1,752
edits
Changes
no edit summary
==Arthur and his warband==
The origin of the Arthurian legend is in the Dark Ages, when as we have seen warlords carved out their own kingdoms and fought endless wars. Now an examination of Romano-British and Celtic culture can help us to understand the inspiration for the story about the gallant knights. Arthur was based on one or more Brythonic warlords, who would have had an elite group of fighters. <ref>Sutcliffe, p 17</ref>. They would typically be high-born warriors who had been trained since childhood in the art of war. These may have been sub-kings or chieftains and they often helped him to administer his territory. These elite warriors would have been similar to the ‘sworn swords’ who had pledged to fight for their lord or king and often acted as his personal bodyguard. They were the companions of the monarch and expected to die for their lordruler. Furthermore, they were expected to abide by a good of honor. There are definite similarities between these Dark Age warriors and the Knights of the Round Table. The noble swordsmen who fought for Arthur and can be considered to be a Christianised version of an older warrior tradition <ref>Sutcliffe, p 101</ref>.
==Warriors from folklore?==
Lancelot and the other heroes are all possibly derived from stories about brave companions to the warlords and kings. It seems highly likely that many of the knights who served Arthur were originally based on figures from Folklore. One of the best-known characters among the knights of the Round Table is Sir Lancelot was ultimately derived from a folktale. Many scholars suggest that he was originally based on a Welsh hero. This is also the case with many others who served Arthur. Another example of this is Sir Cardoc who appears to have been based on the ancestors of the Welsh kings of Gwent. , It is accepted by many that some of the knights, mentioned in the Arthurian story-cycle are based on Celtic heroes <ref> Frank A. Milne, A. Nutt. “Arthur and Gorlagon”, Folklore 15, no. 1 [1904], 40-67</ref>. It has been suggested that Arthur’s band of loyal men were based on very ancient fellowships from Celtic myths. There are also those who believe that some of the heroes such as Sir Gawain and his adventures are based on European myths and lore </ref>W. P. Ker. “The Roman Dumézilvan Walewein (Gawain)”, Folklore 5, no. 2 [1894], 121-8 </ref>. It is also entirely possible that the emblematic Round Table was also sourced from a now lost folk tale.
