. The legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have contributed richly to our collection of allusions in the English language. Let's exlore a few: Galahad: The knight of the Round Table who successfully seeks the HOLY GRAIL; also, one who is pure, noble and unselfish. A perfect knight errant, the man of valor and honor, uncomprimisingly devoted to the highest ideals. In the legends of King Arthur, Sir Galahad was the purest of heart, the noblest of nature. Because of those qualities, he alone succeeded in the quest for the Holy Grail. Holy Grail: The cup or platter used according to medieval legend by Christ at the Last Supper and thereafter the object of knightly quests. Also, the object of an extended or difficult quest. Joseph of Arimathea (who offered his own tomb for Jesus' burial) took the cup, called the Holy Grail, to what is now England, where he founded the Glastonbury Abbey and worked to convert Britons to Christianity. The Grail disappeared, and the search for it became part of the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Avalon: The isle to which King Arthur is taken when he is mortally wounded and from which it is said he will return to lead his people once again. Avalon in Celtic mythology is the island of the Blessed Souls and earthly paradise. A 1989 movie about a Jewish family that has immigrated to America, the goldeneh medina (golden land), in search of liberty and prosperity was called, symbolically, Avalon. Lancelot: A knight of King Arthur's Round Table and lover of Queen Guinevere. A flawed hero, Lancelot du Lac, or Lancelot of the Lake, stood first among the knights of the Round Table. He was the greatest fighter of them all, gallant and brave, a model of chivalry according to Athurian romance; but he fell in love with Queen Guinevere, and she with him. The story is told in many ways, but the result of the affair was the breakup of the Round Table, war, the end of the magic of Camelot, and the death of Arthur. Excalibur: In Arthurian Legend, KING ARTHUR'S magic sword was given to him by the Lady of the Lake, according to Thomas Malory's 'Le Morte Darthur'(1469). After his battle with Modred, Arthur, mortally wounded, has Bedivere throw the sword into the lake. An arm reaches up out of the water to take it. In another version of the legend, Arthur proves himself to be the rightful king of England when he alone of all the knights is able to draw the sword from the stone in which it is fixed. With Excalibur, Arthur wins great battles and unifies England. Exacalibur, stands for magic or a powerful personal weapon. For example, President Lyndon B. Johnson, used the telephone to such a powerful effect that it was called his Excalibur. |
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